The "European Village Express" small grants program will be officially launched on May 2.
The Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Lilia Dabija informed about it at the press conference on April 28, noting that since that date applications for participation in the grants contest will start being accepted. Such decision was approved by the Regional and Local Development Council. The new program is "subsidiary" of the already operating - "European Village" (Satul European) and is implemented in order to simplify and speed up implementation of projects in Moldovan villages. The new initiative will provide small grants (up to 450 thousand lei) for projects to be implemented within six months, aimed at improving infrastructure (particularly street lighting) and construction and repair of social infrastructure (kindergartens, schools, cultural centers, etc.). Expenses for program implementation in the current year are estimated at 100 million lei. More than 100 mayoralties throughout the country may apply for participation in the grant contest. Liliia Dabija said the procedures of submission, review and approval of applications for the grant contest are maximally simplified: only project concept is to be presented for application, and other documents (technical and licensing) will be presented only after approval of the concept. There is also no obligation of parity financing of projects: a project can be financed entirely by the National Fund for Regional Development. Till May 2, mayoralties have 15 days to submit applications (project concepts). At the same time, a special competitive commission will be set up at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development, which will review and select projects within 30 days. Selected projects will have another 15 days to submit the remaining documents. The Regional and Local Development Council has also approved a special guide on the conditions of participation in the competition and the program as a whole. The guide will soon be published on the website of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Let us remind you that 43 regional development projects and 396 local development projects are planned to be implemented until the end of the year. During the year of "European Village" Program implementation, 100 out of 496 projects have been implemented, and nearly 100 thousand people have become the beneficiaries. 123 million lei has been allocated from the National Fund for Regional and Local Development to implement these 100 projects. More than 20 thousand people from 18 settlements of the country got access to drinking water and 6 thousand people - to sewerage system. Almost 34 thousand people enjoy new street lighting (about 200 km of electric lines were installed). 14 kindergartens have been repaired or equipped, 9 gymnasiums, 3 lyceums and 18 houses of culture have been modernized and overhauled. // 28.04.2023 – InfoMarket
