Mayor of central Moldova village says Bridge of Flowers, both one from 35 years ago, one of 2025, story beyond just citizens and countries

The Bridge of Flowers, both the one from 35 years ago and the one in 2025, is a story beyond just citizens and countries. We are brothers and sisters, parents and children, cousins and simply friends, who hadn't seen each other for half a century, and now we want to cover that period of sad fame and build a bridge of authentic and lasting brotherhood, a bridge that will never again witness obstacles in the form of barbed wire. This is what Valeriu Cartin, the mayor of the village Mascauti, central Criuleni district, part of the local delegation, said on April 26 at Ungheni, at the Bridge of Flowers 2025, where the construction works for the first road bridge across the Prut in the last six decades was started.

Valeriu Cartin: What we see today is not just a construction site. It is the beginning of a new bridge between people, between economies, between destinies. It is our way of saying that Moldova is not standing still, but building roads to the future.

In his youth, our interviewee participated in the first Bridge of Flowers and says that the emotions are just as profound, only now with more hopes.

Valeriu Cartin: More than three decades ago, a sea of people headed to Ungheni. Thousands and thousands of us came here to cross the Prut and embrace our kin fraternally. Only the Prut knows how many tears it held then. It was a hard road to that bridge of flowers, embodying the desire of thousands and thousands of people, and the merit of those who never stopped believing they were part of the nation, that, someday, the two banks of the Prut would unite.

Thirty-five years after the historic event, the sentimental framework is complemented by a real, safe and promising project. Flower bridges become stone bridges and mean there is no turning back. Spirituality is strengthened through economic and social development, values become more resilient and the community of deeds and ideas takes on European clothing, from which people will benefit first. Once opened, this bridge can no longer be closed.

Although he leads the village of Mascauti, being elected as mayor by his fellow villagers for several terms, Valeriu Cartin is a historian by profession, a graduate of the State University of Moldova and has a historical perspective on all events that have been, are, and are to be in Moldova.

Valeriu Cartin: In a comparative, long-term perspective, the historical process of European integration is among the most important and original processes in the history of the continent, partly because of the place Europe occupies worldwide. The integration of Moldova into the European Union is the choice of people who want a different way of life, in a civilized community where human rights are at home. The road and paths to European integration are not easy, and only united in the decision to choose democracy and freedom, we will manage to traverse them. Moldova deserves and must be a modern country, entirely different from what it has been until now.

”Moldova deserves and must be a modern country, entirely different from what it has been until now”

Valeriu Cartin: The children from the village of Mascauti, Criuleni district, are already enjoying a renovated kindergarten equipped with the necessary assets for their development, as part of the European Village Programme. At the same time, a new nursery group for 25 children has been created. Following the implementation of this project, the mayoralty has ensured improved access for 170 children, 28 employees and the creation of four new jobs. And this should be a standard for all localities in the country. By choosing the European vector, Moldova has the chance to become prosperous and comfortable for all citizens.

On April 26, 2025, the construction works for the first road bridge across the Prut River in the last six decades were officially launched during the Bridge of Flowers 2025 event, held on the Independence Square in Ungheni. The event brought together representatives from the government of Moldova, Romanian authorities, local officials, international partners and thousands of citizens from both countries, in order to mark both a historic moment of collaboration and a concrete step towards improving connectivity between Moldova and the European Union. The Ungheni-Ungheni Bridge will be part of the Union Highway and will directly connect the road networks of Moldova and Romania. The project has a strategic character for the development of regional infrastructure, facilitating the transport of goods and people and supporting cross-border trade.

Correspondent: Lilia Grubii