Iulian Groza: The referendum is the citizens' tool for joining the European Union
Citizens must participate in the referendum on Sunday and express their opinion, as its results will be reflected in the Constitution. This is a tool through which citizens can influence the politicians of the Republic of Moldova, whether they are in government or in opposition, to work towards this legitimate goal - joining the European Union (EU). This was announced by the executive director of the Institute for European Policies and Reforms, Iulian Groza in an interview for Moldova 1 TV.
According to the expert, the European path of the country depends on the determination of the citizens, but also on the political will. "Everything will depend on us, everything depends on the Republic of Moldova. For us, it is very important that in the coming years there is high responsibility on the part of the government of the Republic of Moldova, and the attachment of the Government, no matter what it is in the coming years, is strongly linked to the process of negotiations, implementation of reforms and capitalization of the funds offered, so that they improve life".
Iulian Groza notes that our country is seen as a member country, and if there is capacity, we will get the largest EU contribution per capita, which is an unprecedented opportunity. "The budget of the European Union is adopted once every five years and is to be finalized towards the end of 2027. It is remarkable that the European Union, considering the new status of a candidate country, a country that is to become a member of the European Union managed to identify additional funds to provide these important investments for the Republic of Moldova. This mechanism was developed for the candidate countries and also benefited the countries of the Western Balkans. For comparison, their economic growth plans are worth almost 6 billion euros for a population much larger than that of the Republic of Moldova. Through the volume of investments and assistance, the Republic of Moldova will get the largest contribution per capita from the European Union in the region of the candidate countries. It is a strong advantage to support the European path, the negotiation process, which helps us to increase living standards", said Groza.
The director of IPRE explained that the economic growth plan worth 1.8 billion euros over three years has three objectives: socio-economic reforms, facilitating access to the EU's single internal market and supporting infrastructure investments such as the Iasi-Chisinau –Odessa highway. "This unprecedented contribution, this plan also includes investments. Almost over 20% of these 1.8 billion are non-refundable funds. There will be several instalments that also include a strong grant component. Moreover, the European Commission will provide additional funds so that Moldova can supplement that reimbursement. We will have a national development strategy until 2030. Starting from 2027-2028, the Republic of Moldova will have the opportunity to access pre-accession funds".
The cited source warns that the European Commission will oversee the implementation of the program, and the funding will be conditional. "The realization of this plan depends on the commitment of the Republic of Moldova, the attachment to the negotiation process and the reforms. When the Republic of Moldova will have a government, which will derail from the commitment to carry out reforms in the social and economic field of governance and will not meet these conditions, it will miss these funds. There are many experiences, including at the level of the European Union, when the European Commission decides to suspend or reduce this assistance for the countries with internal problems", concluded the expert.
