First projects funded from Regional Development National Fund to be launched in 2009

The first projects funded from the Regional Development National Fund will be launched in 2009. According to Info-Prim Neo, the statement was made by deputy premier Igor Dodon, the president of the National Council Coordinating Regional Development, at the first sitting of the Council. Dodon says that in accordance with the Law on regional development, 1% of all the incomes into the national budget are gathered in a special fund destined for regional development. Valentin Guznac, the Minister for Public Local Administration, says the fund has got 156 million lei to be used to finance projects related to infrastructure, water supply and connecting localities to gas pipes, to support small companies to make new jobs. The projects are said to be starting by May, June, as foreign donors can also join in. Guznac has said that , till 2011, the Government’s efforts will be directed to strengthen the development of the North, Center and South regions, and after 2011, it hopes favorable conditions will create to start developing actions in the Gagauz Autonomy, the Transnistrian area and Chisinau municipality. Apart from the National Council Coordinating Regional Development, in October they set up the Councils for the Center, North and South. The next step is to create territorial regional development agencies which will implement the development strategies. Representatives of the private sector also became members of regional councils. The National Council decided that the towns hosting the regional councils till 2011 will be Balti for the North, Cimnislia for the South and Ialoveni for the Central area. An official with the Local Public Administration Ministry, Adrian Duca, has been appointed as the secretary of the council. “The policies of regional development are much more complex and shall not be taken as policies on developing certain localities. We’re making our first steps in terms of regional development and we should be cautious, should take into account the experience of other countries,” said the economist Alexandru Muravschi.