OREANDA-NEWS. December 27, 2013. The European Commission has integrally transferred a budgetary support instalment worth 13 million euros for the economic stimulation of rural areas, Deputy Prime Minister, Economics Minister Valeriu Lazar said at a news conference.

Thus, the European Commission earmarked all the financials means stipulated in the Technical Assistance Program for the Sector Budget Support “Economic Stimulation in the Rural Areas”.

„The project’s goal is to stop and inverse the trend of Moldovans leaving abroad. We must welcome that the EU is with us in achieving this objective,” Lazar said. „The EU’s budgetary support contributes to the improvement of the living conditions in the villages and district centres from Moldova. At the same time, in this way, the EU backs the policies of the Moldovan authorities to diversify the rural businesses, based on the regionalisation principle, and develop non-agricultural businesses,” Lazar said.

Lazar added that „people leave because they do not have a job, a competitive salary that would provide them a decent living. By this project, we want to create conditions for them at home”. In the context, the minister referred to the projects implemented with the EU’s support, the PARE 1+1 programme to attract remittances into the economy, economic empowerment of young people, the fund of guaranteeing credits for rural business.

Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Pirkka Tapiola said the programme was „a great success”. „It happens very seldom for the instalment to be provided fully and namely this was done in the case of Moldova.”.

„In January, we will talk already about a new 13-million-euro instalment. The European Union’s financial commitment will rise up to 72 million euros for this programme at the end, 90 per cent of the commitments for 2013 has been already fulfilled,” Tapiola said.

As many as 200 trainings for the economic departments of the district administrations, 200 new businesses were opened in the project for economic empowerment of young people, 100 new jobs were created with the EU’s support. Five business incubators also were created in the rural area: Stefan Voda, Leova, Rezina, Singerei and Cosnita.

The EU’s overall support in the above-mentioned programme is of 72 million euros for 2010-2014.