The European Union presents support package for Moldova including five priorities.
According to the European Commission's message, in particular, the European Commission and the European External Action Service have developed a support package for Moldova to help it cope with the consequences of the war in Ukraine and bring our country closer to the European Union, as it was announced by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Chisinau on May 31. Ursula von der Leyen noted that Moldova stands firmly on the principles of solidarity and defense of European values. "Moldova has stood firmly in solidarity and in defence of European values. And despite the enormous consequences Russia's war of aggression is having on the country, Moldova is taking great strides to advance on its European future. With today's package, the EU shows we stand by Moldova and we will work to accelerate your European integration and reforms. Moldova's future lies in the EU," she said. The support package for Moldova includes 5 priorities; they are focused on SME support, trade, energy efficiency, human capital development as well as connectivity. Under the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes initiative, the Connecting Europe Facility will provide funding for projects to remove bottlenecks at key border crossing points. Priority will also be given to addressing the challenges faced by cross-border communities through enhanced Interreg programs. Finally, building on the recent decision to reduce roaming prices for Moldova, the EU is working on a long-term roaming agreement. The second priority of the Moldova Support Package is to support Moldova's reforms through strengthened administrative capacities, advisory services to address the challenges of enlargement, specialized training and support programs, and increased participation of Moldova in EU programs such as Horizon Europe, Fiscalis, Customs, LIFE and EU4Health. The third priority is to ensure Moldova's energy security by increasing domestic energy production, participation in the common mechanism of EU gas procurement, promotion of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. The fourth priority is strengthening Moldova's security through targeted actions led by the High-Level Political and Security Dialogue; enhancing cooperation through the newly established EU Moldova Partnership Mission, the EU-Moldova Internal Security and Border Management Support Centre, the EU Border Assistance Mission and with European agencies, particularly Frontex, Europol, Eurojust and CEPOL; strengthening Moldova's defence sector through the European Peace Fund, as well as its domestic military and security agencies. The fifth priority of the Support Package for Moldova is identified as countering information manipulation and interference from abroad, including misinformation, and strengthening strategic communications by providing technical support to the Moldovan government and building the capacity of independent civil society and youth in the media to counter misinformation and actively communicate the benefits of EU integration. According to the European Commission's June 20 proposal for a revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework, which includes a proposal for a Fund for Ukraine, some 600 million euros within the Neighborhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) could be reallocated to programs in 2024-2027 to increase support to other neighboring countries, including Moldova. Ursula von der Leyen said at a joint news conference in Chisinau with Moldovan President Maia Sandu on May 31 that the EU would provide Moldova with a new package of economic support and almost triple the amount of attracted investments from 600 million euros to 1.6 billion euros. // 29.06.2023 – InfoMarket
