Moldovan PM, mayors from Edinet district discuss solutions to improve living conditions in settlements

Chisinau, 14 January /MOLDPRES/ - Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita today had a working meeting in the northern Edinet town. The PM and representatives of local public authorities discussed problems from the region and project on development implemented successfully, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.     
The prime minister referred to possibilities given by the National Fund for Regional and Local Development, with a budget of more than 800 million lei, for 2022. Natalia Gavrilita said that, at the last cabinet meeting, the government members had approved the Single Programme document for 2022-2024, which includes financings for more projects from the Edinet district and Cupcini town. Annually, about 300 million lei will be invested for regional development. Another 500 million lei will go to finance local projects and the regulation on enforcement for these projects will be consulted and adopted in the next several weeks.   
„We are citizens of a country and all of us have the same problems – sanitation, drinking water supply, sewerage systems. The context of ‘’European Village’ means investments in settlements and creation of jobs, through which we will be able to cease the flow of emigration and will be able to create good conditions here, at home. Our common challenge is to think about what we can do to efficiently absorb the financings. My message for the mayors is let us work together, in order to prepare the technical documentation, to efficiently involve the private sector in the implementation of well thought out projects,’’ Natalia Gavrilita also said.         
At the meeting, the mayors tackled also other problems faced by the mayoralties and settlements, such as the use of funds for roads’ repair, payment of salaries in the public sector, legal regime of lakes, closing of the inactive peasants’ households, land evaluation, etc. The prime minister set forth the government’s initiatives and actions for solving these problems. 
During the meeting, Edinet mayor Constantin Cojocari presented the components of a project titled, Edinet – Promising Town, financed by EU and implemented by the mayoralty of the Edinet town, in partnership with the city hall of the Alba Iulia municipality from Romania. The project, which is in the first year of implementation, will be carried out during four years and on this period investments will be made in the public transport, efficient management of waste and water resources, extending the public illumination. Also, projects on improving the living conditions through enforcing intelligent solutions will be implemented in at least three districts of the Edinet town and several education institutions will be modernized.          
The mayors invited from the Romanian cities of Alba Iulia and Piatra-Neamt thanked the hosts for reception and told about the friendships made between Moldovan and Romanian cities. ‘’The local residents can do miracles, the successful local administrations make the difference and by putting on Moldova’s map such success points, we can guarantee a sustainable development in our settlements,’’ the mayor of Alba Iulia, Gabi Plesa, said.      
„I appreciate very much the potential of the cross-border projects and I congratulate the Edinet mayoralty for this project. I know that many settlements have no capacity to co-finance such projects and namely therefore, the National Fund for Regional and Local Development will include a component of co-financing for foreign projects,’’ Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said.      
The budget of the project, Edinet – Promising Town, is of 4.35 million euros, of which 4.14 million euros is EU’s subsidy and 218.7 thousand euros – contribution of implementation partners.   
Photo: Government