Officials responsible for regional development from 20 countries have come together in Chisinau for the fourth International Cooperation Conference “Overcoming Regional Disparities”. In the opening of the two-day conference, Minister of Regional Development and Construction Marcel Raducan said that this subject is essential for Moldova because all the regions must benefit from important projects for development, IPN reports.
The minister underlined that within working groups the representatives of local public authorities will exchange good practices with counterparts from other countries, as regards the identification and designing of projects in the area of regional development, and will examine models of implementing projects, policies and programs in this field.
Attending the event, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca said the regional development policies are an important component of the national development agenda and a solid pillar on which Moldova’s European approach is based. “Namely the regions represent the basis of modern Europe, while regional development is one of the top priorities of the EU. We, in Moldova, are convinced that any economic or social policy pursued by the state must have a regional reflection,” he stated.
According to the Premier, the reduction in discrepancies between regions, especially as regards incomes and the development level, is the basic principle of the cohesion policies pursued by the Government, with international cooperation being defining in this respect.
Deputy Head of the German Embassy in Moldova Thomas Weithoner said this event will contribute solutions for stimulating economic growth in Moldova and reducing social exclusion. He informed that the Government of Germany is ready to support the working out of a series of projects to increase investments in Moldova. In 2010-2015, Germany offered Moldova about €17 million for regional development.
The international conference on overcoming regional disparities “Implementation of regional development policies: which are the key factors for success?” was staged in Chisinau for the first time. The first three conferences took place in Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro.
