Double EU aid for the Republic of Moldova

The Republic of Moldova  is high on the EU agenda

Bogdan Matei, 31.05.2023, 13:50

For a long time included
in specialized rankings as the poorest European state, the Republic of Moldova
(ex-Soviet, predominantly Romanian-speaking) is dependent on the financial
assistance of Western partners. Things got worse after, on February 24, 2022,
Russian troops invaded Ukraine. Moldova had to manage a huge flow of Ukrainian
refugees, to find solutions to the economic issues caused by
the war in the neighboring country and to resist the assiduous attempts of
Moscow, which has never accepted the idea that there is a pro-Western regime in
Chisinau, to destabilize the political situation in that country.

The state of emergency
in Moldova has actually been extended by 60 days, starting June 4. The decision
was motivated by the risks and threats generated by the war unleashed by the
Russian Federation in Ukraine. According to the authorities, the republic is
exposed to asymmetric threats and a wide spectrum of manifestations of hybrid
warfare. The risk of new cyber attacks on public institutions and critical
national infrastructure was also raised. The Republic, therefore, still needs
the legal mechanisms related to the state of emergency, in order to manage any
unpredictable developments.

Against this
distressing background, the Council of the European Union decided, on Tuesday,
to practically double the macro-financial aid earmarked for the Republic of
Moldova, from 150 to 295 million euros. Last month, the Romanian MEP Siegfried
Mureșan (PPE-PNL), the head of the European Parliament Delegation to the EU -
Moldova Association Committee stated: we offer the Republic of Moldova
the financial support it needs to ensure that, throughout this year, the
Government has sufficient funds available to support people and ensure economic
stability. He added that the Republic of Moldova is a candidate
state for EU accession and we must help it overcome the challenges it faces and
continue its European integration.

Also on Tuesday, the
member states of the European Union adopted sanctions against seven people,
accused, in particular, of being connected with Russia’s efforts to
destabilize the Republic of Moldova. Their assets will be frozen inside
the Union, where their access will also be banned. According to Brussels, the
seven are politicians and
businesspeople of Moldovan or Russian nationality who engaged in destabilizing
activities, by planning violent demonstrations or by supporting the Russian
Federal Security Service (FSB).

The decisions adopted
by the community leaders preface the Thursday meeting in the Republic of
Moldova of leaders from almost 50 countries, for the second summit of the
European Political Community (EPC), whose assumed values ​​are democracy,
respect for human rights and the rule of law . (MI)