The European Union is allocating 10 million euros in grants to accelerate the economic growth of the municipalities of Moldova and other countries of the Eastern Partnership within the framework of the EU initiative “Mayors for Economic Growth”.
The EU Neighborhood portal reported this, noting that the European Commission has announced a new call for proposals and grants for the municipalities of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine within the framework of the EU initiative “Mayors for Economic Growth” (M4EG). This initiative supports the municipalities of these countries in developing local economic development plans aimed at stimulating economic activity and supporting local businesses, creating new jobs, including women in the labor market, and attracting investments for sustainable economic development. As part of the first phase of the initiative, completed by October 2020, more than 400 municipalities across the region have committed themselves to achieving the objectives of the initiative, and more than 230 local economic development plans have been developed in accordance with the M4EG guidelines. 16 pilot projects are being implemented in the countries of the Eastern Partnership. The second phase of M4EG is aimed at supporting the implementation of local economic development plans developed under the first phase. Moreover, the second stage has a new focus on the preparation of investment projects, both public and private, and supports the implementation of additional pilot projects based on existing plans for local economic development - 15 large municipal projects, as well as more than 50 smaller projects to address specific issues requiring targeted support, including innovation and gender. A geographical balance will be ensured between countries and within countries, between capitals and regions. The total indicative amount provided under this call for proposals is 10 million euros (5 million euros for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia and Moldova, 4 million euros for Ukraine and 1 million euros for actions based on local economic development plans). Applications for participation and project proposals must be submitted for evaluation by April 6. After that, the pre-selected will be asked to submit a complete application. An online information session for applicants will be organized on March 4. The purpose of the initiative: to stimulate innovative enterprises; development of local business models; infrastructure development. The Mayors for Economic Growth initiative supports cities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The project promotes growth and job creation by improving the local business environment and stimulating entrepreneurship through investments for sustainable economic development. // 25.02.2021 - InfoMarket.
