Abstract

This report provides a diagnostic and a set of recommendations for the coordination of infrastructure investments in three main sectors in Romania: roads; water and wastewater; and social infrastructure (education, health, culture, and sports). The proposals formulated are targeted primarily at the main client of this work, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration (MRDPA) and specifically at the Directorate General for Regional Development and Infrastructure (DG RDI), which manages the most important state-budget-funded program for local infrastructure investments – the National Local Development Program (PNDL). Other key stakeholders include the Center of Government (CoG), the Ministry of Public Finances, the Ministry of European Funds, other central authorities in charge of EU and/or state-funded investment programs, Regional Development Agencies, and county and local councils. While customized for the PNDL, the recommendations that follow can be replicated across all state-budget-funded investment programs. This report presents multiple instruments for promoting coordination: dedicated platforms, harmonization of investment programs (design, financing criteria, producers), and knowledge sharing of good practices at the local level.

Abstract

The Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS) update identifies priority actions in support of the Government of Sudan (GOS) commitment to increase trade and diversify the economy. The current study builds on the earlier 2008 DTIS by identifying the major factors holding back the increase of agricultural exports and economic diversification. The report identifies a package of measures that will support Sudan to more effectively realize its economic potential. The DTIS Update presents an updated action matrix that summarizes the recommended policy reforms. This matrix was validated with a wide variety of stakeholders in Khartoum in September 2014. Together, the action points will contribute to reducing trade costs, thereby enabling Sudanese enterprises and farmers to compete more successfully in regional and global markets and realize the GOS objectives of expanding and diversifying exports for increased economic growth. The recommendations accept that any changes in tariff schedules should be ‘revenue neutral,’ given the existing challenging fiscal situation.

Abstract

Romania faces today the critical need to enhance the coordination of public investment programs and projects in order to ‘do more with less,’ maximizing development impact given limited financial resources available. In this context, ‘value for money’ is the key guiding principle of public investments, making this final report is both critically important and timely. Romania’s preparations for the 2014-2020 EU programming period are in full swing, with multiple operational programs recently approved. In parallel, the Government is working on revamping instruments financed entirely from the state budget. The core focus is on the National Local Development Program (PNDL), the main state-budget-funded investment program for local infrastructure development, though findings and recommendations may be extrapolated to other state-budget-funded instruments (e.g., the Environment Fund) and, indeed, as decentralization and regionalization may evolve in the future, subnational governments may also apply the lessons of this work. The main goal of this work is to recommend and facilitate the adoption of prioritization and selection criteria that enhance coordination at the level of infrastructure programs and the projects they finance.

Abstract

The protection of the built and archaeological heritage is an increasingly debated topic in recent years. In order to protect these valuable historic structures and preserve them for the future, holistic approaches are necessary. These generally involves a wide range of specialists and collaborators, multidisciplinary way of developing conservation strategies, while maintaining their original features. However, recent studies highlight the fact that the management of heritage sites and buildings is far more than the simple aesthetic and structural repair. It means acknowledging the role of societies and communities in maintaining the importance of these structures and the risk of environmental factors (climate change challenges or earthquake risk) on their state of conservation and the effect of unauthorized interventions over time. Therefore, based on the case study of Orastioara, a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania, where 3 UNESCO heritage sites (from a total of 6 UNESCO sites in the area) can be found and numerous monuments of national and local importance, the study is presenting the challenges encountered during the development of the general urban plan of the commune, in relation with all the establishments that conserve Dacian fortresses – sites UNESCO; and also a proposal for the future management plan of the protected sites. Since the heritage structures have been neglected over the years, the paper comprises a general overview of the complexity of the developed conservation strategy, in order to be able to manage the heritage structures while taking the particularities of their context into consideration.