Report on the €1.8 billion Growth Plan, approved
The European Parliament adopted the report on the support for the Republic of Moldova worth 1.8 billion euros. Now the final negotiations with the Council of the European Union are underway, and the Facility should enter into force in March, Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureșan said on his Facebook page.
According to Mureșan, after the negotiations in the European Parliament, it was proposed to increase the pre-financing from 7% to 20% of the total amount.
“This is about the money that will quickly reach Moldova, shortly after the Facility enters into force. Since the value of the Facility is 1.8 billion euros, any percentage point we obtain in addition as pre-financing means an additional 18 million euros that will reach the Republic of Moldova faster,” Mureșan explained.
Also, the Romanian MEP announces that an agreement has been reached on the adoption of the Facility without delay and "under very good conditions for the authorities and citizens of the Republic of Moldova".
"It is important that these funds arrive in the Republic of Moldova as soon as possible to finance roads, hospitals, bridges and to modernize public administration. These are measures that lead to an increase in the standard of living of the people and boost the European integration of the country. These are measures that help Moldova to overcome more easily the economic and energy crisis caused by the new blackmail with gas deliveries triggered by the Russian Federation", wrote Mureșan.
On the other hand, Victor Negrescu, Vice-President of the European Parliament responsible for relations with the Republic of Moldova, announced that a proposal regarding the opening of an office of the European Parliament in Chișinău is in the final stages and will soon be approved.
Initial news: The European Parliament will adopt its position on the Moldovan growth plan worth €1.8 billion today. MEPs have proposed several amendments to the draft. They called for higher pre-financing, but also for stricter measures to supervise the management of the funds.
The funds will be closely monitored, including by the European Public Prosecutor's Office. These are not difficult conditions, but measures that will bring the Republic of Moldova closer to the European Union, being reforms provided for in the accession process. The aspects related to the repayment term are to be negotiated in their final form. According to the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Victor Negrescu, the conditions of this loan are much more advantageous than those available to the Republic of Moldova on the international market.
"We have submitted a series of amendments to the growth plan that are to be approved by the European Parliament. On the one hand, the Republic of Moldova will benefit from a pre-payment from this plan, regardless of what happens in these negotiations at the European level, up to 50 million euros. Also, we have included references to the diaspora in the mechanisms for implementing this growth plan, so that the diaspora is involved in the projects carried out in the Republic of Moldova, in local authorities, in the university environment, in civil associations, and in partners. We also talked about cross-border projects and the need to finance this energy connection area, so that the Republic of Moldova becomes more energy independent," emphasized Victor Negrescu.
MEP Gheorghe Falcă pointed that the money provided by the EU will provide support in the field of transport and energy infrastructure, construction of two hospitals, maintenance of electricity and gas prices.
“This shows that the EU will always be behind citizens who believe in European values, in the rule of law and in what freedoms and Western democracy mean," mentioned the MEP.
Moreover, Gheorghe Falcă mentioned that the Russian Federation does not accept that citizens decide their own direction, therefore, they will work through their specific methods to attack democracies and will also act in the 2025 elections. In this regard, he called on young people to go out to vote and maintain the European path of our country.
"This European path actually comes with financial support because Europe wants to be with us on this path, but democracy must be defended every day. This must also be the goal of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, especially those inside the country, but with the support of people in the diaspora, to go beyond the electoral competition to maintain this European path," urged Gheorghe Falcă.
We remind you that, in the fall of last year, Ursula von der Leyen, who was in Chisinau, announced that the European Union would grant the Republic of Moldova financial aid of 1.8 billion euros. This will cover the period 2025-2027 and is estimated to provide the Republic of Moldova with grants of up to 285 million euros and loans on favourable terms worth 1.5 billion euros.
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