Resource Efficiency in Moldova – Transforming Challenges into Opportunities

In July, STENUM was in Chișinău and Nisporeni to meet with representatives from the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, the Convention of Mayors of Moldova, and the Chamber of Commerce, as well as with strategic partners and experts such as ODA, the Organization for Small and Medium Enterprise Development, the national UNIDO coordinator, the EIP expert, RECP experts, trainees, and demonstration companies to discuss future strategies for implementing resource efficiency and circular economy.

The foundation for this discussion is the National Waste Management Program 20213-2027 and the National Development Strategy for 2030. The Ministry of Environment focuses on capacity building and enabling collaboration among various stakeholders and the institutional frameworks required to ensure continuity in the continuation of the initiative beyond the EU4Environment program.

On Friday, July 14th, members of the RECP group, representatives of the EU4Business program, members of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, the Ministry of Environment, and ODA, as well as members of UNIDO, EU4Environment, and EU4Business-related experts, gathered for a workshop. The focus was on collaboration with related programs. Over 20 participants discussed challenges, obstacles, and opportunities for SMEs in accessing RECP tools and financing. After presentations of each organization’s experiences, further discussion took place in a World Café format. Participants engaged with these topics by discussing them in small table groups, which rotated in several rounds of 20-30 minutes each. Observations, experiences, and suggestions were exchanged, and their applicability within a broad framework was discussed.

The event demonstrated that the future of the program should focus on sharing experiences and exploring synergies. Approaches should also address the specific strategic requirements and opportunities of micro, small, and medium enterprises. While small businesses require immediate technical support, medium-sized enterprises are interested in training their employees and information on new technologies to improve production and explore new markets. Large companies benefit from specific knowledge about digitization, automation, and international trends that they can leverage for growth in international markets.