The EBRD will provide Moldova with a grant of 5.6 million euros for the creation of modern waste management infrastructure in 3 districts of the country.
This is stipulated in the relevant grant agreement, signed on March 30 by Minister of Finance Veronica Sireteanu and Mark Bowman, Vice President for Policy and Partnerships of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, in the presence of Minister of Environment Rodica Iordanov. The EBRD mobilized 5.6 million euros in grant funding from the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P) for the first region in the first large-scale solid waste management project in Moldova. "We are pleased to act as a catalyst for financial partnerships, such as the one with E5P, to support Moldova's journey toward an environmentally sustainable future," said Mark Bowman. The funding complements a 25 million euros sovereign loan from the EBRD to the Moldovan government as part of a broader funding package that includes a loan from the European Investment Bank and investment grants from other bilateral donors, he said. The E5P Facility in Moldova is 50 million euros and includes a 1 million euros contribution from Moldova. The European Union is the largest contributor with 28.95 million euros. Other donors are the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden. European Union ambassador to our country Janis Mazeiks said that the EU is the largest donor under the E5P. "This grant of 5.6 million euros will help create a more environmentally friendly solid waste management system in Calarasi, Nisporeni and Ungheni districts. In addition, it supports Moldova's efforts as an EU candidate country to bring itself in line with EU standards in terms of waste prevention, resource efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reduction," he said. As noted by the Ministry of Environment, this is the first inter-regional solid waste management project in our country. It is an important step towards a sustainable solution for solid waste management services and is expected to serve as a model for a sustainable solid waste management system throughout the country. The Moldova Solid Waste Project will finance the purchase of waste collection and transportation equipment (waste containers and collection vehicles), as well as the construction of solid waste management and processing infrastructure (waste storage facilities (landfills) and facilities for sorting and processing materials). The project will be implemented in Ungheni, Nisporeni and Calarasi districts in 2023-2027. According to the Government, the construction of the regional repository of domestic waste in accordance with EU standards will allow closing non-compliant landfills and reduce the number of illegal dumps, while investments in recycling with source separation, green waste and mixed waste processing facilities will increase the level of recycling and ensure environmentally safe disposal. It will also significantly reduce carbon dioxide and methane emissions associated with waste management, thereby contributing to Moldova's efforts to decarbonize in accordance with its commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. // 30.03.2023 – InfoMarket
