Claudiu COTFAȘ, Bacău Mountain Forum, at FERM 2025: “We Have Resources, We Have People – All That’s Left Is Will”
100 economic opportunities for the development of the Moldova Region on the A7 Highway route
REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM MOLDOVA 2025
19th Edition – Vatra Dornei, July 9–13, 2025
Thematic Panel:
Mountain Economy – Sustainable Development and Valorization of Local Resources
Speaker:
Claudiu Cotfaș – Bacău Mountain Forum
Presentation Topic:
“The Situation of the Mountain Economy in Bacău County”
Claudiu Cotfaș, representative of the Mountain Forum of Romania – Bacău branch, highlighted at the Regional Economic Forum Moldova 2025 an honest, at times painful but realistic view of the challenges and opportunities facing the mountain economy in Bacău County.
His intervention within Panel 9 – Mountain Economy was sprinkled with humor, sharp observations, and concrete examples, illustrating how the lack of coordination, engagement, and valorization of local resources hinders the development of a region with major potential.
“We Are Beautiful. We Just Need to Be Happy Too”
Cotfaș opened his speech in a warm, traditional manner, greeting everyone with “God bless” and appreciating the beauty and human quality of those present. He noted, with a bitter-humorous tone, that although Romania – and especially Moldova – is inhabited by beautiful people, it seems “we just need things to go well for us” in order to be truly happy.
He then moved on to an essential observation regarding the attractiveness of the mountain area in collective perception: Romanians go on vacation either to the sea or the mountains – and unlike the seaside, the mountains offer tourism opportunities year-round.
“At the seaside, we are restricted by the season, but in the mountains, we can go anytime. This means that the mountain area has immense potential to generate prosperity – if only we know how to harness it,” he emphasized.
Bacău Mountains: Beauty Suffocated by Neglect
Passionate about nature and mountain hiking, Cotfaș spoke from personal experience about the sad reality of abandoned pastures and underutilized lands in the Moinești area, where he observed hundreds of hectares of meadows overrun by wild vegetation. Instead of generating food, jobs, and income for farmers, these lands are neglected or poorly managed.
He organized a meeting with local authorities and farmers in the area, after which he learned that out of the 115 hectares of pasture available, only 35 were eligible for use – the rest being overrun by invasive vegetation.
“The farmers didn’t do their job, they didn’t clear the lands, and as a result, the animals mixed together, disputes broke out among the breeders, and I had to step in to calm things down.”
In addition to abandoned pastures, another sign of neglect is, according to Cotfaș, how sheep wool is treated.
“It is the best natural insulator, but what do we do with it? We throw it by the riversides, suffocating nature. While we abandon this resource, our stores sell carpets from Pakistan, India, or Bangladesh.”
Success Stories: Carpatica Cooperative and Award-Winning Cheese from Ghimeș
In contrast to these failures, Claudiu Cotfaș highlighted positive examples from Bacău County, mainly resulting from local initiatives and efficient collaborations. He emphasized projects carried out together with the Carpatica Cooperative: a slaughterhouse opened in the village of Boșnea, a traditional meat product workshop, and a fruit collection and processing center equipped with modern machinery to preserve product quality.
He also mentioned a success story that speaks volumes about the area’s potential: a local cheese producer, Mr. Sare Gatila from Ghimeș, won second place in an international cheese competition held in Portugal.
“Imagine, from a small mountain village in Romania, a matured cow cheese gained international recognition. Ghimeș was put on the map for international quality thanks to the work of one person,” Cotfaș proudly stated.
Conclusion: A Call for Responsibility and Engagement
In conclusion, the FRM Bacău representative made a clear and direct appeal to authorities and communities.
“We have trained people, we have resources, we have potential – all we need is will and coordination. State institutions must support mountain area farmers not just with paperwork, but with real solutions. If we want a sustainable mountain economy, we must start by respecting the mountains and those who live off them.”
Claudiu Cotfaș’s speech reflected the spirit of the Regional Economic Forum Moldova, an event aimed at facilitating dialogue between authorities, businesses, and local communities to jointly build sustainable, coherent, and integrated development in the Moldova region.
