Best Practices Learned in a Study Visit by Members of Sector Regional Commissions in the WSS and SWM

Members of Sector Regional Commissions (SRC) in the field of Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) and Solid Waste Management (SWM) from South Development Region took part on 30 July- 3 August 2018 in a study visit in the South Region of Romania. The delegation composed of SRC members and specialists of technical support group visited several sites related to WSS and SWM fields and other successful projects implemented in the Centre Region of Romania.

On the first day, the delegation visited the RDA Sud-Muntenia, where they met the team and the director of the institution, Liviu Muşat.  During the meeting organized at the RDA South Muntenia were presented the general aspects of the programs and projects with European financing implemented in the South Region. RDA South Muntenia was founded in 1999 and has its headquarters in Calarasi, Romania. The Agency has so far implemented approximately 1700 projects with a total budget of EUR 1.5 billion. Subsequently, the Moldovan delegation also visited the Drinking Water Treatment Plant in Calarasi

Liviu Muşat, director ADR Muntenia: "Regional development must come with projects with regional, not local impact. The region is the one that matters ... We want to make the South Muntenia Region a prosperous area with a strong identity in Romania and Europe where over 3.2 million inhabitants could live worthy. "

On the second day, the delegation visited Valahia University of Târgovişte. There, the representatives of the Dâmboviţa County Council and those of RDA Sud-Muntenia spoke to the participants about the most important projects with European funding developed and implemented in the county. At the same time, was made a general presentation of the Sectoral Operational Programme Environment (SOP ENV) 2007-2013 and the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme (LIOP) 2014-2020 in the field of modernization and extension of the water supply and sewerage systems in Dâmboviţa County. The delegation then visited the Multidisciplinary Scientific and Technological Research Institute (ICSTM). The headquarters of the Institute were built with the support of an EU funded project. At the same time, a visit to the Târgovişte Waste Water Treatment Plant was also organized.

The last two days of the visit were reserved for meetings  with the representatives of Târgovişte City Hall and those of the Dâmboviţa County Council. The Mayor of Târgovişte, Daniel Cristian Stan and the President of the Dâmboviţa County Council, Daniel Comănescu, talked about the results and the projects implemented both in the city and at the county level. Subsequently, the Moldovan delegation visited one of the projects implemented by Târgovişte Municipality Mayoralty: Swimming touristic complex Targoviste, a project implemented by accessing European funds, with a total budget of 88.3 million RON.

At the meeting of the Dâmboviţa County Council, Marin Antonescu, the administrator of ADI Salubritate Dâmboviţa made a presentation on "Rehabilitation of collection, transportation, tretment and storage of Solid Waste in Dâmboviţa County". Marin Antonescu, administrator of ADI Salubritate Dâmboviţa: "In the waste management sector, the cooperation and involvement of all actors are the most important elements. No one has the capacity to provide an integrated waste management service if there is no association."  The event ended with a documentary visit to the Aninoasa waste dump (Târgovişte) and the waste dump in Titu.

Maria Culeşov, Director RDA South: "It was a visit from which we learned a lot of useful things, practices and experiences. Now, going home, we are going to implement what was shared by our colleagues in Romania and RDA South-Muntenia in particular. "

The Study visit was organised with the support of 'Modernization of Local Public Services in the Republic of Moldova' (MLPS) project, implemented by the German Development Cooperation through GIZ and in partnership with South Regional Development Agency from Moldova and Regional Development Agency South -Muntenia form Romania.

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The project 'Modernization of Local Public Services in the Republic of Moldova' (MLPS) is implemented by the German Development Cooperation through GIZ in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment and is financially supported by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the European Union, the Romanian Government, the Swedish Government and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).