Filat: Attempt to Identify EU Funds with Political Leader Is a Gross Manipulation

Filat commented on the Growth Plan for Moldova announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, noting that the document, as well as the EU representative’s visit to Moldova were the main subjects of the electoral campaign of Maia Sandu and the PAS. Filat stressed that the 1.8 billion-euro fund is meant for Moldova and its citizens, and not for any leader or political party, noi.md reported. “Maia Sandu and her team took advantage of this European context, turning a technical point into an electoral advantage, as if these means were exclusively for their political success. This approach is not only cynical but also a distortion of reality. As a former Prime Minister, I can confirm that there have been similar projects. The most relevant one is the ‘Rethink Moldova’ strategy, which was agreed and signed for the benefit of the whole country, regardless of who was in power. As a result, Moldova received an investment of $2.6 billion, 48% of which were grants. To compare, in the Growth Plan for Moldova, only 16% are grants and the rest are loans, and this detail cannot be ignored,” Vlad Filat said. He noted that the politicization of this EU plan is a serious mistake. According to him, the allocation of funds does not depend on who is in power, they will be allocated if the conditions set by the European Commission are met. “If Maia Sandu and the PAS fail to implement these reforms, it is not the European Union’s fault that the funds will not reach Moldova. It is the responsibility of the government. Attempt to relate the flow of this money to a political leader is a gross manipulation that fits into the aggressive electoral rhetoric of exploiting administrative resources in favor of one candidate or another. Politicians should focus on transparency and the proper use of funds, not their electoral capitalization. Although Ursula von der Leyen’s visit was presented as a diplomatic success of the authorities, it should be recalled that the President of the European Commission has a counterpart - the Prime Minister of Moldova, and Maia Sandu’s counterpart - the President of the European Council. The politicization of this visit undermines the true goal of the Growth Plan for Moldova, which should be a technical and not an electoral project,” he added. In addition, the former prime minister spoke about the past external financial support, mentioning the large-scale assistance received by Moldova in the form of grants in 2009-2014: “In 2009-2014, Moldova received the biggest external support in the form of grants, reaching 3% of the GDP in 2014, which is equivalent to 9.7 billion lei today. The external financing in that period consisted of 2/3 of grants and only 1/3 of loans,” Filat specified.