Mazeiks: Since Last Fall, the EU and Its Team Have Provided Moldova with 840 Million Euros in Grants and Loans

The EU supports Moldova both in the form of budgetary support and through programs which contribute to the modernization and democratization of the country and are carried out in different fields. This was stated by Janis Mazeiks. According to the diplomat, the 250 million euros, announced by the President of the European Commission in November, are meant for efficient management of the energy and refugee crises, ipn.md reports. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, who visited Chisinau, said that the European Union provides Moldova with 250 million euros, which is about 5 billion lei. Of the total sum, 100 million euros are grants and another 100 million euros are loans and 50 million euros are budgetary support. The head of the EU Delegation in Chisinau says that the money will be spent to solve the energy and refugee crises. “The 250 million euros announced by Madam President of the European Commission is a new support, the money goes in addition to the financial assistance previously provided. Since last fall, the EU, together with Team Europe, has provided 840 million euros in grants and loans. Some of these funds are rather tangible, for example, the aid provided by the EU in the form of budget support for the energy sector. Last year, the EU allocated 60 million euros for compensation, and this year, already in August, the EU has allocated 75 million euros for this purpose. Of the announced 250 million euros, it may happen that they will not be seen as direct funds, the citizens of Moldova may not feel the funds intended for refugees, except for the host families,” said Janis Mazeiks, Head of the EU Delegation in Chisinau, in an interview on Radio Moldova. In addition, according to the diplomat, the EU will continue to invest in strengthening Moldova’s defense capabilities by providing equipment for the modernization of the National Army. The EU ambassador to Chisinau also stressed that the European Union will continue to support and monitor the justice reform in Moldova, both at the preliminary review stage and during the extraordinary evaluation of judges and prosecutors. “The EU is also providing support, which is not necessarily financial, to strengthen the defense sector. This year, under the European Union peace program, we are providing 40 million euros of support to the defense sector when it comes to non-lethal assistance, that is, transport, communications equipment, software. In addition, we have about 100 projects in the process of being implemented across the country. There is no area where the EU does not provide assistance, including agriculture, the media, support for businesses, we are providing assistance for the reform of the justice sector. The justice sector is a priority for next year, because it has been a problem area for many years. The second sector that we will insist on in 2023 is support in the energy sector, the country has already done quite a lot to improve its energy security, but there is still much to do,” the European diplomat said. In addition to the 75 million euros provided by the EU as compensations, the German government has allocated another 40 million euros to Chisinau, which will be reflected in the Energy Vulnerability Reduction Fund.