The European Commission will provide Moldova with a new substantial assistance package by the summer of 2023 - Charles Michel.
The President of the European Council announced this at a joint press conference in Chisinau with Moldovan President Maia Sandu. He recalled that at the recent summit of the European Council, it was decided to instruct the European Commission to prepare a comprehensive assistance package for Moldova by June, including to strengthen the resilience, security, stability of our country, its economy and energy supplies in the face of destabilizing actions of external players, as well as support for the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union. Charles Michel noted that today Moldova is a candidate country for EU accession, and this is a historic opportunity for the country and people, which must be seized. The President of the European Council lamented that Russia continues to attack Ukraine, and Moldova also feels the great impact of this war. According to him, Russia is also trying to destabilize our country, using different areas, such as cyber attacks, staged protests and other subversive activities. Charles Michel said that Moldova is still overcoming these challenges, and there is confidence in the ability of the authorities to continue to successfully cope with all these threats and nullify attempts to destabilize the country. The President of the European Council said that the EU shows full solidarity with the citizens of Moldova during this difficult period. He noted that over the past year, the EU has mobilized more than 1 billion euros to support Moldova and, thus, helps it not only in words, but also in deeds, providing concrete assistance. “But we are ready to do even more. At the last summit of the European Council, the leaders of the EU countries decided to provide Moldova with a new aid package and instructed the European Commission to prepare it before this summer. We have previously mobilized 1 billion euros in aid in various areas, especially in energy. We will continue to develop new support tools. It is important to provide Moldova with macro-financial assistance so that the government can move forward and have the funds to implement important reforms. The new assistance package for Moldova, which the EU leaders decided to provide at their last summit, will provide for substantial and tangible, effective assistance, which will be discussed with the authorities,” said Charles Michel. He thanked the authorities and the people of Moldova for their solidarity, noting that during the war our country accepted a large number of Ukrainian refugees, provided assistance for the development of the “Ways of Solidarity” to help Ukraine maintain ties with the EU countries and the rest of the world, deliver its goods through our country. The President of the European Council congratulated the Government of Moldova on its commitment to carry out difficult but vital reforms in difficult times, which will strengthen the resilience of our country. Charles Michel said that Moldova has already made significant efforts and it is important for it to fulfill all 9 recommendations of the European Commission, especially those related to the introduction of in-depth reforms in justice, the fight against corruption, and the depoliticization of state institutions. According to him, during the meeting with Maia Sandu, they also discussed the preparations for holding the summit of the European Political Community in Moldova on June 1, which will be an important and symbolic event for maintaining stability and security in our country. He expressed confidence that the summit would be successful and also assured that Moldova could continue to count on the full support of the EU.//28.03.2023 — InfoMarket.
