On 24–25 April 2026, at Eco Village in Râșcova village, Criuleni district,19 civil society organizations, experts, and interested individuals from Romania and the Republic of Moldova came together for the first meeting dedicated to the RO-MD Collaboration and Action Network.
The meeting aimed to connect organisations from both sides of the Prut River working in areas such as biodiversity protection, outdoor education, eco-tourism, community engagement, and the development of urban garden models. The RO-MD Collaboration and Action Network aims to become a cooperation framework for NGOs from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, through which local ideas for nature protection can be turned into joint initiatives, pilot projects, and actions with real impact in communities.
Over the two days, participants worked through participatory methods designed to support mutual understanding, collaboration, and the development of a shared direction. The programme included self-discovery activities, mapping of the group’s resources, an “Organisations’ Fair”, World Café sessions, as well as exercises to organise ideas and define responsibilities.
„“This meeting showed that local organisations have the experience, energy, and capacity to build environmental solutions together. The role of the Collaboration and Action Network is to turn these resources into a shared working framework that supports cooperation between organisations from Romania and the Republic of Moldova and leads to concrete actions in communities,”said Angela Ciocîrlan, Executive Director of Business InnoHub Association.
Participants identified possible areas of cooperation around environmental education, local biodiversity protection, activation of natural areas, youth engagement, and the development of green community spaces. A strong focus was placed on the exchange of experience between organisations and on making use of models that can be adapted to different communities.
„“We discovered organisations working on topics close to ours, with whom we can build joint projects. The meeting helped us see more clearly where we can collaborate and how we can connect local initiatives into a broader effort,”said Botnaru Liliana, co-founder of EcoVillage Moldova.
„“For us, it was important that the discussions did not remain at the level of general ideas. We worked in a practical way, identified resources, needs, and next steps,”said Sergiu Elvys Sandu, President of Mai Bine Association.
One important result of the meeting is the development of a core group of organisations interested in actively contributing to the RO-MD Collaboration and Action Network. The next step is to turn the ideas gathered in Râșcova into a shared action map, which will guide the first pilot initiatives and future projects developed together on both sides of the Prut River.
Through this network, the GARDEN project, implemented by Business InnoHub Association, Ungheni City Hall, and Mai Bine Association through the Interreg VI-A NEXT Romania–Republic of Moldova Programme 2021–2027, aims to support cooperation between organisations, encourage the exchange of good practices, and contribute to the development of communities that are more connected, more responsible, and more involved in protecting nature.
