Five development projects backed by EU to be implemented in southern Moldova

Chisinau, 12 December /MOLDPRES/ - Five regional projects on water supply and enhancing the energy efficiency of public buildings are to be launched in southern Moldova with the European Union’s support, through the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ Moldova). The beneficiary settlements officially received the technical documentation, needed for starting the works, in the Cimislia town on 11 December.

The general goal of the EU-backed projects is to enhance Moldovan citizens’ access to upgraded services of water and sewerage supply, as well as to energy efficiency in public buildings.

At the ceremony, the director of the South Regional Development Agency (ADR Sud), Maria Culesov, said that “the implementation of these projects will contribute to enhancing the access of the residents from the South Region to quality drinking water, thus improving the living conditions and maintaining people’s health condition. Similarly, the investments made in the energy efficiency sector will provide a better and more comfortable environment for pupils and teachers. As a result, the bills will be lower and the savings – higher, which will be used on other purposes.”    

The ADR Sud director thanked the European Union and GIZ Moldova for the support provided and active involvement in the settlement of the problems of the people from the region. In particular, Culesov appreciated the openness proved by the representatives of the settlements benefitting from projects financed by EU, the contribution of German partners and the lessons learnt in the process of carrying out the designing phase.   

For her part, a GIZ project manager, Christina Otto, congratulated the beneficiaries on the completion of the designing phase and wished them success in the second phase, which implies works on construction of the infrastructure of the projects selected. “These projects represent the result of the process of regional planning and scheduling, in which more development partners got involved, among which EU, Sweden and Germany. In continuation, EU will back the building of infrastructure for the projects selected and GIZ Moldova will support the local partners in the process of identifying financing sources for other projects,” Christina Otto said.  

The stage of elaborating the technical documentation for those five projects will be followed by the one of implementing the priority projects for the construction of the infrastructure itself. The procurements of construction works, due to be made ADR Sud, for the projects selected, are planned for January 2020.

The European Union started backing the regional development sector in Moldova back in 2013 and the regional development field was included as an important chapter in the Moldova – EU Association Agreement. In June 2016, GIZ Moldova and the European Union’s Delegation in Chisinau signed a Grant Agreement on the working out of technical projects and tender documentation for the construction works within the projects selected, which deal with the sector of water and sewerage supply and energy efficiency in those three development regions of Moldova. The grant’s overall budget was of 3.5 million euros, provided by EU, and 325,000 euros offered by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.