84 projects worth 81 million euros allocated by the EU have been implemented under the Joint Operational Program Romania-Moldova 2014-2020.
The Finance Ministry reported this, noting that the program was financed by the EU through the European Neighborhood Instrument and allowed improving the lives of citizens on both banks of the Prut. As the Finance Ministry's Deputy Secretary-General, Ana Luca, said at the final conference on the implementation of this Joint Operational Program, thanks to EU support, citizens from both banks of the Prut River benefited from investments in transport, education, medical equipment, culture, skills and training, as well as in the modernization of border crossing points with Romania. The mentioned program pursued 4 main objectives, offering a wide range of solutions: supporting education, research, technological development and innovation; promoting culture and preserving local historical heritage; increasing accessibility of regions, developing transport and communication networks; addressing common security and safety issues. Thanks to these strategic directions, the program managed to support regional development and strengthening of cooperation relations between Romania and Moldova. One of the significant achievements of the Romania-Moldova cooperation program was the implementation of 4 major investment projects for a total amount of 24 million euros, which had a significant impact on the strengthening of emergency intervention capacities at cross-border level, customs modernization, border security, as well as cross-border communication infrastructure: SMURD-2: "Improvement of SMURD operational infrastructure and training of personnel for emergency response in the border zone between Moldova and Romania"; "Rehabilitation and modernization of border customs offices on the Romania-Moldova border" (modernization of Albita-Leuseni, Sculeni-Sculeni and Giurgiulesti- Giurgiulesti customs offices); "Regional cooperation for preventing and combating cross-border crime Romania-Moldova" (THOR) and "Communication infrastructure" (COMINF). Thus, in Romania, within the SMURD-2 project a training ground for emergency situations was built, as well as 3 heliports in the counties of Botosani, Iasi and Galati. In Moldova, the project included the construction of 4 SMURD heliports near 4 hospitals in the municipalities of Chisinau, Balti and Cahul, the reconstruction of 2 SMURD operating points in Ungheni and Cantemir, the acquisition of 14 special vehicles, as well as the construction of 2 emergency reception centers in Chisinau and Balti. Thanks to the SMURD project, launched in Moldova in 2014, more than 13 thousand ground and 130 air-medical interventions have been carried out. Reconstruction of 4 border sections, renovation of 10 police stations and construction of a new headquarters for 3 operational units of the National Investigation Inspectorate of Moldova are just some of the notable results of the THOR project. And thanks to the COMINF cross-border project, Moldova and Romania now have an integrated communication system through the acquisition of 4 mobile communication centers, the creation of a Center for cross-border police cooperation in Lipcani, as well as the modernization of the communication infrastructure between the two countries, ensuring a fast exchange of information with a bandwidth of at least 5 Gbps. In addition to large-scale investments, other initiatives were implemented to develop cross-border transport infrastructure, information and communication networks in Romania and Moldova, contributing to overcoming common problems of both countries in the field of cross-border transportation. The Romania-Moldova Joint Operational Program 2014-2020 supported skills development and innovation in the cross-border area, financed projects that promoted adaptation to the labor market, accelerated learning, skills development in areas such as auto industry or sustainable energy, development of career counseling and vocational education, assistance in mobility programs, entrepreneurial skills for youth and social entrepreneurship. Cross-border partnerships have found important solutions to common health challenges by investing in the modernization of 21 medical facilities, dozens of state-of-the-art devices and vocational training. These efforts have led to improved quality of health services in the program area, benefiting more than 1.5 million citizens on both banks of the Prut. Also during the closing conference, partnerships created through projects that have contributed to the valorization and sustainable promotion of local cultural and historical heritage, both in Romania and Moldova, were highlighted. Among the results we can mention: the restoration of the Soroca Fortress, Ion Creanga's house in Iasi, the opening of the first religious museum in Moldova in the Capriana Monastery; the creation of a network of tourist information centers and tourist routes, etc. // 18.03.2024 - InfoMarket.
