Thanks to recent progress made by the current Moldovan government, the European Union is looking for ways to accelerate the process of resuming financial assistance for Moldova that has been frozen because of shortcomings of the previous government. This was announced by Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, after meeting with Moldova’s Foreign Minister Nicolae Popescu in Brussels today, RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service reported.

Johannes Hahn announced that Chisinau will receive a first tranche of €14.5 million in budget support in the coming days, followed by a yet to be determined second installment relatively soon. Meanwhile, the more substantial macro-financial assistance could be resumed at the beginning of autumn, when a first tranche of around €50 million could be granted. A second one, of about the same size, could follow in the winter.

Speaking about Monday’s meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, which Nicolae Popescu attended as a guest of honor, Hahn said that many foreign ministers have been encouraged by the latest political developments in the Republic of Moldova, and there is a “strong current” in favor of supporting the reforms initiated by the current government, including financially.

On the resumption of the macro-financial assistance for Moldova, Johannes Hahn said that its official release also depends on the findings of the recent visit to Chisinau of an IMF mission, but judging by how the visit was covered he was optimistic that the outcome would be favorable for Chisinau.