Moldovan government's secretary general participates in annual Interreg 2026 event in Brussels

Secretary General of the Government Alexei Buzu has participated in the annual Interreg 2026 event held in Brussels, where he discussed the role of the cross-border cooperation in communities’ development and Moldova’s preparations for joining the European Union.

During the Quo Vadis Interreg? panel, alongside representatives of European institutions and participating countries, the secretary general of the government presented Moldova’s experience. He stressed that, for the country, Interreg programmes were particularly important, as they provide one of the opportunities through which local authorities, public institutions and civil society organizations can directly participate in projects financed through European cooperation and cohesion instruments. As a candidate country, Moldova is also using these programmes to gain the experience necessary to manage European funds.

During the 2021–2027 period, Moldova is participating in six Interreg programmes, through which 164 projects have been contracted, involving 192 participations by beneficiaries from the country and approximately 44 million euros in European funding. Around 40 per cent of the beneficiaries are local public authorities. The projects address such areas as healthcare, education, environmental protection, emergency management, culture and tourism development.

Referring to the future of the Interreg programmes, the Secretary General of the Government emphasized the need for a more ambitious approach, in which European funding would contribute not only to the implementation of individual projects, but also to supporting structural reforms.

In the context, Alexei Buzu presented the reform of local public administration in Moldova, aimed at reducing administrative fragmentation and strengthening the capacities of local and regional authorities. According to him, priority issues for citizens, such as access to water and sewerage, mobility and transport, require joint solutions developed at regional level, rather than isolated interventions in each locality. Another priority highlighted was accelerating the implementation of European projects.

“Citizens cannot wait four, five or seven years to benefit from basic services. We need more ambition, projects implemented more quickly, simpler procedures and greater flexibility,” said Alexei Buzu.

The annual Interreg 2026 event is taking place in Brussels on November 12-13 and brings together representatives of European institutions, national and regional authorities to discuss the future of European territorial cooperation and the priorities of the Interreg programmes for the 2028–2034 period.