Brussels, 30/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 29 July, the European Commission announced a new annual support package of €101 million for the Republic of Moldova to help the country “seize the benefits and opportunities of the association agreement and the deep and comprehensive free-trade area with the EU”, signed on 27 June 2014.
From the €101 million, €37 million will go to support public finance policy reforms. The objective of this funding is to help the Ministry of Finance, the parliament and the supreme audit institution of Moldova in the process of enhancing good governance, effective fiscal policy, transparent and accountable public finance policy, and strengthened public financial management systems.
The remaining €64 million will be to improve rural development through the European neighbourhood programme for agriculture and rural development (ENPARD). This aid should enable the improvement of policy dialogue, governance and service delivery meeting the needs of private farmers while increasing the competitiveness of the agriculture sector. The support will also aim to intensify the dialogue between the central and regional authorities - for example, Gagauzia (an autonomous district in the south of Moldova).
This funding is the first package of bilateral assistance granted to the Republic of Moldova under the single support framework adopted on 11 June, which defines the strategic priorities and objectives of EU-Moldova cooperation for the 2014-2017 period. (CG)