The EU stands by the Republic of Moldova in these difficult times, declared Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi after the European Commission yesterday disbursed €75 million in budget support to Moldova.

The European Commission said in a press release that purpose of this assistance package is to support Moldova to cope with the multiple repercussions in the energy sector of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

In particular, it will help mitigate the socio-economic consequences of the high energy prices on the most vulnerable citizens and alleviate the economic strain resulted from hosting and supporting refugees. It will also help building the long-term socio-economic recovery, energy security and energy transition of the Republic of Moldova.

”The EU stands by the Republic of Moldova in these difficult times. We continue to provide support to help the country deal with the severe impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine, notably in the field of energy security. European solidarity with the Republic of Moldova is unwavering”, declared Commissioner Várhelyi.

Yesterday’s disbursement follows also the recent disbursement of €50 million in macro-financial assistance to the Republic of Moldova, of which €35 million in long-term loans on concessional terms and €15 million in grants. This is the first disbursement under the new Macro-Financial Assistance for Moldova worth €150 million, which entered into force on 18 July 2022 and is available for two and a half years.

Earlier, Moldova received another assistance package of €60 million from the EU, adopted in December 2021. The European Union’s total budget support to the energy sector in Moldova amounts to €135 million.