Germany to provide Moldova with two million euros to develop infrastructure

Chisinau, 17 March /MOLDPRES/ - Germany will provide two million euros for carrying out infrastructure projects, according to the third part of the Social Infrastructure and Energy Efficiency Programme for 2018, launched in Chisinau on 16 March.     

Attending the event were more German, Moldovan officials and representatives of the local public administration authorities from all over Moldova.  

Ambassador of Germany to Moldova Julia Monar has said that the support provided was aimed at improving people’s living standards. ”Our assistance should go whether it could be felt by an as larger number of citizens as possible. Therefore, persons from the local public administration are our most important partners. In 2003, the government of Germany launched the Social Infrastructure and Energy Efficiency programme, in order to provide support to small towns and villages. I am quite happy that we can start together the third phase of the programme, with a support of two million euros. This phase will give more settlements possibility of participating in the contest. I am sure that the projects selected within the programme will be successfully implemented,” Julia Monar said.    

A total number of 210 community development projects have been carried out in settlements with a number of up to 20,000 residents from 20 districts from southern and northern Moldova within the Social Infrastructure and Energy Efficiency programme. The projects’ goals were community development through implementing sub-projects of social infrastructure (schools, kindergartens, sewerage and drinking water supply projects, roads, etc), as well as the establishment of partnership between communities from both banks of Dniester, with emphasis put on the efficient use of energy and of alternative energy resources.    

“The German bank KFW finances investment projects from different sectors all over the world. Turning the financing from grants into better living conditions is in your hands. I am sure that the third phase of the project will contribute to improving the quality of life in communities from Moldova,” the project manager of the regional and urban development section (Eastern Europe-Caucasus-Central Asia), Diana Hedrich, said.   

The executive director of the Social Investments Fund of Moldova, Mircea Esanu, said that the progress of the other projects carried out together with the German donor had been at the basis of extending the project. “Germany wants to extend the area of coverage of these projects also in the settlements where the German money has not reached. The success of FISM, achieved in other social projects it is managing was at the basis of the programme’s prolongation as well,” Esanu noted.    

Under the agreement on grant, the government of Germany ruled to supplement the project by another two million euros, as one of the basic priorities of the donor was to ensure access of all settlements to financial resources provided by the German cabinet. Thus, communities which earlier have not benefited from financial resources for restoration works within the programme in 2009-2017 can participate in the contest at present. The maximum value of the grants provided will be of 75,000 euros for rural settlements and 150,000 euros for towns. The grants’ beneficiaries should also provide the contribution of the community: at least 15 per cent of the overall value of the project for rural settlements and 30 per cent – for urban settlements.   

The announcement on the project’s launch will be published in the Official Journal of Moldova on 23 March. The application forms can be sent till 2 May.  

Within the German Financial Cooperation with Moldova, the Social Investments Fund of Moldova and the German Development Bank KFW in 2005-2017 managed a grant worth 9.65 million euros, provided to Moldova by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development.   

(Reporter A. Ciobanu, editor A. Raileanu)