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EU ready to finance services, equipment acquisition for pilot development projects in Belarus

17.10.2014

VITEBSK, 17 October (BelTA) – The European Union is ready to finance consulting services and the acquisition of equipment for implementing pilot projects for the sustainable development of regions of Belarus, BelTA learned from Peter Korsby, supervisor of the international technical aid project "Support to regional and local development in Belarus". On 16 October Peter Korsby took part in the session of the project's working group in the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee.

Peter Korsby explained that they have been implementing the project since September 2013 and intend to finish it in August 2016. He called for expert assistance in the sphere of regional development in Mogilev Oblast, Gomel Oblast, Brest Oblast and Vitebsk Oblast both at the oblast level and the local one. They are now accepting applications for the tender of pilot infrastructure projects meant to contribute to the sustainable development of the regions. The projects may be designed to develop rural territories, energy industry, and other things that benefit the society. The total volume of money to be spent on implementing the projects will be €8 million or €1.3 million for every oblast. However, the European Union is not going to finance some capital construction via this project, explained Peter Korsby.

Vitebsk Oblast has submitted a number of applications. The winners will be chosen next month. The leaders and coordinators of the project are interested in getting as many government agencies and public institutions involved in the tender. Several proposals were voiced during the session of the working group that gathered representatives of government agencies, business structures, housing and public utilities industry, tourism industry, and other ones. In particular, the proposals suggested developing the feasibility study to create an enterprise in Vitebsk to process solid municipal waste, developing a network of cycling routes in the oblast, starting the processing of retted straw to make fuel bricks.

The implementation of pilot projects is not the key goal of the project "Support to regional and local development in Belarus". The European Union offers technical aid to regions of Belarus for the sake of allowing them to work out their own strategy for regional development taking into account European experience. Among other things there are plans to work out local agendas or sustainable development concepts for Vitebsk Oblast.

During the session of the working group Natalya Berchenko, head of the Vitebsk Oblast office of the Economic Research Institute of the Belarusian Economy Ministry, mentioned results of a SWOT analysis that indicates strong and weak aspects of the region. The local strategy is supposed to address these issues: weak development of rural territories, emissions into the environment, unwise waste utilization, dependence of the energy system on imported resources, weak development of alternative energy industry. It is necessary to concentrate efforts on individual avenues outside the scope of program documents.

The international technical aid project "Support to regional and local development in Belarus" is being implemented by an international consortium led by the company Ecorys Nederland (Netherlands). The Belarusian Economy Ministry is the national partner of the project.