Moldova: EU steps up its support with an additional €53 million

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, announced an additional €53 million to help the Republic of Moldova cope with the multiple repercussions of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine. This support will take the form of a budget support programme to be delivered as quickly as possible.

The announcement was made at the Ministerial Conference in Berlin launching the Moldova Support Platform. Established by Germany, France and Romania, the platform gathers the EU Member States, G7 countries, international partners, and like-minded countries to mobilise immediate and concrete international support for Moldova in facing the current situation.

Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, said: ”The EU stands by Moldova in these difficult times. As our additional package demonstrates, we continue to provide support to help the country deal with the severe impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine, ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and energy crisis. European solidarity with Moldova is stronger than ever.”

This €53 million budget support comes in addition to other ongoing crisis support provided by the EU to Moldova, which includes:

• the €150 million Macro-Financial Assistance Programme to be disbursed in the coming months.
• €8 million in humanitarian assistance, to provide emergency support at border crossing points, transit points and reception centres, as well as to ensure basic living conditions to refugees currently displaced in Moldova.
• €15 million to support the dignified and efficient processing of refugees and the secure transit and repatriation of third-country nationals, working closely with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
• €15 million to support the EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM). The Mission has recently redirected its activities to assist the Moldovan border guards in managing the arrival of refugees. The Mission will work hand in hand with Frontex, which is increasing its deployment in the country, following the Status Agreement on border management cooperation signed on 17 March 2022 by the EU and Moldovan authorities.
• Through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, 18 countries (17 Member States plus Norway) have offered large quantities of shelter items, energy supply and medical aid. The Commission has also mobilised medical equipment from the rescEU medical stockpiles hosted by Hungary and the Netherlands.

In addition to the crisis management, the EU continues to support Moldova’s long-term recovery and resilience, in particular through the Eastern Partnership Economic and Investment Plan, aiming to mobilisearound €3.4 billion in public and privateinvestmentsfor five flagships: SME support, trade facilitation, energy efficiency, connectivity and human capital development. Last week the European Investment Bank and Moldova agreed €150 million loan to connect Moldova to the TEN-T network.

Background

Since 24 February 2022, Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine has had devastating consequences, in particular for the Ukrainian people. As more than 4 million refugees have fled the war, it has also posed a clear challenge for neighbouring countries. Since the beginning of the aggression, Moldova has welcomed a high number of refugees fleeing the Russian bombs. With one hundred thousand refugees from Ukraine currently in Moldova, it is the country with the most refugees per capita, while also having to manage twice as many refugees transiting through its territory.

Today’s Ministerial Conference of the Moldova Support Platform was organised by Germany and took place in Berlin. It launched the International Moldova Support Platform, an initiative put forward by Germany, France and Romania and supported by G7 partners, international institutions and partners, which aims to mobilise immediate and concrete international support for Moldova in facing the current situation.