Regional development was the subject of the Forum held on 2 December 2016. This initiative brought together representatives of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, diplomatic missions, civil servants of local and central public authorities, development agencies from Romania, academic community and civil society. The event was organised by the Academy of Public Administration (APA) and supported by German Development Cooperation through GIZ under the „Modernization of Local Public Services in the Republic of Moldova” (MLPS) project.
Oleg Balan, APA rector; Valentin Guznac, Deputy Secretary General of the Government; Anatol Usatii, Viceminister of Regional Development and Construction and Ulrich Kleppmann, Head of Economic Cooperation and Development of the Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany in the Republic of Moldova addressed the participants in the opening session of the Forum.
The Forum served as a platform for sharing experience and finding solutions for a better understanding and implementation of regional development policies at local and national level. At the event, the evolution of regional development concept was highlighted. The subject of the National Strategy for Regional Development (NSRD) 2016-2020 was, also, addressed and discussed with a presentation of conclusions following the implementation assessment of NSRD 2010-2012 and 2013-2015. A particular emphasis was placed on regional planning and programming, as well as, relevant information on regional statistics as a tool for regional development planning.
Oleg Balan, APA rector: ‘The idea of convening this Forum was only possible with financial support of German Development Cooperation through GIZ under the ‘Modernization of Local Public Services in the Republic of Moldova’ (MLPS) project. While at the first Forum, held in September this year the administrative territorial reform was the subject of discussion, today within the second Forum we tackle the issue of regional development. We hope that the information presented will be useful for further reforms to be made in the field of regional development’.
‘The event is of particular importance, as it is a platform for communication and strengthening of policies impacting local public authorities. In this context, it is very important to properly use our regional and local potential and, at the same time, be ready to attract additional resources and foreign investments. Regional development policy of the Republic of Moldova builds on European Union regional development trends, with the investment component as one of the key elements in this respect’, underlined Valentin Guznac, Deputy Secretary General of the Government.
‘Regional Development Policy becomes an even stronger priority for the Republic of Moldova. An argument in this respect is that unlike previous years, NSRD 2016-2020 was approved by the Parliament and not by the Government, which makes this law to become organic. Thus, we are glad, that this Forum will serve as a first attempt for public discussions on this document’, stated Anatol Usatii, Viceminister of Regional Development and Construction.
Ulrich Kleppmann, Head of Economic Cooperation and Development of the Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany in the Republic of Moldova: ‘Germany is the main donor in the regional development field in the Republic of Moldova and this is confirmed by the fact that since 1993 it supported infrastructure reforms and transition processes in the amount of more than EUR 140 million. Regional development is and must become a priority for the Republic of Moldova and the reason we are here today is to work together to meet the demands and needs of its citizens. Regional development is a practical concept based on promoting social cohesion and regional development, as well as, eliminating disparities between them. This approach is successfully practiced and implemented in the European Union’.
Since September 2016, the Academy of Public Administration with support of German Development Cooperation through GIZ and under the ‘Modernization of Local Public Services in the Republic of Moldova’ (MLPS) project is organising a number of open forums. In September this year, the first event on administrative territorial reform, was organised. The next Forum is planned for March 2017. The mission of the forums is to discuss current topics concerning public administration development at local and regional level.
The project ‘Modernization of local public services in the Republic of Moldova’ (MLPS) is implemented by the German Development Cooperation through GIZ and is financially supported by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Swedish Government, the Romanian Government, the European Union and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
