The European Union will offer Moldova the second installment of the macro-financial assistance, 50 million euros, when all the conditions agreed between the two parties are met, says Peter Michalko, the outgoing head of the EU Delegation to Moldova. The diplomat expressed his hope that the current government will succeed in improving the lives of citizens and bringing Moldova closer to European standards and values. The European Union will support the new government in this endeavor.
Peter Michalko noted that through massive popular vote offered during the presidential and early parliamentary elections, Moldovans expressed their support for the Action and Solidarity Party, a party which now has the mission to implement the Association Agreement.
“We see that the level of confidence of the people in this party is very high. We hope that the governing program of this party will be implemented. It is a feasible program and there is support from development partners, including the European Union. It is a government program based on the provisions of the Association Agreement and we are convinced that its implementation will improve the lives of citizens”, said Peter Michalko during a talk-show on RTR Moldova.
The EU ambassador says that injustice and corruption remain the biggest challenges facing Moldova, and the proposed vetting process can be a first step towards cleaning up the system.
“The intention of evaluating prosecutors and judges makes sense – their work has to be monitored. And external partners can support such an initiative. Such measures are taken in countries where corruption has become systemic and it is almost impossible for the system to be cleaned relying on internal efforts alone. External intervention is needed”.
The diplomat says that the European Union is ready to provide financial assistance to Moldova, but only conditionally. Brussels is waiting for the conditions assumed by Chisinau to be met to unblock the second installment of the promised macro-financial assistance.
“Moldova is receiving financial assistance from the European Union to deal with the pandemic, 50 million euros were granted last fall. For the second installment, several conditions have to be met. They involve some technical aspects, such as the approval of the Customs Code. By the way, the draft Customs Code has been waiting approval since last year, I do not understand the logic of delaying its adoption. Another condition is the updating of the strategy for recovering the assets stolen from the banking system. There is also a provision aimed at combating smuggling. In total, there are 6 conditions that the European Union has agreed with the Moldova for disbursing the money”, added Peter Michalko.
Peter Michalko is concluding his mission head of the EU Delegation to Moldova in late August. The diplomat is to take over as EU ambassador to Azerbaijan.
