Ursula von der Leyen announces a new assistance package for the Republic of Moldova
The Republic of Moldova will benefit from a new assistance package from the European Union. The announcement was made by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during a conference, together with the head of state, Maia Sandu. The assistance package includes five very concrete initiatives.
One of the initiatives is additional economic support for the Republic of Moldova. Ursula von der Leyen mentioned that it is about 1.6 billion euros.
"Since October 2021, the EU has offered over 1 billion euros to the Republic of Moldova, which includes 300 million euros in the form of macro-financial assistance for the current year. Now, apart from this, we come with additional support. Our initial goal was to reach 600 million euros of additional funding. The good news is that we will triple this amount. An additional financing that we will mobilize, now we can talk about 1.6 billion euros, which will bring extraordinary opportunities for companies from the Republic of Moldova and will lead to direct investments in the country's economy", said the president of the European Commission.
Also, the assistance package includes support for the energy sector, both in the short and long term.
"In the short term we will provide €100 million to cover the immediate needs, namely to help the vulnerable population and households, to make residential buildings more energy efficient and of course to prepare for the coming winter. In the long term in the energy sector we are working together to finance projects to facilitate the integration of the Republic of Moldova into the European energy market. We will invest in renewable energy resources and we will invest in interconnections with two high voltage networks between Moldova and Romania. In addition, we will make available 50 million euros for the rehabilitation of the railways", said Ursula von der Leyen.
The official also added that it is desired to boost the assistance to increase the resilience of the Republic of Moldova against hybrid threats. At the same time, in order to help the Republic of Moldova advance on the European path, it is intended to significantly increase the number of employees of the Delegation of the European Union in Chisinau.
"In particular to support you in the development and implementation of reforms, as well as to help you strengthen your administrative capacity," said Ursula von der Leyen.
We remind you that, during the same press conference, President Maia Sandu announced the reduction of roaming tariffs in the EU for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, which is also part of the assistance package. According to the head of state, these services will be cheaper, starting from January 1, 2024.
