The Ministry of Regional Development and Construction has launched the ‘Danube Connects’ project

Today, 24 March 2015, the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction (MRDC) has launched the ‘Danube Connects’ project conducted with financial support from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) in the amount of EUR 479.930.

The three-year project aims at strengthening the capacities of coordinating and promoting of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) in the Republic of Moldova, including cross-border and transnational programmes. As a result, the planned actions will create conditions for initiating new partnerships and boosting our country’s participation in EU programmes.

As stated by Minister Vasile Bîtca ‘the information medium and the expertise of countries active in promoting the EU Strategy for the Danube Region will ensure a more effective participation in all 11 priorities of the Strategy’.

Martin Ledolter, Director General of the Austrian Development Agency, has reiterated his support for the initiative promoted by the Ministry and the State Chancellery of the Republic of Moldova, stating that ‘this initiative will contribute to greater openness of opportunities that the EUSDR can provide to participating countries, given also that Priority Area 9 – ‘Investing in People and Skills’ – is jointly coordinated by Austria and the Republic of Moldova’.

The beneficiaries of this project will be:
•    Central Public Authorities, national-level coordinators of EUSDR priorities and of cross-border and transnational cooperation programmes;
•    Grant beneficiaries and partners under cross-border and transnational cooperation programmes for the years 2007-2013;
•    Potential applicants under cross-border cooperation programmes for the years 2007-2013.

The EU Strategy for the Danube Region is a political initiative launched by Romania and Austria, with fourteen participating States, of which nine EU-Member States (Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany (including the lands of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg), Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Hungary) and five non-EU countries (Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Moldova and Ukraine).