European Commission to support 10 EU states, Moldova, Ukraine in cross-border cooperation

Chisinau, Dec. 7 /MOLDPRES/- European Commission approved four new Interreg programs, in which ten member states of the European Union, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova participate, worth 533 million euros from EU funds for 2021-2027.

The Interreg NEXT Romania - Moldova Program aims at strengthening cross-border cooperation, boosting the ecological transition and supporting medical assistance and education. "These programs will benefit from reinforced funding, given the Commission's decision in March to suspend cooperation with Russia and Belarus following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and to transfer €26.2 million, allocated to these two countries, to improve cooperation with Ukraine and Moldova, and 215 million euros - for transnational cooperation in the Danube region in the innovation and renewable energies", the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development (MIDR) said.

The investments are meant to increase the use of renewable energies, improve water management and preserve biodiversity through ecological corridors. It will also invest in joint actions to manage climate change risks. "Another 77 million euros are offered for cross-border cooperation between Romania and the Republic of Moldova for better education, healthcare and nature conservation", according to MIDR.

The Interreg NEXT Romania-Moldova program will invest in preventing the risks of natural disasters and increasing resilience. The program will also help conserve biodiversity while contributing to the economic development of local communities. The program will invest in education and training, but also in equipping medical institutions with new high-quality equipment. At the same time, the program will invest in tourism and culture, improving access to historical monuments in the area.

Interreg is one of the EU's key instruments supporting cross-border cooperation. It addresses challenges and finds common solutions in areas such as transport and sustainable energy, health, environment, research, education. For the period 2021-2027, Interreg has a total budget of almost 10.1 billion euros covering 86 programs and four directions of action: cross-border, transnational, interregional and the integration of the outermost regions. From the total budget, almost 665 million euros will be granted for six Interreg programs, to support cross-border and transnational cooperation activities between the EU member states, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.

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