MEP: Moldova may receive billions in EU pre-accession funds for 2028–2034
The Republic of Moldova may benefit from European pre-accession funds starting with the next multiannual budget of the European Union for the period of 2028–2034. Additionally, Brussels is considering a 10% increase in the European fund for enlargement. These statements were made by Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureșan, who is the chairman of the European Parliament delegation for relations with the Republic of Moldova, on Wednesday, May 13.
During this period, the Republic of Moldova will receive pre-accession funds, as any other candidate state does. The exact amount of money that the Republic of Moldova will receive is still uncertain. This European fund totals over 40 billion euros, designated for all candidate states, with funds returning to each state.
The European Parliament is advocating for a 10% increase in the fund for candidate states and the establishment of specific allocations for each country, including the Republic of Moldova, as asserted by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
"We, the European Parliament, have requested two key things. First, we have asked for a 10% increase in this fund, as we require additional resources—amounting to a few billion euros more for all candidate states. Second, we have requested that each state be allocated a precise amount so that the Republic of Moldova and the other candidate states are informed in advance of the available funds if negotiations progress positively and if they implement the necessary reforms," the MEP explained.
As the European Parliament's chief negotiator, he aims to secure several billion euros for the Republic of Moldova from the future European enlargement fund.
Mureșan also noted that the Republic of Moldova currently benefits from the European Economic Growth Plan, worth 1.9 billion euros, with nearly 500 million euros already transferred to Chișinău as pre-financing in tranches.
Additionally, the MEP stated that all negotiation clusters for the Republic of Moldova's accession to the European Union could be opened by the end of 2026, with the first cluster expected to open by the end of June.
"The European Parliament demands that we build on the progress made at the technical level and that we also initiate negotiations at the political level on the first group of chapters, or the first cluster, immediately, by the end of June. We aim to open negotiations at the political level on all clusters by the end of 2026," Siegfried Mureșan emphasized.
We remind you that Marta Kos announced on May 12 that the European Union could start political negotiations for all accession chapters with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine within the next two months.
According to the European executive, both the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine are technically prepared to begin political negotiations, and a change in leadership in Budapest could potentially unblock this process. Recently, the European Parliament also urged the Council to officially commence negotiations for all clusters, starting with Fundamental Values during the Cypriot presidency, and the remaining five by the end of 2026.
