Moldovan deputy PM says leadership manages to speed up approval of Growth Plan for Moldova

The approval of the Growth Plan for Moldova, which includes a financial support package worth 1.9 billion euros, by the European Commission and the European Parliament is a success of the cooperation between EU and Moldova. Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov has received Gert Jan Koopman, Director General of the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission, who negotiated the expedited approval deadlines for the country.

In Chisinau, Gert Jan Koopman discussed with teams from public institutions, hich prepare Moldova for accession to the European Union.

’’Together, we discussed the progress made in the last three years and the next steps on the European agenda. The fact that we managed to speed up the approval of the Growth Plan for Moldova is largely due to Gert Jan Koopman's team, who negotiated tight terms for the decision-making process at Brussels institutions,’’ said Gherasimov.

Deputy Prime Minister Cristina Gherasimov thanked the European Commission for appreciating the efforts made by the Moldovan authorities on their path to the EU.

The European Parliament on March 11 approved the 1.9 billion euro support package for Moldova. This represents the largest financial aid provided by the EU to the country.

European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, praised the efforts of  Moldova on the path to European integration, noting that the decision to approve the financial support package represented a strong vote of confidence in the country's European future.

The EU assistance will strengthen the resilience of Moldova against hybrid attacks and Russia's interference, targeting its democratic processes and institutions. The support package includes 520 million euros in grants and 1.5 billion euros in low-interest loans. The facility also provides for pre-financing of 18 per cent of the total support, up from the initially proposed 7 per cent, which will allow the quick mobilization of resources to ensure energy security, fight corruption more efficiently and modernize public services.