Project Summary:

The Support to Confidence Building Measures Programme aims to increase trust between people on both sides of the Nistru river by supporting joint activities in four core areas: 1) EU support to economic development and entrepreneurship, 2) EU assistance for community development and cross-river civil society organizations’s sectoral platforms, 3) EU cultural and historical heritage support, 4) EU support to cooperative media local content development.

Objectives:

• To contribute to the economic and social development of both banks by ensuring equal access to opportunities provided by the Association Agreement and its Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area for both banks of the Nistru river;
• To tackle the growing disparity between both banks by supporting local development and CSOs;
• To continue supporting the sectoral rapprochement in pilot sectors (i.e. culture and others) and to progressively include the left bank of the Nistru river in Moldova-wide development initiatives to limit the development gap between both banks;
• To support the activities of media from both banks of Nistru river through common media production.

Expected results:

• Improve living conditions on both banks of the Nistru river by increasing economic opportunities and creating jobs;
• Develop communities through the increase of capacities of NGOs and LPAs;
• Strengthen thematic platforms created in the previous stage of the program for the cooperation of NGOs on both sides aiming to reduce disparities;
• Support cultural heritage objects on both banks as a pilot sector to develop and build trust;
• Improve capacities of media institutions on both sides to produce together attractive, qualitative, and professional content for the social economic development of both banks.

Accomplishments:

• Enhanced resilience and competitiveness of 39 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises from both banks of the Nistru River through non-cash support, equipment, training, consulting and coaching, enabling them to launch or expand operations and create 121 new jobs; beneficiaries were further integrated into the EU CBM grantee network through exhibitions, study visits and cross-bank cooperation, including the establishment of seven partnerships between young entrepreneurs from the two banks;

• The Programme established the first-of-its-kind Business Hub on the left bank, fully operational since 2022, providing co-working, training and business support infrastructure for existing and aspiring entrepreneurs; to date, it has hosted over 450 activities with more than 6,000 participants, created a growing entrepreneurial community, housed 7 corporate residents, and strengthened local business advocacy through 23 position notes on business regulations;

• Strengthened cooperation between business associations, academia, civil society and the private sector from both banks through 13 cross-river business projects, including support for beekeeping, aromatic plants, fruit growing, digitalization, creative industries, rural tourism and chambers of commerce; these initiatives developed new business support services, delivered market studies and training content, and supported about 300 small entrepreneurs, while also creating the basis for cluster-type cooperation along the Nistru River;

• Sustained and strengthened cross-river sectoral cooperation through support provided to six cross-river thematic platforms — Education, Health, Environment, Culture, Sports and Tourism, which were consolidated as non-political mechanisms for professional cooperation, joint problem-solving and confidence building, bringing together more than 350 members from both banks; they also demonstrated flexibility in responding to emergency situations, including COVID-19 and the influx of refugees from Ukraine. Through these platforms, substantial sectoral results were achieved, including training and exchange activities for 1,106 teachers and education managers on soft skills and 1,131 teachers and managers on blended learning; capacity-building and consultations for 2,264 medical workers; environmental activities involving more than 390 participants; sports events engaging over 2,800 people; and the launch of the Tourism Cross-River Platform, which developed a tourism cluster concept, guide certification, training webinars and an inventory of attractions on both banks;

• Sustained interaction and collaborative problem-solving through 31 small grants, involving over 70 CSOs and benefiting more than 30,000 people from both banks in such areas as health, education, culture, environment, sport and tourism, while promoting confidence building, exchange of practices and joint responses to common challenges;

• 19 social infrastructure projects were implemented in 20 communities across the security zone and the left bank, improving access to better local public services and infrastructure for 128,744 people (53% women), including 17,384 children, 21,487 pensioners and 3,895 persons with disabilities; local communities also contributed over EUR 65,000 in co-financing, demonstrating ownership and sustainability;

• Within the cultural heritage component, the Programme completed the initial conservation and restoration phases of the two flagship sites: Tighina (Bender) Fortress and Chișinău Circus, and supported 10 small-scale cultural heritage projects selected through a participatory process from 223 proposed objects; these interventions contributed to the transformation of heritage sites into attractive cultural and tourism destinations and strengthened professional cooperation between specialists from both banks;

• The Programme organized 17 common cultural events held in or linked to restored heritage sites, attracting over 9,500 participants from both banks and using culture as a practical driver for development, public engagement and confidence building'

• Under the media component, the Programme supported 23 joint media content production projects, strengthening cooperation between media professionals from both banks and resulting in documentaries, talk shows, podcasts, travel programmes and long-format productions; in parallel, 16 media production companies received targeted technical assistance, and 31 people, including 17 women, were trained in podcasting, video editing, script development and media promotion.