The European Union will provide Moldova with a new package of economic assistance and almost triple the amount of attracted investments - from 600 million to 1.6 billion euros.
This was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a press conference held in Chisinau together with Moldovan President Maia Sandu. She noted that the EU will continue to support the people of Moldova at every stage of the country's path to the European Union. “And today I am pleased to announce a new support package for Moldova with a dual purpose: we want to help you deal with the consequences of the war on your doorstep. And we want to bring you closer to the European Union. This package includes 5 very specific initiatives,” said Ursula von der Leyen. According to her, firstly, the cost of roaming between the European Union and Moldova will be reduced: telecom operators have already signed an agreement to reduce roaming from next year. The second point concerns economic assistance: the European Union, which has already provided Moldova with more than 1 billion euros since October 2021, further planned additional financing in the amount of 600 million euros as part of the economic and investment plan for our country, but decided to increase it to 1.6 billion euro.The third direction of the package, according to Ursula von der Leyen, is support for the energy sector. In the short term, our country will receive more than 100 million euros to cover urgent needs: helping the poor and households to improve the energy efficiency of residential buildings and helping Moldova prepare for next winter, including gas purchases. In the long term, the EU will help Moldova finance projects related to the integration of our country into the EU energy market, renewable energy sources, interconnections between Moldova and Romania, as well as the restoration of railway lines (for which 50 million euros are already planned). The fourth point of the new aid package concerns security and resilience. The President of the European Commission recalled that earlier this month, the European Union agreed on a package of 40 million euros for Moldova to finance military supplies and strengthen the armed forces of Moldova. Now the EU wants to further increase the European Peace Fund's support for Moldova in order to increase the resilience to Russia's hybrid threats. The fifth component of the assistance package concerns reforms in Moldova to move along the path of the EU. According to the President of the European Commission, in order to help Moldova advance the reforms even faster, the staff of the EU Delegation in Chisinau will be significantly increased.// 01.06.2023 — InfoMarket
