Negotiations on Moldova's accession to the European Union should be supported by increased financial assistance from the EU - Siegfried Muresan.
Member of the European Parliament, Co-Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on the Moldova-European Union Association stated this while recalling that on June 25 the first rounds of intergovernmental negotiations regarding the accession of Moldova and Ukraine to the EU officially begin. According to him, the fact that these negotiations begin just 2 years after the status of candidate countries was granted shows how important Moldova and Ukraine are for the security of the entire European Union. Siegfried Muresan said that, as head of the European Parliament delegation for relations with Moldova, he will continue to support all the efforts of the Moldovan authorities in the process of accession to the EU, and will also continue to be with the people of Ukraine, who, with their struggle for peace, freedom and the European future, defend the entire European Union. “At the same time, in the case of Moldova, I believe that the EU institutions should support the accession negotiations by increasing European financial assistance,” said Siegfried Muresan. He said that over the past 2 years, since Moldova gained a European perspective, he had been to Chisinau many times. “Over these 2 years, we have seen how pro-European political leaders, with limited resources, have made extraordinary progress in terms of modernizing the country and implementing the reforms required by the European Union. These efforts must be rewarded by EU institutions. That is why, in addition to the historic decision to start accession negotiations, I expect that the European Commission will propose increased financial and technical support for Moldova in the next period. More specifically, I believe that Moldova deserves a support instrument similar to the one we adopted for Ukraine, but proportional to the size and needs of the country,” emphasized the Member of the European Parliament, Co-Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on the Moldova-European Union Association. According to him, the financial needs required by the Moldovan authorities to continue reforms, strengthen the economy and improve people's well-being are relatively small compared to the EU budget. But every additional euro allocated can change the situation in Moldova. Siegfried Muresan said that the modernization of Moldova and the improvement of the well-being of the people is a process that has already begun and will be accelerated during the accession negotiations. Thus, the people of Moldova will feel the benefits of European integration long before the actual accession. “That is why, by helping Moldova more now, during the accession process, we ensure that the country’s economy and people’s living standards are closer to the EU average at the time of accession,” he emphasized. // 25.06.2024 - InfoMarket.
