EU Ambassador to Moldova Peter Michalko said the European Union does not see satisfactory progress in the Republic of Moldova in such areas as the justice sector reform, investigation of the bank fraud and the fight against corruption. In this connection, he encourages those who are responsible for taking decisions to do the necessary things so as to change the reality and to achieve the European standards in the functioning of institutions, IPN reports.
In a news conference, Peter Michalko said the cooperation between the EU and Moldova takes place according to the aid conditionality principle. This helps the necessary changes to take place. “In the relationship with Moldova, there are important objectives that are aimed at helping the citizens,” stated the ambassador.
The Association Agreement with the European Union and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement remain the framework for the EU – Moldova relations. Peter Michalko stated that the EU remains committed to promoting reforms and contributing also to modernization and better living standards through infrastructure projects and support for changes in the functioning of institutions. The EU assistance will be offered depending on the pace of reforms.
According to the official, more than 1,000 projects have been implemented the previous years with EU support and over 20 billion lei was invested in projects. Programs to support rural localities and local infrastructure were initiated. The energy efficiency programs are continued. During the next few months, 18 larger projects will center on the improvement of conditions in schools and other national public institutions.
The ambassador also said that the COVID-19 challenge caused new problems in each country. Since the start, the EU came up with the initiative to support the partners, including the Republic of Moldova. The EU institutions, the EU member states, the European companies operating in Moldova, the embassies started to support Moldova and the businesspeople. They also satisfied necessities in the healthcare sector, but also combined forces to revitalize the economy.
