Despite support shown by dozens of political stakeholders in the European Parliament, city halls and public institutions from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, NGOs and business associations, the Moldovan authorities appear reluctant to approve the implementation of the Discover EU Initiative on the Iasi-Chisinau railway section, said Iurie Calestru, of the IDEP Moldova NGO, during a press conference.

“We desperately call on the officials of the Moldovan Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development to approve the expansion of the DiscoverEU Program to the benefit of 10,000 young people in the region. The money is subsidized by the EU”, stated Iurie Calestru.

On June 29, IDEP Moldova wrote separately to President Maia Sandu as well as to the leadership of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development with the request to endorse the Initiative. But no reply has been received so far.

On January 18, 2022, representatives of IDEP Moldova participated in a joint meeting with the management of CFM and representatives of the Ministry of Regional Infrastructure, where they explained the provisions of the DiscoverEU Iasi-Chisinau Initiative with extension Odesa, and the support of this initiative was supposed to be discussed with the leadership of the ministry, which has not yet happened, added Iurie Calestru.

The goal of the European Parliament’s initiative DiscoverEU is for the young people to better realize the diversity of Europe and enjoy its cultural richness and to build new contacts while travelling free. The train will be the main unit of transport during the trip. The target group is the young people who have the nationality of one of the EU member states.