Training course on regional planning in Paris: "The problems of regional development in Moldova and Latvia are similar"

PARIS (France), 19th to 20th March 2014. A Moldovan-Latvian delegation composed of representatives from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM) in Latvia, 12 representatives of local governments in Latvia and representatives of North Regional Development Agency (RDA North) from Moldova participated in a training course for local governments, organized within the project "Enhancing capacities of regional planning and local governance", financed by the Norwegian Financial Instrument.

From RDA North, director Ion Bodrug, Strategic Planning Section Chief, Inga Cojocaru, and specialist in strategic planning Ala Cucu were invited to participate in the training course, VARAM was represented by Ilona Raugze, Deputy Secretary of State in the Ministry of Latvia, and Jevgēnija Butņicka, representative from VARAM.

The training course was conducted by a team of experts from the UK, Northern Ireland, France and Poland.

Topics discussed at the event focused on local development, local development tools, monitoring and evaluation of local development, as effective database. Development of settlements in the UK, Poland and Ireland were used as examples.

In this context, the training participants discussed the problems faced by local governments in Latvia and Moldova. A special emphasis was placed on how to transfer of best practices of the two countries.

"The problems of local and regional development of localities in Moldova and Latvia are similar. Experts suggest more active involvement of civil society in the development of regional and local development documents and communication strategies with the population", says North RDA Director, Ion Bodrug.

Additionally, special attention was given to the subject on fighting unemployment and involvement of local and regional actors to limit this phenomenon, especially through the active involvement of academics in this field.

Participants in the training were interested in the local and regional development strategies in Ireland, where strategies are developed as a result of allocating a significant amount of financial resources. In Ireland, the strategies represent areas to exploit financial resources provided, while Moldova and Latvia were focused on strategies for attracting investment instruments.

According to the organizers of the training course held in the French capital, this event was followed by capacity building in developing, implementing and evaluating strategies for economic development and employment of local labor.

The Invitation of RDA North this training falls within the context of close cooperation on regional development of RDA North and Varam. Thus, in addition to a number of mutual visits made ​​in recent years Varam actively involved in the development of Socio-Economic Development Strategy for the Region of Northern Development activity that marked the first organization in Northern Region (RDN) of the International Conference "Opportunities for socio-economic development of the NDR, 2020". Also in October 2013, representatives attended the first edition Varam Days RDN event favored the signing of a partnership agreement between the City Hall Corjeuţi, Briceni and Aloja municipality of Latvia.

• RDA specialists from North invited to attend a training course on regional planning held in Paris