Between September 2024 and December 2025, within the Global Program for Eco-Industrial Parks (GEIPP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) implements the “EIP Light Touch Activities” in five countries, including the Republic of Moldova.
The GEIPP is supported by the Government of Switzerland, through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), and is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization in the Republic of Moldova.
So far, the project has organized training sessions for public authorities and stakeholders in the industrial sector, conducted Eco-Industrial Parks (EIP) assessments in five industrials zones in Moldova, provided detailed support on concept/master planning and valued added services to Free Economic Zone (FEZ) “Ungheni-Business”, carried out policy analysis on existing policies relevant to EIPs, and developed a concept proposal on scaling up EIP practices in Moldova. Recently on June 26, in Chisinau, Digital Park, a national event dedicated to the presentation of project results and EIP adoption concept proposal took place, with 70 participants from various sectors.
Industrial actors learn to think about scaling up EIP practices
The event opened with welcome remarks from Mr. Simone Di Stefano, Deputy Director of the Swiss Development Cooperation Office in Moldova, followed by Ms. Aliona Rusnac, State Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, and Ms. Veronica Arpintin, and the representative of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization. The event was moderated by Mr. Vadim Iațchevici, National Coordinator of the project and EIP expert at UNIDO.
“Switzerland is supporting economic development in Moldova in view of its European integration trajectory and to withstand the impact it is facing from of the war in neighboring Ukraine…” stated Mr. Simone di Stefano, Deputy Director of the Swiss Development Cooperation Office in Moldova.
“The Ministry of Environment supports environmental protection through various policy documents and instruments. We consider the EIP approach vital for creating environmentally friendly industrial zones,” noted Ms. Aliona Rusnac, State Secretary at the Ministry of Environment.
“Industrial development in Moldova is coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitaliation in collaboration with UNIDO and other partners. We aknowledge the added value of technical expertise and assistance provided. As we develop different types of industrial zones, we are commited to integrating EIP practices” said Ms. Veronica Arpintin, representative of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization.
“International experience shows that successful EIPs are driven by the market demand and typically managed by private entities. EIPs offers economic, social and environmental benefits. Collaboration among companies within EIP creates shared value and reduces costs,” stated Dick van Beers, international EIP expert at UNIDO.
The first session of the event focused on EIP practices, including concept and master planning, value added services, industrial synergies and international examples. Participants then engaged in “speed dating” session during which eleven stakeholders from different sectors shared their current activities and identified areas of interest or collaboration to support EIP development in Moldova. UNIDO experts later summarized key insights from the discussions. This interactive session aimed to identify and map stakeholders’ needs and contributions and integrate them into UNIDO’s EIP adoption concept proposal, which will be shared with relevant agencies and financial institutions.
In the afternoon, UNIDO experts presented the draft EIP adoption proposal and facilitated three World café discussions on scaling up EIP practices in the country. The discussions focused on:
- Embedding EIP into existing and future projects,
- Advancing top-down EIP approach with governmental agencies,
- Promoting the bottom-up EIP approach by working directly with industrial zones.
The findings from the World café indicate a clear interest in EIP among the stakeholders, as well as potential synergies with existing and future projects. However, there is a need to adopt specialized EIP policies in cooperation with all stakeholders, which will provide instruments to support the implementation of EIP practices. Furthermore, more direct engagement with industrial zones is needed, starting with capacity building and gradually advancing toward the implementation of EIP practices.
The event concluded with a discussion on the World café results and agreement on potential next steps for collaboration. Following the event, the UNIDO experts will refine the EIP adoption proposal based on the event findings and continue engaging with stakeholders and donors and to support implementation.
