Head of State asked government to launch European Village 2

Chisinau, Dec. 9 /MOLDPRES/- Less than 2 years ago, we launched the European Village Program initiative, because we all understand that local budgets are too small for large projects. Today, every second locality sees the concrete results of this program. I ask the Government to launch the call for European Village 2 as soon as possible. Head of state Maia Sandu made the statement at Mayors' Forum.

The President said that the improvement of living conditions is a natural thing, which must be achieved in every locality. "When we talk about the European Union, we are talking about it. Not about signing accession documents, but about the money that comes for roads, sewage, water, schools, kindergartens and other needs of the communities. It is important to understand that without European financial aid, these achievements would not have been possible. And all the big projects - modernized kindergartens, repaired roads, lighting and drinking water networks, playgrounds, renovated culture houses, even compensations in bills would not have been possible without the help of development partners, especially the European Union. I want to be very clear - when someone opposes our European path, they are actually opposing the money that comes for the development of Moldova, they are opposing the peace that is guaranteed in the EU, they are opposing the freedoms and values of democracy that are protected in European countries. We can debate the concept of the European Union for a long time and we know that some politicians use anti-European rhetoric to gather votes, but a simple analysis shows that Moldova has resisted and even started to develop only thanks to the support of our foreign friends", she said.

She asked the government to significantly increase the salaries, first of all, of the mayors, vice-mayors with public dignity and secretaries of local councils. "You can't lead a community towards well-being with derisory salaries", concluded Sandu.

All 895 elected mayors were invited to today's forum.