On this occasion, the ambassador and other representatives of the Norwegian Embassy and of Innovation Norway met the project promoters as well as some of the beneficiaries of the financial assistance package. Between 2009 – 2011 Norway contributes approximately EUR 100 million in project assistance to the social and economical development of Romania as part of the European Economic Area (EEA) enlargement agreement as of 2007. Of the total available amount some EUR 4 million will be absorbed by entities in Iasi, Neamt, and Suceava counties.
Ambassador Hovdkinn visited the EEA Grants project Welfare Promotion Centers for Children and Adults in Iasi and Timis counties of the Bethany Foundation aimed at promoting welfare among children, adolescents and adults. Together with the Prefect of Iasi county, as well as with the representatives of the Romanian Ministry of Public Finances, the administrator of the EEA Grants, the ambassador took part in the official opening of the Centre in Iasi. “Welfare is not a once-and-for all given condition. It incorporates, and is the result of, several conditions to-be-met: health (under all its aspects), education, social support and prevention of various risks. And I see that this is exactly what the centre is planning to: integrated services to be offered to a broad category of beneficiaries”, said ambassador Hovdkinn in his opening remarks. Another visit in Iasi was to the Norway Grants project MEDICARE – Medical Disposable Blood Treatment and Dialysis Line Manufacturing, promoted by the Norwegian company Memscap AS in partnership with the Romanian company Euromedica. The Medicare project worth of EUR 3 million, with an awarded grant of EUR 1,8 million, seeks to establish a state-of-the-art production line for disposable articles for medical use. A tour of the production facility of Euromedica revealed a considerable progress in project implementation with a newly installed last generation moulding equipment and a new building to fit future production already started.
The next stop of the delegation was at Piatra Neamt to assess the implementation phase of the EEA Grants funded project Diking Bistrita River Banks in the Waste Management Unit, Piatra Neamt. Worth of approximately EUR 3 million, with a grant amount of EUR 2,5 million, the project is vital for the protection of the environment in the area by establishing a better dike to protect the city landfill from flooding. A site visit on the Bistrita river banks where the dike will be set up and a short meeting with the selected construction company were relevant with regard to the progress of the project.
Following the meandering course of the Bistrita river, through the fabulous landscape of Moldavia, the delegation reached Vatra Dornei to visit a fourth project – Ecotourism in Tara Dornelor – An instrument for sustainable development, aimed at promoting renewable energy focusing on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development through responsible tourism. Promoted by the Speleological Foundation Bucovina, having both Norwegian and Romanian partners, the project is an example of successful endeavour in preserving nature and local culture through sustainable development.
The last destination of the visit was the village of Ilisesti, 15 km of Suceava, to see the progress of yet another Norway Grants project, aimed at introducing Environmental Solution Development on selected cases with environmentally-challenged businesses. The project promoter, SINTEF Norway, and the Romanian partner, ECOIND, cooperate with the briquetting factory Ritmic, one of the beneficiaries of the project. The visiting team was very satisfied to see this project too on the right track.
The ambassador expressed his overall satisfaction with the projects’ progress and expressed his wish to return to North East Romania in a year’s time to see the complete results of all projects.