In the North Region was held the 7th workshop of the Regional Sector Working Group (RSWG)with regard to the next steps in implementing the Regional Sector Programme (RSP) and the principles of formation of project working groups (PWG) in Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) sector under the project ‘Modernization of Local Public Services’, intervention area 2. 

These activities are conducted with the support of the German Government, under the MLPS project, with the support of the Swedish Government and of the European Union.

The objectives of the workshop are: Organizing the Project Working Group (PWG) that shall support the development of feasibility studies; Presenting the PWG Establishment Agreement that provides the framework for cooperation in project development; Presenting the feasibility study contents, the time-frame and organization of activities; Discussing the scope of projects for Phase 1; Presenting the types and goals of the data to be collected and setting the time frame for that, obtaining the PWG support relating to the data collection process.

The workshop was organized in four sessions: 1) Results of the meeting of the Sector Inter-Ministerial Commission and the next steps 2). Further development of viable project concepts. Presentation of possible project concepts; 2) The concept of organizing Project Working Groups (PWG); 3) The purpose of the Feasibility Study (FS) and FS contents; 4) Detailed presentation of the way to fill in the questionnaire.

In his welcome message, the Director of the North RDA, Mr Ion Bodrug, highlighted the importance of this meeting for the development of project concepts and attracting financial resources to the WSS sector: ‘This meeting is very important given that we are at the stage of preparation of feasibility studies in the water supply and sanitation sector, and development of some real projects in the sector. I firmly believe that the established project working groups shall prove accountability and efficiency and shall successfully meet their targets in the area of WSS’.

The representatives of the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction, the members of the WSS working group of the North Development Region, representatives of local public administrations (LPAs), specialists from the North Regional Development Agency (North RDA), representatives of the German Development Cooperation through GIZ, and representatives of municipal enterprises ‘Apa Canal’ were involved in the process of determining a plan of activities for the development of viable project concepts (VPC) in the WSS sector of the North Development Region.

Furthermore, the structure and contents of a Feasibility Study (FS), the importance of FS in the development of projects and attracting funds for their implementation were presented to the members of the working group at that workshop.

Then the experts presented the data collection method for the questionnaire to be filled in by the representatives of the LPAs that apply with project concepts in the water supply and sanitation sector. Finally the action plan on the development of feasibility studies and viable project concepts (VPC) was approved.

The workshop was held with the support of the project ‘Modernization of Local Public Services’, intervention area ​​ 2, ‘Regional Planning and Programming’, which provides support to the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction and RDAs in starting the process of regional planning in the SWM sector, by implementing the participatory principle. This process focuses on involving the working group representatives as well as other stakeholders in making decisions regarding the desired level of service in specialized workshops. They are organized in three development regions of the Republic of Moldova and are aimed at strengthening the sector planning capacities at regional and local levels.