The European Union will offer the Republic of Moldova financial support for overcoming the current energy crisis, Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureșan assured, saying the difficulties experienced by the Moldovan authorities at present show that the policy pursued by Moscow and that pursued by the EU are different. According to the official, until 2027, 50% of the funds allocated by the EU to Moldova can be redirected to large infrastructure projects so as to ensure the country’s energy independence, IPN reports.
MEP Siegfried Mureșan said the Republic of Moldova can bank on the EU’s assistance in overcoming the natural gas crisis. The European community is considering the possibility of allocating funds for easing the eventual financial burden on the people.
“The prices are high for the whole European Union. Consumers and enterprises are affected all over Europe. As regards the Republic of Moldova, I’m sure that the European Union will come with financial support in the form of macrofinancial assistance in the immediate period. Of the €600 million announced for economic development, a significant part should go to increase the energy independence and to modify the energy infrastructure so as to secure this independence,” Siegfried Mureșan stated in the talk show “Expertise Hour” on JurnalTV channel.
Mureșan said Romania will not leave the Republic of Moldova to cope with the difficulties alone and will identify solutions for supplying gas to it through the Iasi-Chisinau gas pipeline immediately after the political crisis in Romania is over.
“I’m sure that Romania will supply as much as it can. We can see again that the Russian Federation does not help the Republic of Moldova, but it can do this. We can see again who is the friend of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova and who wants to increase the own economic influence at the expense of the people ahead of winter. The same crisis should lead to the acceleration of the energy interconnection of the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, first of all through Romania. I mean gas and electricity interconnection. We asked that 50% of the funds allocated to the Republic of Moldova for 2021-2027 should go to large infrastructure projects,” stated Siegfried Mureșan.
A state of emergency was declared in Moldova for a 30-day period. This implies the simplification of the procurement of natural gas, allocation of funds for purchasing the necessary volumes of gas from alternative sources and rationalization of natural gas and electricity consumption, if need be.
