The European Commission approved a new budget support package for the Republic of Moldova on Thursday 31 October. A disbursement of €24.85 million will support the implementation of reforms in the areas of policing, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering, agriculture and rural development.
Payments resumed in July (see EUROPE 12302/25), after almost 2 years of suspension due to a deterioration of the Rule of law in the country. Since then, two budget support payments have been made. In October, the Commission also approved a payment of €30 million under the macrofinancial assistance programme.
“These measures should be seen as an expression of recognition of the Moldovan government’s sustained efforts to benefit the population”, said Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for the European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations. “The EU is ready to continue to contribute to this important process, which depends on achieving concrete results, in particular with regard to the long-awaited reform of the justice system”.
The European Commission and the European External Action Service “will continue to monitor the political situation closely [...] and assess compliance with the conditions before any future payment”, the Commission said in a statement. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki, intern)