On Thursday 10 October in Chisinau, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the adoption of a Growth Plan for the Republic of Moldova worth €1.8 billion, supported by a ‘Reform and Growth Facility’ for the period 2025-2027.
This three-pillar support package has “the potential of doubling the size of the country’s economy in a decade”, explained the President alongside Moldovan President Maia Sandu.
The first pillar is therefore an investment of €1.8 billion in the Moldovan economy over the next three years, focusing on investment in sectors that will “generate economic growth” and public services. The EU will also open up more areas of the single market to Moldovan businesses: free movement of goods and integration into supply chains, trade facilitation and transport links, integration into the EU energy market and decarbonisation, integration into the digital market and access to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA).
Finally, the EU will support the reform efforts that Chisinau intends to undertake to modernise its economy. “For example, improving your business environment, preparing your energy sector for the green transition and training people for the jobs of tomorrow”, explained Ms von der Leyen. Payments will follow the implementation of agreed reforms.
This assistance is a “symbol of the EU’s confidence in our potential for transformation and development. It will help us to build a stronger economy”, said a delighted Ms Sandu.
Support for a European Moldova. A few days before the referendum on Moldova’s accession to the EU and the presidential election, which will be held on 20 October, Ms von der Leyen reiterated that the EU stood “firmly by Moldova’s side – today and every step of the way on the path to our Union”.
For her part, Ms Sandu recalled all that the EU had already done for her country, which opened its EU accession negotiations in June. “The EU is not just an important partner, it is a genuine family of peace and security”, she stressed, adding that closer ties with the EU had very tangible benefits for her country. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)