European Union to provide financial assistance for agriculture, rural development in Moldova

Chisinau, 25 March /MOLDPRES/- The cabinet at a today's meeting approved a decision on signing a financing agreement between the Moldovan government and European Commission on implementation of Support to the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development ENPARD, the government's communication and media relations department has reported.

The agreement sees providing a budgetary support worth 64 million euros to the Moldovan government from the European Commission. The money is meant for promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the agricultural and rural development sectors. Among the accord's goals, there are reorganisation and modernisation of agri-food sector, ensuring sustainable management of natural resources, improvement of living and working conditions in rural regions.

The ENPARD programme was launched in March 2011 by a joint communique of the European Commission and European External Action Service. In June 2012, the first vision on such an instrument was presented for the Eastern Partnership countries within a conference in Brussels.

Thus, the ENPARD programme has become a new initiative of policies, as a component part of  EU's commitment in terms of inclusive growth and stability at the borders of the Union. The programme recognises the importance of agriculture, including food security, sustainable production and employment in rural areas.

(Editor L. Alcază)