The European Union will continue after 2020 to support the Republic of Moldova in the process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The EU offers support to energy efficiency, building thermal insulation, street lighting, technical assistance and energy reform projects. One of the future objectives is to ensure progressive de-carbonization, climate-neutral economy in accordance with the European Green Deal. Ion Guzun, project officer at the EU Delegation to Moldova, spoke about this in the EU Debates Café that was staged by the Institute for European Policies and Reforms under the theme “Promotion of green mobility: electric cars in the Republic of Moldova”, IPN reports.
According to Ion Guzun, another objective of the EU is to ensure the recovery of the post-COVID-19 green economy, develop priority infrastructure from economic viewpoint, with increased effect on the ecological transport networks at the local, regional and national levels. There is the plan to invest in the extended trans-European network for the Eastern Partnership, which includes Moldova.
Andrei Isac, national coordinator of the EU program “EU4Environment”, said the member states of the European Union and the partner countries after 2020 will work on such long-term objectives as responsible institutions, the rule of law and security, environment and climate resilience, digital transformation and resistance, correct and inclusive societies. For the Association Agenda, the short-term priorities within the project are related to the establishment of competitive and efficient economy from the viewpoint of resources, in correlation with the principles of circular economy and development with reduced emissions and with the targets of the European Green Deal. The project “EU4Environment” is financed by EU with €20.5 million for six countries of the Eastern Partnership. This started in January 2019 and will last for four years.
Veronica Lopotenco, national coordinator of the EU program “EU4Climate” that is implemented by UNDP, said the objective of the project is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and to integrate climate resilience in the development policies and plans of the six EaP countries through consolidated climate policies improved by harmonizing the legislation. The energy sector is the sector with the biggest contribution to the greenhouse gas emissions even if the sector’s contribution declined by 15%. In general, Moldova set ambitious targets to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 78% until 2030, with the effort of the state and the state budget, and by 88% by the conditional scenario, with financing from the development partners. The total budget of the project is €8.8 million for 2019-2022.
Simion Berzoi, coordinator of the UDNP project “Green City Lab”, which aims to develop infrastructure for electrical cars, said the initiative was launched in 2018, when there were only ten power points for loading electric cars and all were in Chisinau. There were then 40 electrical cars. Currently, there are two-pin sockets in 17 localities in Moldova. Until this yearend, there will be set up another 33 charging points for electric and hybrid cars. Three electric car charging stations fueled by renewable energy are to be opened by the end of this year as part of the project.
According to Denis Tumuruc, deputy head of the Energy Policy Division of the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, the use of electrical transport helps to achieve the objectives in the field of renewable energy. The Ministry aims to amend particular primary laws that would encourage investors, would free this sector from licensing, would impose the obligation that any newly erected building should have chargers for electric cars etc. and to also allocate resources for encouraging the private sector to invest in charging stations.
