First money from EU aid package could reach Moldova early next year

Chisinau, Nov. 6 /MOLDPRES/- First money from the 1.8 billion support package announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen could reach Moldova in the first part of 2025. Head of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with the Republic of Moldova Siegfried Mureșan made the statement during a TV show.

The money will be provided in several installments, after the support package will be approved by the relevant institutions.

"The European Commission has proposed this package, it has to be adopted by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. In the European Parliament I am responsible, we will start working in the coming weeks, we already have preparatory meetings. I think we will give the final vote in early 2025. After that the Government of the Republic of Moldova must present a reform agenda to the European Commission," Mureșan said.

The MEP noted that the first payment is likely to be made before the parliamentary elections. "For us the electoral calendar is not important, the money has no political purpose. But it is obvious that if in the next Parliament there will be an anti-European majority that will not respect European rules, the European Commission will not be able to make the subsequent payments. It is clear that an anti-European government will not be able to use these funds and the Republic of Moldova risks losing part of these funds. But we are not in this situation at the moment, we have a pro-European government and we want the money to start to be absorbed as soon as we adopt the law in the European Parliament", Mureșan concluded.

The MEP said that the €1.8 billion Growth Plan sees investments in the country's infrastructure, schools, roads, hospitals, as well as in modernizing public administration and continuing reforms in the justice system.