The European Union has mobilized more than 1.2 billion euros in grants and soft loans for Moldova since October 2021 - Siegfried Muresan.
Chairman of the European Parliament's delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee wrote this on his social network page. He said that the money was earmarked for the most important needs of Moldova and its citizens, such as the country's macro-financial stabilization, measures to support people affected by the rise in energy prices, measures to improve security in the context of security threats caused by the war in Ukraine, as well as for investments in the country's modernization, infrastructure and the transition to a green economy. Siegfried Muresan also pointed out the recent closer cooperation between Moldova and the EU in the fields of energy, transport, telecommunications and border security. He said that, besides financial support, more measures at the European level have been taken in 2022 and 2023, through which the EU is speeding up Moldova's European integration. "In the energy sector, in 2022 we synchronized Moldova's electricity system with the European Union's energy system, and from 2022 we granted Moldova access to the joint gas storage and purchase platform launched by the EU. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex supports the efforts of the Moldovan Border Police to ensure border security. At the same time, we have set up an EU-Moldova security center and launched an EU civilian mission in Chisinau in June 2023 in order to increase the European support for the consolidation of Moldova's security sector, including cyber security," Chairman of the European Parliament's delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee said. He recalled that since May this year, Moldova is also an associate member of the Connecting Europe Facility. This means that Moldova has access, along with the EU member states, to financing projects in the transport, energy and digitalization sectors, in order to modernize the infrastructure in Moldova and improve the interconnection with the European Union. The total budget of the mechanism is 33 billion euros for the period of 2021-2027. Also, from January 2024, roaming tariffs between EU countries and Moldova will be reduced following an agreement concluded between telecom operators from Moldova and from the EU. Siegfried Muresan stressed that the European Union is Moldova's biggest trade partner, and last year, the EU authorities decided to liberalize the trade between Moldova and the European Union in order to compensate the losses caused by the blocking of the Moldovan agricultural products' access to the eastern markets. The liberalization decision was extended this year until July 2024, and it applies to 7 agri-food products from Moldova that were still subject to import quotas when entering the EU market. The majority of Moldovan exports have already received exemption from customs duties when entering the EU market within the framework of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Moldova, concluded in 2014. Thanks to the new support measures, the presence of Moldovan products in Europe was significantly strengthened last year. Overall, Moldova's exports to the EU increased from 1.8 billion euros in 2021 to 2.6 billion euros in 2022. At the moment, the European Union is Moldova's largest economic and trade partner. 60% of Moldova's international trade is with EU countries. "Although the slow pace of reforms undertaken by the Moldovan governments between 2014 and 2021 has slowed Moldova's European integration process, since 2014, the EU has been financially supporting projects to modernize the country and improve people's living standards. "Between 2014 and 2020, after the signing of the Association Agreement between the EU and Moldova, more than 500 billion euros in grant European funds were allocated, and another 200 billion euros was provided in the form of loans on concessional terms. This money has materialized in more than 700 kilometers of repaired roads, new trolleybuses in Chisinau and Balti, more than 200 schools and kindergartens that benefit from new biomass heating systems and support for entrepreneurs," Siegfried Muresan wrote. According to him, all the above-mentioned measures should be continued next year and be accelerated. "First, Moldova has shown that it deserves a clear perspective on the start of accession negotiations with the European Union. This is why we, the European Parliament, have already asked several times this year to start Moldova's accession negotiations with the EU before the end of this year, after implementing the 9 reform recommendations sent by the European Commission. We should also continue to help Moldova with European funds. Thus, I welcome the European Commission's proposal to transfer 600 million euros from the Neighborhood Instrument to support Moldova and other EU neighboring states in the context of the revision of the European Union's Multiannual Financial Program for 2021-2027. //27.07.2023 - InfoMarket.
