The European Union has paid Moldova a grant of 60 million euros (1.2 billion lei) to help the population cope with rising gas prices.
This EU aid to support Moldovan citizens during the energy crisis was immediately proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this fall, and the EU fulfilled that promise by transferring the money on December 21, the EU said in a statement. In practice, this will help hundreds of thousands of Moldovan households survive the winter by reducing gas and heating bills. In addition to the immediate response in terms of support for citizens during the winter period, this action will also contribute to long-term socio-economic recovery, as well as ensuring Moldova's energy efficiency and security, to increase resilience to similar crises in the future. As the EU notes, the 60 million euros grant complements EU assistance to the energy sector, which is part of a comprehensive EU effort to support structural reforms in Moldova's energy sector. Recent initiatives include: deployment of energy experts to Chisinau; an ambitious energy efficiency programme implemented jointly with the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; an EU-Moldova high-level energy dialogue launched in October 2021. As the EU notes, the 60 million euros grant comes after Moldova made rapid progress on the relevant conditions, primarily by adopting an ambitious and wide-ranging crisis response plan that will be implemented in the coming years. The EU said it will continue to support Moldova and assist the country in implementing this plan. Moldova has also maintained the positive dynamics of reforms in a number of other sectors, including, for example, public finance management. //22.12.2021 - InfoMarket.
