The Management Authority within the Ministry of Development, Public Works, and Administration, together with the Joint Technical Secretariat from Suceava, organized on April 17th, the closing conference of the Romania-Ukraine cross-border cooperation program 2014-2020.

The conference brought together the structures that managed the program, from both participating states, and the funding beneficiaries from Romania and Ukraine.

The authorities responsible for implementing the program discussed the difficulties encountered during the 8 years of implementation and the measures taken during this period to successfully complete the projects.

From digitizing the entire process (contract signing, report preparation, conducting events in online or hybrid formats) to supplementing project budgets affected by rising material prices, to extending the implementation period due to pandemic restrictions and Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the program was successfully concluded, and the European funds were spent for the benefit of border communities.

"We are talking about a program that ran during a period of huge challenges, which we would not have thought of a few years ago: the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's aggression against Ukraine. All the more, the extraordinary effort made by everyone involved to successfully complete the initiated projects is appreciated, as well as the flexibility shown by everyone to adapt to the new context," said Aurel-Dragoș Drăghescu, State Secretary in the Ministry of Development, Public Works, and Administration.

Partners from over 25 projects funded by the program addressed the audience in Suceava and spoke about the needs that led to the implementation of the projects, the challenges, and the satisfactions of realizing investments on both sides of the Romania-Ukraine border. Additionally, the partnerships already created will be utilized to access new funds available through the Interreg NEXT Romania-Ukraine Program.

Approximately 250 participants, representatives of the structures that managed the program from the two participating states, namely the Ministry of Development, Public Works, and Administration of Romania and the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, representatives of the European Commission, the Consulate General of Romania in Chernivtsi, and the Embassy of Ukraine in Bucharest, as well as numerous Romanian and Ukrainian beneficiaries of European funds attended the event.

On April 18th, representatives of the European Commission participated, alongside the program's Management Authority and the National Authority of Ukraine, in a tour of the funded projects in Suceava and Botoșani.

The training ground in Siret for emergency interventions, the renovated school in Bălcăuți equipped with IT equipment and interactive boards, the underground museum built in the historic center of Botoșani are projects that have benefited from cooperation funds and were visited by the delegation present in Suceava.

The Romania-Ukraine 2014-2020 Joint Operational Program, funded by the European Union, supported 66 projects, with a total value of 66 million euros. The investments aimed at rehabilitating transport infrastructure, modernizing and equipping medical facilities, schools and universities, restoring tourist attractions in the border area, preparing authorities and the population for emergency situations. The program targets the counties of Satu Mare, Maramureș, Botoșani, Suceava, Tulcea, from Romania, and the Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattia, Chernivtsi, Odesa regions from Ukraine.

All information regarding the Romania-Ukraine 2014-2020 Joint Operational Program can be found on the dedicated website, www.ro-ua.net.