Ukraine, Moldova looking into development of border areas from Lower Danube Euroregion

The international project “New Prospects of Rural Areas in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine in the context of Romania's Accession to the European Union” being implemented within the Renaissance Foundation East East Program: Partnership Beyond Borders helps elaborate directions of development of rural communities of Ukraine's, Moldova's border areas within the Lower Danube Euroregion, UKRINFORM agency reports, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. Ukrainian and Moldovan activists along with Romanian experts study the possibilities of development of their border villages. Three villages from Cahul district and four villages from Odesa region are part of the pilot project. Romania has vivid examples of rural community development owing to the local initiative. Ukraine and Moldova are offered to use the neighbor's experience. Ionica Bucur, Director of the Regional Center for Sustainable Rural Development (Constanta, Romania) acts as an expert in the project coordinated by NGOs from Ukraine and Moldova. A regular international tripartite workshop with the project participants involving rural initiative groups was held last week in Izmail. “Romania does not reject the roll of being a sort of a locomotive of trans-border development of the Danube delta. A great role, according to Ionica Bucur, could have played there the ferry service Orlivka-Isaccea that has been much spoken about for many years on both sides of the Danube river. The ferry service would have multiplied the Danube delta's touristic attractiveness, its Ukrainian part in particular. Another possible direction for cooperation, according to the Romanian expert, is creation of an association of farm product producers (vegetables, in particular) for its most profitable realization without intermediaries-subpurchasers. There are also ideas and experience for rural infrastructure development. The proposals to be developed by NGOs from those three countries having localities in the Lower Danube Euroregion will be put up to be financed by the European Union.