Continuing the established processes of introducing the sustainable development dimension to the local municipalities’ activities, the LA21 project reached the municipalities of further 4 cities, 3 counties, the 2nd District of Bucharest and 2 communes in Romania.
The areas of implementation of the new phase were selected on the basis of several criterias such as promoting a balanced participation of all regions in Romania, and encouraging the participation of all territorial entities with low values of the development indicators, especially in the North-East, South and South-East part of Romania. Therefore, the LA21 project was implemented in the counties of Alba Iulia, Neamt and Tulcea, the cities of Alba Iulia, Tulcea, Ovidiu and Babadag.
One important new element in this last phase of the LA21 project was the implementation in the rural area, in the communes of Falciu (Vaslui county) and Mihail Kogalniceanu (Constanta county). Furthermore, the range of the project area was also expanded through the cooperation with the officials from the 2nd District of Bucharest in adopting the principles of sustainable development in their activities.
Following the usual implementation procedures, the three documents essential for implementing the LA21 were finalized in all of the above locations: the Local Strategy for Sustainable Development, the Local Action Plan and the portfolio of priority projects which after Romania’s accession to the EU were also eligible for financing from the Structural Funds. An achievement was also the attraction of more funds from the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Housing in the process.
The LA21 project adapted to Romania’s new status as a Member State of the EU and addressed the participating local authorities need for expertise in conducting structural funds.