EU and UNDP give €13.1m to Moldova to build confidence

The European Union and the United Nations Development Program will provide €13.1 million to Moldova for building confidence between Chisinau and Tiraspol. The money will be allocated for a period of five years as technical assistance for business development, transport and the customs sector, for NGOs and others, Info-Prim Neo reports. The EU will offer Moldova €12 million, while UNDP €1.1 million. In a meeting of the Chisinau Press Club, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Eugen Karpov said that every project that will be implemented must have a component centering on the interconnection between the right and left sides of the Nistru. “We have enough time to inform everyone about the advantages of these confidence-building measures and to involve as many people living in the Security Zone as possible in these projects,” he stated. The Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Dirk Schuebel said the new package of confidence-building measures to the value of €12 million will increase the assistance in such areas as environment protection, social infrastructure, civil society development, youth and education. “We are waiting for proposals for improving the situation in the Transnistrian region,” he stressed. The Ambassador also said that certain progress is made in the dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol. “There is hope that the new administration will be more open. We would like to see a proactive attitude on the part of the Transnistrian authorities.” UNDP Resident Representative Kaarina Immonen said that all the UNDP activities are aimed at promoting development. “Given the results we achieved, we can become involved even more,” she stated. The Confidence Building Measures in Moldova Project will provide assistance to the competent authorities involved in the dispute settlement process, including the Reintegration Office. It will also promote the dialogue at technical level within the working groups and the development of civil society in the Transnistrian region, in partnership with Moldovan NGOs.