
Moldova will be able to access money for the development of railroads and other infrastructure projects from the European Union funds to which only EU members were entitled to before - Adina Valean.
This was announced on Friday by the European Commissioner for Transport, who attended online the "Railway Forum" in Chisinau, being invited by the Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Andrei Spinu. The Forum is organized by the Railways of Moldova company (CFM) in cooperation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development and the French Development Agency. The event brings together international financial institutions, representatives of the private sector and public railway companies to discuss the modernization and sustainable development of the railway sector in Moldova. In her speech, Adina Valean said that since the beginning of her mandate as a Romanian politician and European Commissioner, she has been a great supporter and a true friend of Moldova. "As a Romanian politician and European Commissioner, I have been a great supporter and, I believe, a true friend of Moldova. Having the transport portfolio in the European Commission, which is essential for the good functioning of the economy, I have started the de facto integration of Moldova into the European Union through infrastructure," Adina Valean said. "We have achieved a premiere for Moldova - for the first time, together with Ukraine, it has been associated to the European Integration Mechanism, the largest EU infrastructure fund. This means that Moldova can take money, especially for railways, from funds that only EU Member States could access. The first money from this mechanism has already been allocated to Moldova, for road projects at the border with Romania - Ungheni, Leuseni and Giurgiulesti," the European Commissioner said. She congratulated the Moldovan authorities for the efforts taken to implement the projects. Adina Valean also said that the Moldovans are not alone and that "at least, the transport measures never overlook Moldova". She spoke about the investments in railroads supported by the European Commission, whose budget also involves international financial institutions. "One example is the €20 million grant from our external policy instrument which, together with a €12 million loan from the EBRD, will support the rehabilitation of the north-south railway axis. We need as many examples of such projects as possible, and I hope that some of these will materialize after today's discussions," she said. // 16.03.2024 - InfoMarket.