The Ministry of Regional Development and Construction launched the twinning project “Capacity Building in Regional Development in the Republic of Moldova” within which the EU will provide €1.17 million in financial assistance, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to a communiqué from the Ministry, Minister of Regional Development and Construction Marcel Raducan said the project will contribute to strengthening the Ministry’s capacities for implementing regional development polices in Moldova and to improving the legislation in the field and reviewing the National Regional Development Strategy. The Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Dirk Schuebel spoke about the role of the regional development policies in the EU, stressing that the EU budget for regional policies in 2007-2013 was €350 billion, which is 36% of the total budget. The budget for the financial period 2013-2020 is now being planned and the regional development remains an important objective for the European policy. Romanian Ambassador to Moldova Marius Lazurca said that Romania is now taking part in four twinning projects in Moldova - on public procurement, intellectual property, competition and strengthening of abilities in the regional development sector. Romania is also participating in the EU-12 program, within which it will provide financial assistance for improving regional statistics. The money allocated within the project “Capacity Building in Regional Development in the Republic of Moldova” will be used to disseminate the experience of the European states in the area of regional development through the agency of Romanian, French and Latvian experts. The project will last from May 2012 until January 2014.