Vasile Bitca, the Minister of Regional Development and Construction (MRDC) has met today, on 19 March 2015, with H.E. Ingrid Tersman, Ambassador of Sweden in the Republic of Moldova.
The officials discussed about the projects of regional development in the Republic of Moldova, financed by the Swedish Government, bilateral cooperation between the two countries, technical and financial assistance provided by the Swedish Government and the situation in terms of the decentralization process.
The Minister Vasile Bitca thanked the Swedish Government for the support provided for the regional development in our country, including the financial support provided alongside with the German Development Cooperation through GIZ for the improvement of water supply and sanitation services, energy efficiency in public buildings, improvement of solid waste management services and technical assistance in regional development under the project ‘Modernization of local public services in the Republic of Moldova’, implemented by the German Development Cooperation through GIZ, financially supported by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) , the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania and the European Union. The goal of the project is to improve local services in the villages and towns of the Republic of Moldova in the time period January 2010 to December 2015, with the co-funding by the Swedish Government in the amount of EUR 5.5 million by means of investments in infrastructure and innovative technologies, capacity development and modernized management of service providers, improved inter-municipal cooperation and enhanced local participation.
During the meeting, the minister pointed out the need for cooperation in the area of construction standards, Eurocodes, and the need to finance National Spatial Plans and General Urban Plans. At the same time, H.E. Ingrid Tersman presented the Sweden’s Support Strategy for the years 2014-2020 for Eastern Europe, Western Balkans and Turkey.
‘The Swedish government has been and is interested in issues of regional development in the Republic of Moldova, so we thank you for your help and kindly ask that we continue to benefit from Sweden’s support, exchange of experience and best practices in the area at issue’ said the minister Vasile Bitca.
In her turn, H.E. Ingrid Tersman congratulated Vasile Bitca for his appointment to the office and wished him successful achievements and perseverance in his future activities. At the same time, Her Excellency expressed the willingness of the Swedish people to further support regional development and the European course of the Republic of Moldova.
