Germany to support development program of six Moldovan municipalities

Chisinau, 19 April /MOLDPRES/- The Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment (MADRM) together with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) will initiate several actions for the effective implementation of the National Program for development of cities-poles of growth in Moldova for 2021-2027.

At a recent meeting, the experts of the institutions pointed out the investment priorities necessary for the municipalities of Edinet, Soroca, Ungheni, Orhei, Cahul and Comrat to become engines of economic growth at national and regional level.

"International practice shows that a country cannot have highly developed regions without organizing its urban system, without highly developed cities, and the more urbanized a state is, the higher its level of development. At the same time, rural areas cannot perform well without developed urban areas, and urban areas need a proper territorial integration with rural areas, in order to achieve expansion and sustainable development. Following the implementation of the Program for the development of cities-growth poles, the Government aims to make the designated municipalities more attractive for residents, entrepreneurs and tourists and to generate development in the area it polarizes, " Ion Perju said.

According to the official, the ministry intends to create optimal conditions for ensuring the good organization of activities in order to improve the mobility and quality of the access infrastructure of urban centers and their connections with the surrounding areas. "Other priorities would be to strengthen the economic role of urban centers to boost the competitiveness of regions and increase the attractiveness of urban areas and their potential to generate demand for services, incentives for economic activities and high living conditions," said Perju.

The growth program includes four components: connectivity and urban mobility; competitiveness and support for economic activities; urban revitalization and development of public space infrastructure; modernization of the technical-municipal infrastructure and the networks of public units. The estimated budget of the Program is about 2.7 billion lei.

According to MADRM, at present, the Republic of Moldova is the most rural state on the European continent, the urbanization rate being approximately 43%.

photo: MADRM