EC offers Moldova €40m to finance its 2007 National Action Plan

The Government of the Republic of Moldova, represented by Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanyi, and the European Commission (EC), represented by Marcus Cornaro, director for Europe, Southern Mediterranean, Middle East and Neighbourhood Policy Countries, signed on Wednesday four agreements to the total value of €4 million for the purpose of financing Moldova's 2007 National Action Plan, part of the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument. The European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument is designed to replace the Tacis Program. The new instrument is more advanced as it offers improved mechanisms to direct foreign assistance according to national priorities, reducing costs and disbursal times, authorities assert. Premier Zinaida Greceanyi has said that the offered funds come to consolidate the progress of Moldova in conducting reforms under the Moldova-EU Action Plan. “These reforms are implemented not for the sake of reforms, but to change things for the better. Their necessity is acknowledged not just by the government, but by the entire society and it is important that our development partners are supporting us not just morally, but materially, too.”, stated the Premier. Marcus Cornaro labeled the relationship between the EC and the Republic of Moldova as a privileged one. He believes that the setting up by the Moldovan Government of a national committee for strategical planning and foreign assistance, as well as the activity of the European Commission's Delegation in high gear, will intensify the dialogue among Moldova and the EU and will allow for the offered funds to be used effectively in support to Moldova's European aspiration. One of the four agreements, worth €21million, provides for assistance to the Sectoral Budget Support Program. The money will go to implement reforms to improve social assistance, public procurement, and public finances management. €5 million will be disbursed upon signing the agreement and the rest in two equal installments at the end of this year and at the beginning of the next year. The second agreement grants assistance worth €11 million for the Border Control and Surveillance Improvement Program (complementary to EUBAM). Among other, the agreement provides for the setting up of data collection systems and databases, infrastructure for personnel training, endowment with control equipment. The third agreement valued at €2 million is meant to offer assistance to the Transnistria's Civil Society Support Program. The program will employ the small grants mechanism to finance the forging of partnerships among nongovernmental institutions on both banks of the Nistru river. It is also expected that this program will improve the access to information of the persons living in the Transnistrian region. The final agreement, worth €6 million, will support twinning and technical assistance, meaning exchanges of practices and experiences in formulating and implementing policies with similar institutions from the EU. Also on Wednesday, it was signed the Addendum to the Financing Agreement for the 2005 Tacis Action Program. €12.5 million will be directed to investment projects, and €8 million to infrastructure projects – water supply, irrigation, road revamping, etc. Marcus Cornaro went on to add that Moldova alongside Ukraine and Morocco, countries which have shown the best performances in implementing the Neighborhood Program, will share a prize worth €50 million awarded by the European Commission for good governance scores. Moldova will get a share of €16.5 million .