100 million euro for the Republic of Moldova

Romania made available EUR 100 million in non-reimbursable aid to the R. of Moldova

Mihai Pelin, 20.04.2022, 13:50

The parliament of Romania endorsed a law ratifying the
Agreement on the implementation of a technical and financial assistance
programme based on non-reimbursable financial aid amounting to EUR 100 million
provided by Romania to the neighbouring Republic of Moldova.

The Romanian foreign ministry welcomed the decision, emphasising
that the document signed by the PMs of Romania Nicolae Ciucă and of Moldova
Natalia Gavriliţa on February 11 in Chişinău will be a key instrument under
which in the next 7 years Bucharest will support Moldova’s efforts in advancing
reforms and EU accession and towards sustainable development.

With the projects financed under this Agreement, Romania
will contribute to strengthening Moldova’s resilience in vital sectors like
energy, transport and transport infrastructure, environment protection and
climate change, public works and infrastructures, SMEs, mass media
independence, public administration and home affairs, healthcare, education,
culture, research, tourism, competitiveness and industry.

The Romanian foreign ministry also said the document
will take over and reinforce the role of a previous technical and financial assistance
agreement, also worth 100 million euro and signed in April 2010, which came to
a close in March 2021. This agreement enabled Romania to fund major projects,
including the revamping of over 1,000 kindergartens and schools in the Republic
of Moldova and to contribute to the development of the Iaşi-Chişinău natural
gas pipeline, a strategic energy interconnection project for Romania and Moldova.

In recent years, Moldova’s relations with the EU have
grown stronger. The country joined the EU’s Eastern Partnership in 2009, while Moldova’s EU Association Agreement came
into force on July 1, 2016. The EU is also Moldova’s biggest
donor, and Moldova is the biggest beneficiary of EU aid per capita among EU’s
neighbours. The EU assistance goes into key reforms in areas like the
judiciary, education, economic development and energy. In this context and
following Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, Moldova’s president Maia Sandu recently
signed Moldova’s EU accession application. Romania remains the strongest supporter
of Chişinău’s European integration. (AMP)