International
The city of Ștefan Vodă in the Republic of Moldova becomes a regional hub for cross-border cooperation: Workshop dedicated to accessing European funds
The City Hall of Ștefan Vodă, in collaboration with the Public Institution “National Institute of Administration and Public Management” (IP INAMP), is organizing on May 14, 2025 a comprehensive Workshop dedicated to applying for European projects, within the initiative launched by the Bessarabian Technological Hub (BTH)
The event will take place starting at 09:30, at the Ștefan Vodă Town Cultural House, Festivities Hall (31 August 1989 Street, no. 2).
Objective: Strengthening partnerships and developing institutional capacity
The workshop aims to create a favorable environment for the exchange of best practices and the initiation of partnerships between local public authorities, academic institutions, civil society, and the private sector from the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania. The ultimate goal is the efficient access to European funding and the improvement of the quality of regional development projects.
International participation: public administration, universities, and the business environment
Among the announced participants are:
- Representatives of city halls from the three countries
- Representatives of the Bessarabian Technological Hub – Ukraine
- Private companies and consultants from Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania
- Higher education institutions, such as:
- ASEM – Chișinău
- UTM – Chișinău
- ONTU – Odesa, Ukraine
- V.N. Karazin National University of Kharkiv
- “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați
- North-East Regional Development Agency – Suceava
- European Business Administration Business Association
The event will benefit from Romanian–Ukrainian simultaneous interpretation to facilitate effective communication among all participants.
Workshop Program: from best practices to concrete roadmaps
9:00 – 9:30
Participant registration and coffee break
9:30 – 9:45
Official opening and introductory session:
- Vladislav Cociu, Mayor of Ștefan Vodă
- Veronica Butnaru, Director of IP INAMP
- Representative of BTH Ukraine
9:45 – 10:15
Presentation: Attracting European funds for development projects
- Liliana Condrațchi, ASEM Expert
- Discussion and Q&A session
10:15 – 11:00
Presentation: Ukraine’s experience in attracting European projects
- Representatives from Ukraine
- Discussion and Q&A session
11:00 – 11:30
Lunch break
14:00 – 14:45
Work in thematic groups – launching partnerships and developing ideas for European projects
- Groups coordinated by representatives of the partner universities
15:00 – 15:45
Presentation of the roadmaps developed by each group
- Presentation delivered by the academic teams
15:45 – 16:00
Conclusions and closing remarks
- Vladislav Cociu, Mayor of Ștefan Vodă
Perspective and Impact: A Strategic Step for Regional Development
Organizing this workshop is not just a one-off action, but part of a broader strategy for administrative modernization, investment attraction, and access to European funding sources. Cross-border cooperation and the involvement of universities provide a solid foundation for sustainable projects with real economic impact on the communities involved.
Ștefan Vodă – A Best Practice Example in International Initiatives
Under the leadership of Mayor Vladislav Cociu, the city of Ștefan Vodă is becoming a model of openness to international cooperation, proving that strategic partnerships, especially those with academic and technological components, are the key to sustainable and competitive development.
Mayor Vladislav Cociu: “We Are Preparing for a New Level of European Standards”
“We organized this event with the aim of shedding more light on the opportunities offered by the European Union to the Republic of Moldova. We are at a key moment when institutional preparedness becomes essential to meet European standards,” said Vladislav Cociu, Mayor of Ștefan Vodă.
The event is attended by the rector of the Odessa Technological University as well as
academic representatives from the Republic of Moldova, in a joint effort to strengthen expertise and boost cross-border cooperation.
From Local Initiative to Regional Platform
Although initially conceived as a training session for the Ștefan Vodă City Hall teams, the high level of interest shown by local authorities from other regions of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine turned the workshop into a regional platform for dialogue, training, and collaboration.
“We are already involved in cross-border projects with Romania and Ukraine, and this experience has shown us how important it is to deeply understand the specific requirements of international funding. It requires accuracy, responsibility, and knowledge of all stages of a European project,” emphasized Vladislav Cociu.
A Long-Term Strategy: Municipalities’ Forum Planned for Autumn
The mayor confirmed that the May 14 event is part of a broader strategy for institutional development, focusing on attracting investments, administrative modernization, and alignment with European funds.
“We are in the process of strengthening our administrative and technical capacity. If we manage to mobilize, I intend to organize a municipalities’ forum in Ștefan Vodă this autumn, with broad participation and high-level strategic discussions.”
European Context and Local Commitment
The workshop in Ștefan Vodă confirms the growing interest of local authorities in the Republic of Moldova in professionalizing access to European funds and strengthening partnerships with academic institutions and administrations in Romania and Ukraine. The city thus becomes a regional example of initiative, strategic vision, and openness to European integration.
Ion ȘTEFANOVICI, President of CAPDR: “CAPDR and its associated platforms, such as Moldova Invest and MoldovaHUB, reaffirm their commitment to supporting the Republic of Moldova’s modernization and European integration efforts.”
The signing of the Growth Plan for the Republic of Moldova, in the presence of the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, marks a landmark moment in the Republic of Moldova’s European integration process and has a significant impact on the entire Eastern area of the European Union. With a value of €1.9 billion, this plan sends a powerful message about the region’s future — one built on cooperation, strategic investment, and a shared European path.
