Former PM Ciolos: Moldova has vital need of infrastructure

The Founder of the Romania Together Movement, Dacian Ciolos, declared Tuesday evening that Moldova has need of infrastructure for its social and economic development, one of the solutions being to involve the local authorities. 

Currently in northeastern Iasi, taking part in the debate initiated by the Romania100 Platform, which targeted the "Economic launch and solutions for Moldova's development", the former Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos urged the local authorities to mobilize and submit projects with European funding. 

"I believe that Moldova and this part of Moldova, has vital need of infrastructure, so that investments can come, and upon investments there will be new jobs created," Ciolos declared. 

He reminded of the time when he was Prime Minister, in 2016, when he adopted in the Government a Master Plan for Transportation which included the Ungheni - Iasi - Targu Mures A8 motorway. 

"Beyond the way in which the motorway was prioritized in the Transportation Master Plan by the previous political majority, we prepared to re-make the feasibility plans in order for the project to continue and we drafted the budget for the year 2017," Dacian Ciolos said. 

He criticized the fact that "things are the same", even after more than a year and a half. In his opinion, building the A8 motorway on the Iasi - Targu Neamt section with the help of public-private partnership can represent "lack of vision" or "ill-will" from the current governance. 

"The auction for the feasibility study was not launched and while we are losing European funds due to lack of absorption we are speaking of the public - private partnership for this motorway. What does this public - private partnership mean? It means firstly that a private company will invest in this motorway and will recover its money later, most likely from taxes. This means that Romania's poor area doesn't just have a delayed infrastructure, but if it will have it, the people will have to pay out from their own pocket. It seems completely unjust. This is proof of a lack of vision, if not ill-will," Dacian Ciolos said.