A new local development strategy for 24 communities in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (RBDD) has been 85 percent completed, according to Chairman of the Steering Board of the Danube Delta FLAG Fisheries Local Action Group Paul Cononov.
“The strategy that we hope will help us draw financial resources for the development of isolated Danube Delta communities has been 85 percent completed. We have already completed the stage where we had to meet all the beneficiary communities,” Cononov told Agerpres on Monday.
The Danube Delta FLAG has until September 3 to finalise its strategy for the local development of the 24 communities, with the management authority of the Operational Programme Fisheries and Maritime Affairs 2014-2020 expected to decide whether or not to earmark additional resources for the implementation of the strategy.
“The final absorption rate of the strategy in 2007-2013 is 60 percent, an excellent one compared with other FLAGs in the country,” said Cononov.
The Danube Delta FLAG is an NGO made up of public and private players established about seven years ago in order to attract financial resources for the development of isolated Danube Delta communities.
Under a first strategy, the association received 22,351,668 euros, the largest funding share ever extended by the European Commission for the development of an aquaculture area in the European Union.
In June 2016, officials of the organisation signed a new funding agreement with Romania’s Agriculture Ministry, which is in charge with the conduct of operational programme fisheries and maritime affairs 2014-2020.
The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) has earmarked 168,421,371 euros for 2014-2020.
