EU4Environment: one industrial park and one free economic zone in the Republic of Moldova receive approval for EIP feasibility

Over the last ten years, substantial progress has been recorded by the Republic of Moldova for achieving its green growth goals. These efforts go hand in hand with the promotion of Eco-Industrial Parks (EIP). As a concept, Eco-Industrial Parks (EIP) are communities of manufacturing and service businesses, located together on a common property, where member businesses collaborate to manage environmental and resource issues, and to enhance their performances. By definition, the integration of Environment friendly Industrial Parks fosters green production policies (as in the case of waste recycling and resource efficiency), improving, thus, the economic cohesion and competitiveness of manufacturing enterprises (as well as the welfare of the workers and surrounding local communities).

In Moldova, two industrial zones were selected to take part in the UNIDO-led EIP feasibility assessment: the Free Economic Zone (FEZ) Valkaneș and the Industrial Park (IP) Tracom.

IP Tracom is situated in the Buiucani district of Chișinău. For more details about the Industrial Park, please visit: https://tracom.md/en/

FEZ Valkaneș has its headquarters in the city of Vulcănești, located in the southern part of the Republic of Moldova, at the interface between Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. For more information about the FEZ Valkaneș, please visit: http://freezone-valcanes.md/en/

Under the EU-funded, EU4Environment Action, and with the technical support provided by UNIDO, two feasibility studies will take place in those zones. The purpose of the feasibility studies is for the international EIP expert of UNIDO to undertake EIP assessments, and to apply the EIP international framework (developed jointly by UNIDO, WBG and GIZ). This way, both FEZ Valkaneș and IP Tracom will be reviewed against the international framework to identify and prioritize opportunities to further enhance their economic, environmental, and social performance.

The first technical visits for both locations will be organised to establish working relations with sites’ management and technical staff, making site tours, and presenting the EIP methodology to the relevant stakeholders (including the resident enterprises). This process will provide a comprehensive overview of the existing business structures and help understand the key infrastructures and practices in the zones.

Once the assessment visits are completed, in a later stage, training and tailored workshops on resource efficient and cleaner production (RECP) and on industrial synergies are envisioned for the tenant companies and the FEZ/IP administrations. The workshops will include targeted exercises with companies to identify opportunities to improve their production processes (including in the streamline of water, energy, and waste). This way, enterprises can better seize opportunities for industrial synergy and environment priorities in the region and maximize socio-economic and environmental benefits.