This was stated by Elena Stepanova, executive director of the National Association of Inbound and Domestic Tourism of Moldova (ANTRIM), during the meeting “Moldova on the cultural routes of the Council of Europe”, which took place at Asconi Winery.
According to her, the WESA (Wine Export and SME Assistance) program, financed by the Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund, has become one of the key instruments of export support for small and medium-sized wineries. Under the project, companies have gained access to economic and marketing support, which allowed them to expand their presence on the markets of Romania, Poland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, South Korea, Japan and Canada.
The program is also linked to the development of the ITER VITIS European Cultural Route, a network of Council of Europe wine roads promoting wine tourism and producer regions.
The total budget of WESA amounted to 8 million lei. Small producers could apply for grants from 300 thousand to 800 thousand lei, subject to co-financing.
