On Tuesday 9 May, the European Commission opened the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean and Moldova’s Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Lilia Dabija signed an agreement in Chisinau in the presence of Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean.
This agreement will support Moldova’s integration into the EU single market. According to the Commission, it will allow Moldovan project promoters to apply for EU funding for projects of common interest in the fields of transport, energy and digital technology to improve the country’s connectivity with its EU neighbours. It will also promote growth, employment and competitiveness.
“Moldova can be proud – it is the first country with whom the EU signs such an agreement”, Ms Vălean said in a statement. “Projects that can help tackling current bottlenecks at border crossings and upgrading Moldova’s railway network will be able to compete, for example, in the next CEF Transport call”, she explained.
€2.5 billion will be made available to all Member States for such investments. Moldova, which has been badly affected by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, has seen its capacity for resistance strengthened thanks to the EU.
This agreement “will strengthen the capacity and resilience of the digital backbone networks that connect Europe to Moldova and will bring to Moldovan citizens and businesses the benefits of the digital transition”, said the Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton in a statement.
For more information: https://aeur.eu/f/6sh (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)