Political

EU Funding Boost for Moldova Tied to Reforms

The Republic of Moldova will be eligible for pre-accession funds if it commits to reforming key sectors such as the justice system. These statements were made by European Commissioner Johannes Hahn.

Moldova currently participates in several funding programs offered by the European Union. However, the amounts allocated to Moldova may change after the country joins the EU. According to Commissioner Hahn, the European Union will monitor how Moldovan state institutions absorb and manage these funds.

"The current pre-accession budget for Moldova is roughly 100-120 million euros annually," explained Commissioner Hahn. "This amount won't change much when accession negotiations begin, but it will be adjusted upon actual membership."

The European Union is currently working on a new system for disbursing funds to candidate countries. Under the existing system, countries receive a set amount before joining the EU. However, this amount increases upon accession, which can create challenges for member states in absorbing these resources effectively, according to Commissioner Hahn.

"Following the conclusion of negotiations, there's a one-to-two year window before a country becomes a full member," Commissioner Hahn for Budget added. "This is because member states need to ratify the accession process, and some countries might even hold referendums. To bridge this gap, we could consider providing more funds upfront."

Therefore, increasing pre-accession funding would allow Moldova's institutions to absorb funds more efficiently after joining the EU, as the post-accession allocation would be smaller. The European Union will, of course, continue to monitor the proper management of these funds by Moldovan institutions.

The European Anti-Fraud Office is authorised to investigate any misuse of European funds in Moldova.

Translation by Iurie Tataru

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