The Monitoring Committee of the Interreg NEXT Romania-Moldova program was established with a budget of 77.3 million euros for cross-border cooperation.
This was announced by the Ministry of Finance, noting that it included representatives of the two partner countries of the program. The first meeting of the monitoring committee was held online, representatives of the two countries discussed and decided on the mechanisms of interaction within the committee and the method of making decisions during the implementation of the program, respectively, until 2029. The governing body also submitted proposals for consultations on the main features of the future project competition, the evaluation procedure received applications, according to the effectiveness of the program implementation. Given the limitations of the European rules applicable to cooperation programs in 2021-2027, governance structures aim to reduce the duration of project evaluation and contracting and ensure strict compliance with contract terms by beneficiaries in order to avoid problems with the implementation of funds allocated to the program. The budget of the Interreg NEXT Romania-Moldova program approved on November 30, 2022 by the European Commission is 77.3 million euros, to which the funding of the participating states is added. The funded projects must benefit the communities on both sides of the border, from the counties of Iasi, Botosani, Vaslui, Galati and throughout the territory of the Republic of Moldova. As InfoMarket agency reported earlier, the European Commission approved the Interreg NEXT Romania-Moldova program for 2021-2027, which provides for the allocation of 77.3 million euros for cross-border cooperation between the two countries. It referst to the projects of Moldova and Romania in order to improve education, medical care and nature protection. The program will invest in disaster risk prevention and resilience, biodiversity conservation, contributing to the economic development of local communities. The program will also invest in education and training (eg building or upgrading schools and universities, upgrading digital equipment). At the same time, the medical sector will be financed through investments in infrastructure and new modern medical equipment. Finally, the program will invest in tourism and culture, improving access to historical sites in the area. The formation process of Interreg NEXT Romania - Moldova began with the creation of the Joint Committee and the approval of the methodology for preparing the program in September 2020. During the development of the program, several consultations were held with the participation of national, regional authorities, local, public, economic and social partners, bodies representing civil society, research institutes and universities. As InfoMarket agency reported earlier, Chisinau and Bucharest have developed a new cooperation program Interreg NEXT Romania-Moldova 2021-2027, which will be funded by the EU. The budget of the joint operational program Romania-Moldova for 2014-2020 amounted to 81 million euros (grants), and the mandatory co-financing of beneficiaries - 10% of the value of the EU contribution. The goal of the program was to implement projects aimed at creating partnerships between actors on both sides of the border that benefit communities in the border area.// 06.02.2023 — InfoMarket
