Visiting Moldova

Recently, ADA Managing Director Friedrich Stift paid his first visit to our priority country Moldova as Managing Director of the Austrian Development Agency. Stift introduced himself to our team in Chişinău, visited projects we support and held talks with partners and decision-makers together with Gunther Zimmer, the head of our foreign office in Moldova, and Stella Avallone, Austria's ambassador to Moldova,

Prepared for climate change

Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe. Accordingly, the country needs support in implementing necessary climate measures. Stift visited a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) project in Sărăteni that we are supporting. With the newly built rescue and fire station, the population is now better equipped to deal with natural disasters.

The visit also included the Lower Nistru/Dniester Nature Reserve, where ADA is supporting a project to reduce climate-related pressure on biodiversity and safeguard the ecosystem in the long term.

From DevRam to LOCOMO

Another stop took Stift to the city of Cantemir. Here, we recently completed our third-party funded project Development of Rural Areas in the Republic of Moldova (DevRam) to improve the city’s water infrastructure. This included the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant, a new sewerage network and an upgrade of the water supply system.

Since the beginning of this year, we have also been implementing a new third-party funded project for the EU, whose project team Stift visited. With EU4Moldova: Local Communities (LOCOMO), we are supporting selected communities in the Republic of Moldova to cope with the economic and social consequences of COVID-19. The focus is on water management and vocational training.

Employment through education

The economy and employment are also among the focal points of our projects in the southeastern European country. We pay particular attention to vocational training and continuing education. The aim is to support young people to better find qualified work.

Friedrich Stift and Gunther Zimmer visited an ongoing VET (Vocational Education and Training) project run by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which aims to help more than 6,000 young people enter the labour market. The bakery Panilino is one of the companies that have created a particularly youth-friendly working environment for young VET specialists as part of the same project, offering them prospects in their home countries.

High-level talks

Cooperation with the Moldovan government is essential to our work. During his stay in Moldova, Stift therefore exchanged views with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Andrei Spînu, Minister of Economy Sergiu Gaibu, and State Secretaries Ana Mardare and Iordanca-Rodica Iordanov. The high-level talks show the importance of the Austrian-Moldovan cooperation for the country.