First tranche of EU macro – financial assistance to Moldova to be disbursed in upcoming weeks

Chisinau, 03 October /MOLDPRES/ – The European Union will disburse the first installment of the macro – financial assistance for Moldova in the next few weeks. The announcement was made, on Thursday, 03 October, in Chisinau by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, after the meeting with Prime Minister, Maia Sandu.

The European official has announced that the second tranche of the macro – financial assistance will be disbursed by the end of 2019, but did not specify the value of tranches. Also, Mogherini reiterated that the financial support provided by EU will be conditioned by the progress made in implementing the reforms. The official added that positive changes have been registered in Moldova in recent months, but there must continue the efforts to implement the reform agenda.

"The visit of today is a signal of the importance we attach to our partnership. We have seen positive changes in the country. We hope to see strong support across the political spectrum for the reform agenda of Government. It is crucial to strengthen the independence of state institutions. Continuing reforms is essential to get the most out of the Association Agreement. Our financial support is and will continue to be conditioned by the progress of the reforms,” said Mogherini.

At her part, PM Maia Sandu has stated that Moldova will continue to rely on EU support only if it respects its commitments. "The visit of a dignitary of such a high rank in EU is proof that we have managed to return Moldova to EU. We spoke today about goals and challenges, we have received assurances that EU will continue to be on our side, on the side of citizens. We are counting on continuation of neighbourhood policy and on a more ambitious vision for countries like Moldova, which obviously want one day to become the EU members”, said Maia Sandu.

The PM added that, up to the date, over six thousand companies of Moldova have received support from European institutions, over three thousand jobs have been created with EU support, 700 km of roads have been repaired, and almost 70 per cent of Moldova's exports reach EU countries.

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, is paying a visit to Chisinau today, just a few days after it took place the fifth meeting of the Association Council of Moldova – European Union in Brussels.