The first stage of the UNDP project Advanced Cross-river Capacities for Trade (AdTrade), financed by Sweden and the United Kingdom, brought the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises from both sides of the Nistru closer to the Western standards on business management and organization. Currently, the companies from the left side of the Nistru have a closer commercial partnership with the EU. Over half of the export-import relations of the Transnistrian region are with the EU member states. Given the achieved positive results, the next stage of the project was launched today and will last until 2025, IPN reports.
In the launch conference, Oleg Serebrian, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, said that this project remains important for Moldova as it brought positive dynamics to the commercial relations on both sides of the Nistru River. Important assistance is also provided in meeting the standards laid down by the Free Trade Agreement. This is valuable contribution to the exchanges between Moldova and the EU. “These small companies from both sides of the Nistru, which benefitted from the project, took a small but important step towards bringing out society, the economic community from both sides of the Nistru closer to the European Union,” stated the official.
Ambassador of Sweden to Moldova Katarina Fried said the EU’s participation is very important for the reintegration of the two sides of the Nistru. The contribution to strengthening the competition capacities is essential for companies in Moldova. “We want to support the development of the economy and the economic agreements. The communities from both sides of the Nistru continue to develop, to support each other, to launch new products and services and we see that you are ready for a new stage. I’m grateful to all the partners that supported and took part in this process with so many interesting initiatives on both sides of the Nistru,” stated the ambassador.
UK Ambassador to Moldova Steven Mark Fisher noted that this year’s crises showed how much the communities from the left and right sides of the Nistru are connected and how important it is to maintain a stable environment between economic growth and economic development. By the end of 2023, the United Kingdom will invest £1 million in the project. AdTrade will help entrepreneurs from both banks of the Nistru River to become more competitive on export markets, particularly in the European Union and the UK,” said the diplomat.
Dima Al-Khatib, UNDP Resident Representative to the Republic of Moldova, reiterated that 2022 witnessed unprecedented problems that so far generated negative obstacles for the region. The people lost their incomes, supply chains were disrupted, sales were lost and all these aspects show that the SMEs, the vulnerable groups need to be supported for them to enjoy sustainable economic development. In these difficult times, the partnerships are very important. “We considerably appreciate our excellent partnership with the Embassy of Sweden, the Reintegration Policies Bureau with which we work to achieve our main goal – wellbeing and better living conditions for the citizens in Moldova and improvement of cooperation on both sides of the river,” stated Dima Al-Khatib.
Dumitru Parfentiev, AdTrade manager, noted that the first stage lasted for four years as from 2018. More than 240 jobs were created and 74 entrepreneurs received business development grants, including 37 run by women. Seven agri-food processing units were equipped with photovoltaic systems and state-of-art equipment, and 36 companies increased their competitiveness and export potential by applying innovative technologies. Seven business associations from both banks of the Nistru river strengthened their capacities and created partnerships. Also, with the help of the project, the first social entrepreneurship platform on the left bank of the Nistru River was created, and 100 people were trained on how to start a social business.
At least 70 companies will benefit from certification and export promotion assistance, out of which 40 companies will improve their competitiveness thanks to the infrastructure provided through the four clusters created. The additional funding will enable the development of 40 more businesses and creating of at least 200 jobs on both banks of the Nistru River.
