MOLDPRES REPORT: Ungheni, gateway to Europe, settlement which gives hope to Moldova

The city of Ungheni was in festive mood on April 26, 2025. Not because it was the day of the town's patron saint or due to other celebrations requiring the full engagement of the administrative spectrum. It was a historical event, as Ungheni again united the two banks of the Prut for pivotal activities in a European context.

From early morning, the central square was bustling with tables and stalls set up with various culinary delights, the aroma of which spread swiftly, craftsmen’s attributes, and displays meant to capture the attention of guests attending the Bridge of Flowers festival in Ungheni 2025.

Vitalie Vrabie, Mayor of Ungheni: We organized a grand celebration that included the cultural and artistic festivity, Bridge of Flowers 2025. Ungheni is the Moldova's western gate, at the border with the European Union. On April 26, in Ungheni, we gathered not only folklore ensembles and traditional costumes. They brought with them songs, dances, joy and high spirits. In Ungheni, we delighted guests with everything this town represents: dishes prepared with great skill by local housewives, hand-made works by local craftsmen, kindergarten children and school students.

All those present danced, listened to music, enjoyed themselves, got involved in conversations and savored local specialties. The organizers did not forget the youngest guests. For them, a playground with a slide and bouncy area was set up, where the children could have all the fun they wanted.

The event on April 26, 2025 marked the beginning of the construction of the road bridge across the Prut River, named Bridge of Flowers – the first new bridge built between Moldova and Romania in the last six decades.

Connecting the cities of Ungheni (Moldova) and Iasi (Romania), this moment has strong historical, cultural and European significance.

The Bridge of Flowers festival was launched at noon, on the Independence Square in Ungheni, with a diverse programme: aerial acrobatics, parachute demonstrations, traditional crafts workshops, gastronomic fairs and performances by beloved artists from both banks of the Prut.

The official launch of construction works on the first road bridge across the Prut in the last six decades, which will connect the Ungheni city of Moldova to the commune Golaesti from Iasi County, Romania, marked an important step in developing the infrastructure between both banks of the Prut.

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of Moldova Vladimir Bolea says that the start of building the bridge across the Prut near Ungheni is a symbolic moment for the citizens of Moldova.

Vladimir Bolea: It is extremely symbolic. We have five other functional bridges, but this one has extraordinary emotional significance, because it allows us as a nation to relive the moment of seeing how the construction of a stone bridge, that will enter history forever as the Bridge of Flowers, starts from a bridge of flowers, from rose petals thrown into the Prut waters.

The Bridge of Flowers festival turns the past into a bridge to the future. Thirty-five years after the symbolic moment in 1990, when thousands of people met on the banks of the Prut, it is about a new gesture of rapprochement: the launch of the construction of the road bridge across the Prut, which will unite Moldova with Romania, a member state of the European Union.

It will be a bridge not just across a river, but also over time, borders and differences, strengthening the relation between our communities.

The Bridge of Flowers across the Prut at Ungheni will be 261.20 meters long, with 130.60 meters on Romanian territory, two lanes in each direction and sidewalks. The contract’s duration is 24 months, with six months for design and 18 months for execution, and funding is provided by non-reimbursable European funds, through the Connecting Europe Facility, totaling over 151.68 million Romanian lei.

The City of Ungheni is Rebuilding with European Funds

Rebuilding Ungheni with European Funds is the subject of the largest infrastructure project, financed by the European Union and implemented by the EU4Moldova: Focal Regions programme, which is advancing.

EU investment in these projects totals 1,168,546 euros, the Municipality of Ungheni's contribution is 116,854 euros and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) contributes 90,000 euros.

According to the project, significant work has been carried out on the construction site in the city center. It includes the rehabilitation of over one kilometer of the roadway on Nationala Street, where curb installation is nearing completion, the degraded asphalt layer is being milled and the surface is being prepared for laying the recycled material layer on the last 0.5 km.

One out of the eight designed parking lots is completed and four are under construction. They will provide parking space in the city center for 225 vehicles.

The works are also in full swing on Independence Square, which will become a modern attraction point for the locals and visitors. The pedestrian fountain's concrete works have been finished and connections to water supply, sewage and electricity networks are currently underway, according to UNDP.

The EU4Moldova: Focal Regions programme (2019-2024) supports smart, green, inclusive and sustainable social and economic development in the Cahul and Ungheni regions, ensuring a better quality of life for citizens. The programme has a total budget of 23 million euros, financed by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Final Evaluation of the EU4 Moldova: Focal Regions Programme: 45 Projects Implemented, 10 Million Euros Invested in Ungheni

An independent expert team visited Ungheni, to conduct the final evaluation of the EU4 Moldova: Focal Regions Programme.

‘’Forty five projects implemented, 10 million euros invested in Ungheni – this is the result of the EU4 Moldova: Focal Regions programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP and UNICEF Moldova over five years,’’ says the Ungheni City Hall.

Among the completed projects, there are the rehabilitation of the water supply network on Nationala and Solidaritatii streets, the construction of a section of the sewage system, the reconstruction and revitalization of the Ungheni city center, the modernization of Boico Street, the construction of a 1,000 cubic meter water reservoir, the purchase of a bulldozer for AVE Ungheni Ltd., a special vehicle, a trailer for Apa-Canal Ltd., the installation of 1,000 remote-reading water meters, a video surveillance system with 52 cameras, the construction and equipping of the One-Stop Shop at Ungheni City Hall, furniture procurement and robotics sets for kindergartens, etc., all funded by the European Union

‘’At the programme's end, there is also the replacement of two elevators in the residential blocks in Ungheni,' the city administration notes.

Ungheni mayor Vitalie Vrabie said that extending this program and replicating the model in other regions and localities would be beneficial. ‘’The results are obvious, as well as the impact,’’ asserts Vitalie Vrabie.

The EU4Moldova: Focal Regions programme, implemented starting from 2019 to 2025, supports the strengthening of economic, territorial and social cohesion in  Moldova by facilitating inclusive and sustainable local social and economic growth and improving living standards for citizens in the two key regions: the cities of Ungheni, Cahul and the surrounding settlements.

Correspondent: Lilia Grubii

Photo: Andrei Mardari