The Ministry of Economy hopes that this initiative will give a boost to development in the regions and reduce the territorial inequality that has emerged. It was noted that until 2020, industrial development at the local level was concentrated in free economic zones and industrial parks, which actively attracted investment, especially foreign investment. However, due to their uneven development across the country, some regions were left without the necessary infrastructure. Since the interest of local authorities in its creation remains high, the government decided to build on previous initiatives.
We are talking about the program of creating 18 multifunctional industrial platforms, which was launched back in 2019. Then, in 2020-2024, the government implemented a corresponding pilot program. Funds were invested in industrial platforms in the cities of Glodeny and Oknica.
The new program envisages both the construction of new industrial parks and the modernization or expansion of existing ones. The implementation period of the program is 40 months with the possibility of expansion.
The program will receive financial support under the EU Development Plan for Moldova for the creation of at least 8 industrial parks in the coming years, attraction of at least 20 million lei in investments or registration of at least 7 residents.
The criteria for selecting sites for industrial parks are prescribed: the territory for their creation must cover an area of at least 5 hectares, be in public ownership, have no legal restrictions, and be connected to engineering networks.
The Organization for the Development of Entrepreneurship (ODA) is empowered to advise local authorities, coordinate the submission of applications, project evaluation and construction monitoring.
According to the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, there were 10 industrial parks in Moldova at the end of 2024: in Chisinau, Balti, Cimislia, Edinet, Comrat, Straseni, Drochia and Cahul.
The volume of attracted investments amounted to about 4.3 billion lei, including 142.2 million lei during the last year. Tracom industrial park attracted about 47% of them. In total, 135 residents worked in industrial parks across the country, creating almost 4.4 thousand jobs with a turnover of about 9.4 billion lei.
