Kick-Off Meeting for the Project "Smart and Innovative Solutions for Green and Clean Rural Areas in the Black Sea Basin - Smart4Rural"

The Kick-off meeting for the project was held in Tskaltubo on September 27, 2024.

Participants included staff and stakeholder representatives from the project partner countries: Georgia, Romania, Moldova, and Turkey. With welcoming speeches, Notable attendees were: Gennady Balanchivadze, Mayor of Tskaltubo Municipality Teimuraz Cheishvili, Chairman of the Municipal Council Grigol Kurashvili, Deputy Mayor.

The conference was opened by Maia Panchulidze, co-coordinator and representative of the Lead Partner, Tskaltubo Municipality.

Ketevan Tskhakaia, the Project Manager, presented the project description, outlining its goals, main activities, and expected outcomes.

Laurentiu Drasovian, co-coordinator from the Technopol Galati Association (Romania), discussed European policy and experience regarding biowaste.

Victoria Darie, co-coordinator from Ungheni City Hall (Moldova), spoke about Moldova's national waste management strategy and Ungheni's waste separation experience.

Mustafa Baltaci, a representative of Rize Municipality (Türkiye), presented Turkey's waste management strategy and its challenges.

Ketevan Tskhakaia emphasized the importance of recycling biodegradable waste, particularly composting, stating, "We generate a large amount of this type of waste. The experience that EU countries, particularly Romania, have in this field is valuable and beneficial for us"