Ion Ștefanovici, President of the Center for Regional Development Analysis and Planning (CAPDR), emphasized the importance of this plan for the Republic of Moldova and for the northeastern regions of Romania:
“The signing of the Growth Plan for the Republic of Moldova, in the presence of the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, represents a landmark moment for the European path of the Republic of Moldova and for the entire Eastern area of the European Union.
From the perspective of Romania and the Moldova Region, this €1.9 billion plan sends a clear message: the future of the region will be built through cooperation, strategic investment, and the assumption of a shared European path. The initiatives from Chișinău have the potential to generate positive echoes also on Romanian territory, especially in the northeastern counties, through cross-border projects, economic partnerships, and coherent regional policies.”
CAPDR and its associated platforms, such as Moldova Invest and MoldovaHUB, reaffirm their commitment to supporting the Republic of Moldova’s modernization and European integration efforts, contributing to the consolidation of a sustainable regional development network — from Iași and Suceava to Chișinău and Comrat.
Our visit to the Republic of Moldova is part of a structured calendar of meetings: in the north of the Republic, in Bălți, on Monday, May 12; in Chișinău, on Tuesday, May 13; and in Ștefan Vodă, on Wednesday, May 14, where we will take part in the workshop organized by the Basarabian Technology HUB (BTH). This mission aims to foster practical dialogue with the business environment and public institutions, in areas such as administration, culture, tourism, youth, and education. Our goal is to provide the Republic of Moldova with all our resources — expertise, networks, platforms — to support both the private and public sectors in leveraging the opportunities opened by the Growth Plan.”
Our involvement focuses on identifying partners, human and material resources to implement projects that will be funded through this Plan. This pragmatic approach underpins the cross-border cooperation we are building between Romania, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine.
In this regard, MoldovaHUB becomes the digital working platform where public administrations, entrepreneurs, universities, and consultants from all three countries will collaborate directly on defining and implementing regional strategic projects. Additionally, the Regional Economic Forum Moldova (FERM 2025), which will take place between July 9–13 in Vatra Dornei, will bring together leaders from the three countries to have practical discussions about the opportunities offered by this Growth Plan and about Moldova’s role as a strategic space for joint development.”
Andrei Stefanovici (ESRI UKRAINE): “At present, we aim to establish, together with specialists from Moldova, a project office in the city of Ștefan Vodă, which should become a testing ground for new models of territorial development in the Republic of Moldova.”
In this context, Romanian-Moldovan and Ukrainian cooperation teams are exploring the use of innovative tools for managing cross-border projects. One of these tools is the GIS system, whose applicability was presented by Andrei Stefanovici, Deputy General Director of ESRI Ukraine, during the workshop held in Ștefan Vodă:
“The event marks a new step in developing mechanisms to fulfill cluster-type commitments regarding the accession of Moldova and Ukraine to the European Union. We want to learn how to use European tools in organizing common cross-border projects. One of these tools is GIS.”
As a representative in Ukraine, our company, ESRI Ukraine, has extensive practical experience in developing projects involving statistical analysis and complex spatial planning at the district and subregional levels. Implementing such experience will undoubtedly optimize administrative decision-making processes related to the launch of the administrative-territorial reform, which is just beginning in the Republic of Moldova.”
At present, we aim to establish, together with specialists from Moldova, a project office in the city of Ștefan Vodă, which should become a testing ground for new models of territorial development in the Republic of Moldova. We are ready to share the Ukrainian experience in creating conditions for decentralization, as a key element of the territorial reform.
I believe that, with the agreement of Moldovan specialists, we will be able to jointly propose, within six months after the conclusion of parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova, several models of territorial reform, adapted based on Ukrainian experience. From that point on, everything will depend on the political context.”
This approach reinforces the idea of concrete cross-border cooperation, in which MoldovaHUB will function as a digital working platform for public administrations, entrepreneurs, universities, and consultants from Romania, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine.
Oleksandr Palariev, Director of Borodino-A LLC: “This is a way for the people of Ukraine and Moldova to understand European values from the early stages of project preparation and implementation”
A special emphasis is placed on rural development and the promotion of local tourism potential, in line with the objectives set by the European Union for candidate countries.
“Preparing Ukraine and Moldova for EU accession involves meeting the requirements outlined in six clusters. CLUSTER 5 covers agriculture and rural development. The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy supports the development of tourism and culture in rural areas. I emphasize the importance of tourism development in our communities within the BTH subregion,” said Oleksandr Palariev, Director of Borodino-A LLC.
He highlighted the direct connection between European practices in tourism and the sustainability of local communities: “We are connecting to European tourism routes. As part of the UN European Wine Route, Frumușica-Nova Winery was awarded ‘Best Sustainable Wine Tourism Destination’ in 2023. In addition, we created the ‘Wine and Taste Road of Ukrainian Bessarabia,’ which includes the Budjak community location, with the support of a European project.”
In 2020, the Frumușica-Nova Cluster launched an ambitious cultural project – the construction of a Smart Museum Village in the historic locality of Semisotca, a symbolic initiative for reclaiming identity and integrating into regional tourism circuits.
“Organizing the workshop ‘Preparing Applications for European Projects’ will expand opportunities for rural areas to actively participate in European programs. The participation of as many projects as possible reflects the desire of active territories to develop. This is a way for the people of Ukraine and Moldova to understand European values from the early stages of project preparation and implementation,” Palariev added.
The event in Ștefan Vodă is expected to be a key step towards strengthening regional cooperation and ensuring equitable access to European resources for sustainable development.
