EUROPEAN COMMISSION CHAIRWOMAN ANNOUNCES NEW PACKAGE OF SUPPORT FOR MOLDOVA FROM EU

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has announced a new package of support for Moldova from the European Union. She announced this at a joint press conference with President Maia Sandu on the occasion of the European Political Community (EPC) summit scheduled for tomorrow.

According to Ursula von der Leyen, the new aid package has two goals - for Moldova to be able to overcome the consequences of the war in the neighborhood on the one hand, and to move closer to the EU on the other.

"This package contains five very concrete initiatives. Firstly, we will reduce the roaming charges between Moldova and the European Union countries. A corresponding agreement has already been signed, which will come into force on January 1, 2024. Secondly, we will provide additional economic support. As of October 2021, the EU has allocated almost one billion euros to Moldova, and this amount includes macro-financial support for this year. But we will increase the support, through our investment and economic plan for Moldova. Initially, we planned to attract 600 million euros. But we have tripled this amount and now we can talk about almost 1.6 billion euros. This will have a great impact on Moldovan companies, through direct investments in the economy," the European official emphaszed.

The third initiative concerns the energy sector, and includes both short-term and long-term measures.

"As short-term measures, we will provide 100 million euros, including support for the most vulnerable, improving the energy efficiency of homes and preparing for the next winter. As long-term measures, we will finance projects for Moldova's further integration into the European energy market. We will invest in renewable sources, in interconnection projects. Besides, 50 million euros will be allotted for the reconstruction of railroads," the head of the European Commission explained.

The fourth initiative concerns the security sector and strengthening Moldova's resilience to new challenges.

"The European Union will increase support for Moldova because of the ongoing hybrid threat from Russia," von der Leyne stressed.

The fifth initiative concerns support for Moldova's reform process.

"We see that Moldova has made progress on the path to European integration. You need help to accelerate this movement. We have decided to increase the staff of the EU delegation in Chisinau. We are by your side. We support you every step of the way on your road to the European Union. And the arrival in Chisinau of 50 European leaders is a strong message of support for Moldova," the Chairwoman of the European Commission concluded.