EU helps 15 entrepreneurs from Gagauzia and Taraclia with financing for their business development

Besides the non-reimbursable financial assistance, the selected entrepreneurs will benefit from technical support and business coaching during one year. Thus, with the help of the European Union, the entrepreneurs from Gagauzia and Taraclia will develop businesses in several areas, such as agriculture, production, livestock breeding and services. The winning projects provide, inter alia, the manufacture and sale of grape seed oil, goat cheese, bee products, as well as development of accommodation services e for tourists. The selected business ideas also include vegetable growing in greenhouses, fruit packing and storing, manufacture of bakery products, manufacture of textile materials or metal ware. These businesses will create about 90 new jobs and will supply new high quality goods and services on the local market.

EU Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Pirkka Tapiola, mentioned during the grant certificates awarding event: "Developing small and medium size enterprises is a key factor for economic growth, because SMEs represent the backbone of the economy. This is why the European Union is constantly providing assistance to this sector".  

Ana Statova from Congaz village, Comrat district, is one of the 15 winners of the grant competition. She owns a restaurant in her home locality and decided to invest in tourism, since she thinks that this niche has a high potential and has not been explored in their region before. “I have wanted to open a guesthouse for tourists in the national style for a long time now, however, I didn’t have enough funds and I would have never been able to raise them. Now, with the help of the European Union, I will make our locality more attractive for tourists and will create about 14 new jobs for locals,” says the entrepreneur.

“By supporting these business initiatives, we want to address the most pressing challenges faced by women and men from ATU Gagauzia and Taraclia district: to have decent jobs and better living conditions. We are confident that businesses that will be developed this year will become sustainable and profitable and will inspire others to follow suit,” said Dafina Gercheva, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in the Republic of Moldova, at the grant certificates awarding event.

The second round of the competition for EU grants provided via the SARD program started on 1 March, this year. The project proposals may be submitted by 2 May, by filling in an online application form, available here. The winners will receive non-reimbursable financial assistance of up to 18,400 euros.

The support for local entrepreneurship initiatives is one of the three main components of the SARD Programme. It also includes activities for empowering communities, renovating infrastructure facilities and promoting inter-community cooperation in ATU Gagauzia and Taraclia district. Financed by the European Union with 6.5 million Euro and implemented by the UNDP, the SARD Programme aims to boost collaboration between central and local authorities, as well as among regional organizations from ATU Gagauzia and Taraclia district in order to foster social and economic development in the region, in particular, and in Moldova in general.