The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, denounced on Thursday 28 October the instrumentalisation of gas by the Russian company Gazprom against Moldova.
“Together with the Prime Minister, Natalia Gavriliţa, we agreed on the importance of building resilience against any potential effort by a third party to use energy as a geopolitical weapon”, the High Representative explained at the end of the EU-Moldova Association Council. According to him, while gas prices are rising everywhere, the acute price increase in Moldova is due to political problems.
On Wednesday 27 October, the Kremlin spokesman denied any politicisation of the negotiations between Gazprom and Chișinău, adding that the talks were “totally commercial”.
To support Moldova, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on the same day a €60 million aid package for the country (see EUROPE 12821/32). The funds will go to the most vulnerable Moldovans affected by the crisis ahead of the winter, Mr Borrell said, assuring that the money will not go “to the pockets of Gazprom”. He added that these funds were a “first step” and that other solutions had to be found than financing the gap between the current gas price and the one demanded by Gazprom.
Beyond this support, the EU and Moldova held a high-level consultation on energy security on 27 October and a senior officials’ meeting on 28 October to discuss the situation and immediate EU support in the short and medium term.
“The EU is ready to help Moldova find ways out of this crisis”, Mr Borrell insisted.
What is important is to find a short- and long-term solution, Ms Gavriliţa said, adding that one of her ministers was currently in Russia to negotiate.
The Association Council also focused on reforms in Moldova. Speaking to the press, Mr Borrell reiterated the conclusions of the European Commission’s report of 19 October on the implementation of the Association Agreement. The report highlights that the early parliamentary elections of 11 July 2021 gave a clear and strong mandate to the pro-reform forces to pursue an ambitious agenda of combatting corruption, improving the judiciary, and fighting poverty.
However, according to the document, in the second half of 2020, Moldova has regressed in terms of rule of law standards and reforms, in the judicial sector, and in the fight against corruption and money laundering. The report also points to the lack of progress in the 2014 bank fraud investigation: none of the main culprits is behind bars and the lost assets have not been recovered.
Furthermore, the High Representative announced the launch, in early 2022, of a high-level dialogue on EU-Moldova politics and security “in order to have a more in-depth dialogue on security, regional cooperation and the Common Security and Defence Policy”.
The EU and Moldova are also working on updating the Association Agenda, with the EU’s diplomatic chief hoping to conclude the talks soon.
The situation in Transnistria and the Eastern Partnership Summit scheduled for 15 December were also discussed by Mr Borrell and Ms Gavriliţa.
See the statement issued after the Association Council: https://bit.ly/2ZHIqto
See the report on the implementation of the Association Agreement: https://bit.ly/3vU0psl (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)