5% of the total value of the National Fund for the Development of Agriculture and Rural Environment will be allocated for the advance subsidization of local development projects within the LEADER Program. A decision in this regard is contained in a Regulation, approved today, during a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers.
According to the document, the financial resources will be allocated for the implementation of two support measures. “20% of the value of the grants will be directed to the functioning of the LAG, and 80% – to the implementation of the local development strategy in various fields of action, such as the diversification of the rural economy, the establishment of new ones and the creation of jobs; purchase of equipment and machinery; construction or modernization of buildings of economic, social, historical and cultural importance, etc. “, announces the Government.
The call for applications for LAGs will be made every two years, between January and March, except for the current year, when applicants will be able to submit applications between May and June.
Thus, the document will ensure a sustainable rural policy and will contribute to the economic development of the LAGs’ territory based on the development of partnerships and the implementation of local development strategies; strengthening the capacities and skills of the representatives of the public, entrepreneurial and civic sectors in rural areas, but also improving the living conditions and well-being of the rural population.
Currently, 47 LAGs are active in our country, involving 438 administrative-territorial units that include 732 localities (50% of the localities in the country) and have over one million inhabitants. The LEADER approach is a European tool for rural development, which was taken over by the Republic of Moldova in 2016 and so far about 700 projects have been implemented.