The Polish Government has offered $220,000 in assistance to Moldovan local administrations in 2008. The beneficiaries were selected in contests announced by the Polish Embassy to Chisinau. Now there are 7 projects of this kind running, Info-Prim Neo reports. “We don’t go with these projects to the central authorities, we respond to local authorities. If a mayor or a district president requests us to consider the possibility of implementing a project related to modernizing or developing the gas or water supply infrastructure, we always do so,” said the Polish Ambassador to Moldova, Krzysztof Suprowicz, at va meeting journalists in Chisinau. “All the projects are sent to the Polish Foreign Ministry for making the final decisions. The idea of these small grants is not only to provide financial assistance, but to support the initiatives of the people living outside Chisinau, who, perhaps, have no other possibility to see their projects accomplished,” he said. For 4 years, Poland has implemented some 20 assistance projects in Moldova. The technical assistance is granted through Polish NGOs. In connection with the 2007 summer drought in Moldova, the Polish Government granted its counterpart over $300,000. Poland granted other $200,000 through the Red Cross to alleviate the aftereffects of the 2008 summer floods in Moldova.