The EU supports Moldova

The EU provides the Republic of Moldova with 60 million Euros for defence

Leyla Cheamil, 04.03.2025, 13:50

This year, the European Union will allocate, within the framework of the European Peace Facility, 60 million euros to strengthen the defence capabilities of the Republic of Moldova, the former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population, which neighbours Romania and Ukraine. The announcement was made by the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, who paid a visit to Chisinau, three years after the Republic of Moldova submitted its application to join the European Union. The request was filed on the same day as Georgia and three days after Ukraine, in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The administration of the Republic of Moldova, a state that wants to join the EU by 2030, is trying to establish closer relations with the EU, especially in matters of security and defence. Antonio Costa specified that, within the European Peace Facility, created to support the defence capabilities of various countries, the Republic of Moldova is the second beneficiary, with almost 37 million euros allocated so far.

Antonio Costa praised the efforts of the authorities in Chisinau to strengthen the European path against those who “ seek to undermine Moldova’s path to progress, prosperity and stability, through energy blackmail, fake news and hybrid attacks”. He also said that the use of energy as a weapon is unacceptable, and the European Union and its member states will continue to support the Republic of Moldova in obtaining total independence from any type of energy or supplier from Russia. “What is happening in Ukraine is related to the entire security of the European Union, it is not only related to our partners in the East, not only to Moldova”, said the Brussels official.

In Chisinau, the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, met with the head of state, Maia Sandu. She also stressed the importance of European support for the security of the region in the current international context, marked by hybrid threats, cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns. Maia Sandu reiterated the commitment of the Republic of Moldova to the consolidation of national security and its integration into the European Union, stressing that the Union supports Moldova in moments of crisis. In May last year, Moldova concluded a security and defense partnership with the EU, becoming the first state to sign such an agreement with the EU bloc.

The pro-European government of the Republic of Moldova condemned the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, and the relations between the authorities in Chisinau and Moscow have deteriorated significantly. The Moldovan authorities announced that Russian drones violated their country’s airspace and also talked about the discovery of drone remains on their territory. (MI)