Six municipalities from Moldova to be turned into cities poles of regional growth

Chisinau, 16 December /MOLDPRES/ - Six municipalities from Moldova during 2021-2027 will be turned into developed regional centres in Moldova. To this end, the government today approved a national programme on development of cities poles of the municipalities Cahul, Comrat, Ungheni, Orhei, Soroca and Edinet. 

According to the government’s communication and protocol department, the programme’s goal is to create in Moldova a network of attractive cities poles of regional growth for residents, entrepreneurs and visitors. This fact will generate the enhancement of the labour force employment and will stimulate the development of rural zones in the neighbourhood of these cities.

The programme provides for implementation of a portfolio of projects which reflect the individual priorities specific for each city. They will be determined based on the assessment of the needs for strengthening the potential of cities poles of regional growth. The projects will aim at rehabilitating the roads’ infrastructure, developing the urban transport system, constructing of agro-food markets, arranging leisure and rest zones, developing the infrastructure of public spaces, extending the sewerage networks, etc.

As much as 822 million lei will be allocated from the state budget or 30 per cent from the programme’s cost, of which 816 million lei will be distributed for implementing priority projects in the beneficiary cities and 6 million lei – for activities of monitoring, assessment, and consolidation of local public authorities’ capacities.

The programme includes a framework action plan, based on which the beneficiary cities are to work out an operational plan on the programme’s implementation at the level of each city pole of growth.

At the same time, the cabinet today approved a draft law on local actions groups. The initiative is aimed at creating the legal framework for the creation and functioning of Local Action Groups as legal entity.  

The project provides for the creation of the LEADER State Programme, financed from public sources worth up to 5 per cent of the National Fund for Development of Agriculture and Rural Environment.  

Presently, the Local Action Groups are not registered as legal entities, over the lack of regulation of this special form of organization within the national legal framework.

photo: agora.md