The Iași segment of the Pașcani-Suceava Highway discussed in Tătăruși! Conclusions

Yesterday, on September 27, 2023, a public debate took place in the town of Tătăruși, Iași County, regarding the environmental impact assessment report and evaluation study for the Pașcani-Suceava Highway segment in Iași

The public debate in Tătăruși highlighted the impact and opportunities of the A7 Highway

This debate provided an opportunity to underscore the need for careful preparation by the local public administration and business environment to fully capitalize on the benefits brought about by the construction of the A7 Highway in the North East Region.

Both local and county officials participated in the debate, including the mayor of Tătăruși, Costel IOSUB, the prefect of Iași County, Bogdan COJOCARU, the prefect of Iași County, Alexandru Moldovan, the prefect of Botoșani County, Sorin Cornilă, and the president of Suceava County Council, Gheorghe Flutur.

Representatives from organizations dedicated to conceiving and implementing regional programs necessary for supporting regional development policies were also present.

One of the main topics discussed during the debate was the impact on the environment. Authorities focused on measures to protect the environment and natural resources in the context of highway construction.

Additionally, considerations were made regarding changes to urban planning to find optimal solutions for the development of industrial areas near the highway, as well as the improvement of local road infrastructure to ensure easy access to the new highway.

President of Suceava County Council, Gheorghe FLUTUR: “The environmental approval will be issued shortly”

Present at the debate, President of Suceava County Council, Gheorghe FLUTUR, emphasized the high interest of the Environmental Agency in both counties in issuing the environmental approval soon, marking significant progress in the project’s development.

“As yesterday I couldn’t directly participate in the discussions for the A7 Highway in Suceava, today I participated in Tudora, Botoșani County, and in Tătăruși, Iași County, in discussions for the highway segments that will cross these counties. The discussions were extremely interesting.

The Environmental Agency in both counties promised that the environmental approval will be issued shortly, which means we’ve overcome a major hurdle. There were many questions regarding access to people’s properties, protective forest curtains to prevent snow drifts, changes to the urban plans of the municipalities to find areas dedicated to industrial parks near the highway, the need for modernizing certain communal and county roads leading to the highway, and many other very useful topics.

We had a very interesting surprise at the end of the discussion in Tătăruși where I saw several posters with ‘Bucovina Mică’ written on them. I found out in detail that the name was given by a soldier from Sobieski’s army, an army that passed through the area and saw a beech forest and called it ‘Little Bucovina’.

Here, people take great pride in this name and the big surprise was that at the entrance to the town I saw an identical copy of the gate from Drăgușeni, with the inscription ‘Come to Little Bucovina’. So, A7 comes from Little Bucovina to Big Bucovina,” stated the President of Suceava County Council, Gheorghe Flutur.

President of C.A.P.D.R., Ion ȘTEFANOVICI: “Mayors and the business environment that benefit from being in proximity to the future A7 must start preparations to attract foreign investments in the production areas of their localities, as well as in local tourism, where applicable”

The President of the Center for Analysis and Planning of Regional Development (C.A.P.D.R), Ion Stefanovici, also participated in the debate.

He emphasized the importance of preparing the public administration and local business environment for the immense opportunity that the A7 Highway will offer in the North East Region.

“Today, in Little Bucovina, in the beautiful town of Tătăruși in Iași, I participated in the public debate for the Iași segment of the environmental impact assessment report and evaluation study for the Pașcani-Suceava Highway.

As a representative of CAPDR – the Center for Analysis and Planning of Regional Development, I raised the issue of preparing the public administration and local business environment for the immense opportunity that the A7 Highway will offer very soon!

Mapping the investment potential in the North East Region of Romania is a priority on the agenda of the North East RDA. Mayors and the business environment that benefit from being in proximity to the future A7 must start preparations to attract foreign investments in the production areas of their localities.

Of course, local tourism and other advantages will also result from this major road infrastructure project.

Concretely, each locality crossed by A7 can initiate a series of standard procedures aimed directly at the economic development of their communities, depending on their administrative-economic profile, as well as the human, material, and natural resources they possess.

Only in this way, as I clearly stated at this debate in Tatarusi, can we narrow the significant gaps that Moldova faces in comparison to Transylvania.

Certainly, diligent and involved mayors will bring many benefits to the communities they represent!

May God help us understand and make the most of this important opportunity for the benefit of the people and the Region”, stated Ion Ștefanovici.

Prefect of Iași County, Bogdan Cojocaru: “Important stages are taking place in this period that will lead to the development of the entire region”

The Prefect of Iași County, Bogdan Cojocaru, expressed hope that the National Environmental Protection Agency will promptly review the documentation and, if all requirements are met, issue the environmental approval for this section.

“Intensive work is being done on many sections of the Moldova Highway. There is funding through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) for A7, from Ploiești to Pașcani. Now, we are discussing the continuation of the investment from Pașcani to Suceava.

Today, the report on the environmental impact and the appropriate evaluation study for the ‘Pașcan-Suceava’ Highway project, proposed to be located in the counties of Iași, Botoșani, and Suceava, was presented. Important stages are taking place in this period that will lead to the development of the entire region.

I hope that the National Environmental Protection Agency will review the documentation as quickly as possible and, if all steps are fulfilled, we will have environmental approval for this section”, emphasized Bogdan Cojocaru, Prefect of Iași County.

In conclusion, the debate provided a comprehensive framework for discussions and plans for the region’s development, and all parties involved hope that the National Environmental Protection Agency will promptly review the documentation and issue the environmental approval for the discussed section. The Moldova Highway remains a major and promising project for this region.