The project “MOVE IT like Lublin” – a Chisinau public transport sustainable development initiative co-funded by the European Union – was presented in Chisinau. The project will be implemented until 2025. In the period, good practices applied in the Polish city Lublin will be transposed to Chisinau. For the purpose, the EU will provide £3.3 million in grant funding, while the contribution of the local public administration is €175,000, IPN reports.
Poland’s Ambassador to Moldova Bartlomiej Zdaniuk said the project “Move it like Dublin” is an additional proof of the friendship between Poland and the Republic of Moldova. With Poland’s support, a number of development projects have been implemented in rural and urban areas in Moldova.
“Through the angle of trolleybuses that seem to be a technical thing, we speak about a living standard, about the way of life. Poland is a nice example showing that besides different activities, transformations, reforms implemented by the central administration, the activity of the local authorities also matters a lot,” said the Polish diplomat.
During the past 30 years, Poland changed substantially owing to the efforts made by the central and local public authorities. “I think this experience will be relevant for absolutely all the people in the Republic of Moldova. If someone wants to understand us, the Poles, we should start from this word: solidarity. It is a state of spirit showing that we care about our future, about the future of our friends, our neighbors. We want a lot the Republic of Moldova, all its localities, both in rural and in urban areas, to be nice and flourishing” said Bartlomiej Zdaniuk.
Gintautas Baranauskas, deputy head of Operations Section of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, said that the partnerships between EU cities and its neighbors are very important. The close cooperation with the EU member states can bring social, economic and environmental benefits, which are key priorities for the European Union in its cooperation with the Republic of Moldova as well. “This project financed by the EU is a significant opportunity for the Republic of Moldova, primarily for Chisinau city, to cooperate with partners from Poland in implementing the best practices and experiences of the European Union for ensuring the sustainable development of urban mobility and for achieving tangible results for the benefit of the residents and visitors of the city. We are confident that the planned results of the project will contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of citizens, this being the main priority of the cooperation between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova,” stated Gintautas Baranauskas.
Octavian Lungu, manager of “Move it like Lublin”, said the project aims to improve the public transport system in the municipality of Chisinau so that this is safe, inclusive and sustainable. Until 2025, the project will contribute to improving the urban transport policies at municipal level. The project will offer assistance in increasing the institutional capacities of the Chisinau City Hall, in accordance with the recommendations of the EU, in terms of urban mobility, and will contribute to improving the quality of management of municipal transport by implementing IT solutions and modern technologies.
