There has been talk of a sustainable economy for several decades now. A crucial moment in this area was the publication of the "Growth Limits" Report by the Rome Club in 1972. In recent years, discussions on sustainable development have become one of the priorities of the global agenda. This is because scientific research, country development trends and practical experience related to environmental degradation and the effects of climate change clearly show the need to change economic development models. The green economy was the central theme at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio + 20) (Rio de Janeiro, June 2012) and at the Conference of Environment Ministers "An Environment for Europe" (Batumi, June 2016).

The Republic of Moldova has integrated the priorities of the provisions of the Final Declaration of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development "The future we want" (Rio de Janeiro, June 20-22, 2012) in the National Development Strategy for 2012-2020 "Moldova 2020". By doing so, the Government is committed to making every effort to ensure a transition to green economic development, which would promote the principles of sustainable development and contribute to poverty reduction, including through better governance, by integrating environmental issues into the all areas of socio-economic development. This process was supported and extended by the elaboration and signing of the Declaration of intent on sustainable development and the green economy (Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, April 08, 2014).

As a major result of this action, the Government of the Republic of Moldova approved the 2014-2023 Environmental Strategy, which set the national and sectoral priorities for promoting the green economy (EV) and defined the framework for the future integration of the green economy in the field of agriculture, transport, energy , industry, construction, regional development, education and procurement. Thus, in the Republic of Moldova the green economy is promoted as an economy that results in improving the well-being of the population and in social equity, reducing the risks to the environment and the ecological constraints. It is a low carbon economy, resource efficient and socially inclusive.

To create an efficient coordination platform, to facilitate and monitor the activity of government agencies, scientific institutions and NGOs, aimed at promoting the principles of sustainable development and the green economy in all socio-economic sectors of the Republic of Moldova, on June 17, 2015, through the Common Order no. . 107/66 of the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economy, the Inter-Ministerial Working Group (GL) was created to promote sustainable development and the green economy and its composition and operating regulations were approved. The creation and activity of this working group were possible due to the support provided by UNEP within the EaP GREEN project. Among other general responsibilities for promoting the green economy, the working group is responsible for the elaboration of the Roadmap on promoting the green economy in the Republic of Moldova.

The current activities to promote the green economy were integrated in the process of national preparations for the 8th Ministerial Conference "An Environment for Europe" (Batumi, Georgia, June 8-10, 2016), in which the Republic of Moldova presented the five objectives nationals on the green economy - voluntary commitments to the Green Economy Initiative in Batumi. These objectives, set by the GL, related to institutional capacity development, organic farming, greening of SMEs, the energy sector and promoting greener production, have been integrated into the Roadmap project as priorities for short-term actions. Additionally, the provisions of the European Strategic Framework for the promotion of the green economy, of the Batumi Initiative for a green economy and those included in the list of possible actions, approved at the VIII Ministerial Conference "An Environment for Europe", served as the background for the selection. and adjusting actions and measures at national level in the short and medium term.

Actions in the Roadmap reflect the Ministerial Declaration on environmental cooperation and climate change within the Eastern Partnership, which was adopted by the EU-EP Ministerial Meeting in Luxembourg in October 2016, with objectives related to promoting green economic development and implementing the Agenda. UN 2030 on sustainable development.

The transition to a green economy will create major economic opportunities. "Greening the economy" is a new growth factor for the Republic of Moldova, a decent job generator and a key strategy for poverty eradication. This process can turn many challenges into economic opportunities and prevent the negative effects on the environment, as the results of the Study defining the scope of the green economy in the Republic of Moldova have shown. Also, the green economy approach has the potential to significantly stimulate economic growth and the number of jobs that require a specific set of skills.

The concept of "green economic development" marks the transition from the model of economic development of consumption, which treats environmental protection as an economic burden, to a model that uses environmental protection as one of the driving forces for economic growth.

The green economy must be perceived, in the context of sustainable development and poverty reduction, as one of the basic tools for achieving sustainable development and as a means of efficient use of resources and energy, the application of clean technologies with low carbon and reduced pollution and for minimizing environmental risks.

Moving to a green economy will create major economic opportunities. The "greening" of the economy is a new growth engine, a generator of decent jobs and a vital strategy to eradicate poverty. This process can turn many challenges into economic opportunities and prevent negative impacts on the environment. Also, the green economy will stimulate economic growth and the number of jobs in the environmental sector, which require specific skills related to the environment.

International and national strategic framework

Specific objectives and priority actions included in the field of intervention - Sustainable development and promotion of the green economy of the Development Strategy of the National Environment Center for the years 2020-2023 are based on the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda, the National Development Strategy "Moldova 2030", Environmental Strategy for the years 2014-2023, Roadmap for the promotion of the green economy, Sectoral strategies (National strategy for agricultural and rural development for the years 2014-2020 / National strategy for regional development for the years 2016-2020 / Action plan to implement sustainable public procurement).

Development Strategy "Moldova 2020" (2012) - according to the strategy the development priorities are: The Republic of Moldova will undertake all the necessary efforts to ensure the transition to a green economic development, which promotes the principles of sustainable development and contributes to poverty reduction, including by ensuring a government better in the field of sustainable development, by integrating and strengthening the aspects of environmental protection in all areas of social-economic development of the country. The strategic vision of the Government in the medium and long term is the reconciliation between the need for accelerated economic development and the protection of the environment in accordance with European standards. This will happen by: (i) achieving an economic development rate that allows increasing financing of environmental protection measures and (ii) balanced regulation of the business environment both from the point of view of economic impact and from the point of view of environmental impact.

Environmental strategy 2014-2023 (2014) - the strategy is based on the reform implemented in the environment protection sector, in order to operate an institutional, administrative and environmental management system adjusted to the European Union's standards, which will ensure environmental sustainability and increase the quality of the factors. environmental

Roadmap for promoting the green economy - The vision of the Roadmap is to strengthen the institutional, administrative and management potential to ensure the implementation of the principles of the green economy in all sectors of socio-economic development of the Republic of Moldova. The purpose of the Roadmap is to promote the implementation of the principles of the green economy in the Republic of Moldova in harmony with the economic development and the social welfare.