A number of 155 people will undertake paid internships in public service, as part of the fourth edition of the EU-Moldova Joint Internship Program. At the launch event, Prime Minister Dorin Recean has encouraged young people to actively get involved and contribute to the modernization of the public administration.

"We are professionalizing public administration and educating a generation of young, trained, energetic and motivated leaders, in order to modernize and empower the state on our path to EU accession. I am sure that only together can we build a European state with strong and professional institutions," emphasized PM  Dorin Recean.

For his part, EU Ambassador to Moldova Jānis Mažeiks expressed confidence that many participants would continue to play a key role in strengthening the public institutions/authorities of Moldova and in promoting the reforms’ agenda. "These young trainees will carry forward the values of transparency, efficiency and citizen-centered governance - some of the fundamental values of the EU," said the EU ambassador in Chisinau.

The programme aims to develop professional skills, gain professional experience and practical competencies, as well as facilitate the transition of interns from the educational system to the labor market. It also includes regular training sessions, seminars and workshops, in order to improve the trainees' theoretical and practical knowledge about public administration, especially in the context of European integration.

The paid internships last for two months under the EU Delegation Program, while those in the Government’s Program must accumulate 480 hours over a period from  3 to 6 months. Young people who complete the programme and achieve a "very good" rating can be proposed for employment without competition in executive public positions that do not require professional experience. At the same time, graduates of the internship are included in the public servants' reserve pool for a period of 12 months.

The programme is conducted based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the government of Moldova, the Council of Rectors, and the EU-funded project Moldova is Europe - Support for EU Integration.

Prime Minister Dorin Recean in Butuceni met guesthouse and restaurant owners in the region, members of the National Association for Inbound and Domestic Tourism of Moldova (ANTRIM).

"Rural tourism revitalizes and develops villages, boosting our economy. We will continue to make the sector even more attractive, providing governmental support for the modernization of guesthouses, restaurants and tourist infrastructure, as well as for the digitalization of tourism businesses," said the prime minister.

PM Dorin Recean noted that, in addition to subsidies provided to industry operators, the government continuously invested in the development of roads’, water, and sewage infrastructure, which is essential for the accessibility of tourist attractions. At the same time, the prime minister urged entrepreneurs to make the most of local products, noting that tourist destinations in Orhei and the local gastronomy were becoming increasingly popular among foreign tourists.

They also discussed the provisions of the new draft law that will support the development of domestic tourism. This week, the document will be examined by the Parliament.

Among the innovations that will facilitate the activity of entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, there are the inclusion of new concepts ("vacation voucher," "tourist route," "tour-operating agency"), the development of the regulation on the mechanism for non-reimbursable financing of projects by non-commercial organizations in the field of tourism and the establishment of the status and activity of the National Tourism Office.

Also, the list of activities for tourism agencies will be expanded for the development of inbound and domestic tourism; various procedures will be simplified and optimized, and tourist destinations can be established at the proposal of individuals and legal entities. A Unified Register of Economic Agents in the Tourism Sector of Moldova will be created, in order to provide complete information about the tourism market structure, tourism agencies and their type of activity.

The rural tourism sector is of strategic importance for the Orhei district, home to some of the country's most popular tourist attractions - the Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei) cultural-natural reserve, Curchi Monastery, Orhei National Park and the Trebujeni and Tiganesti reserves, among others.