More than 100 Members of the European Parliament voted against granting financial assistance of €1.9 billion to the Republic of Moldova. However, the majority of MEPs, 499 out of 660, supported this measure, emphasizing support for Moldova's economy, writes Europa Libera, IPN reports.
Among those who voted against the aid is a Romanian, Luis-Vicentiu Lazarus, from Diana Sosoaca's party, and the Slovak friend of Igor Dodon, Ľuboš Blaha, the cited source specifies.
Speaking to journalists after the vote, Romanian MEP Siegfried Muresan, the chief negotiator for the aid granted to Chisinau, said that the "yes" vote sent "a strong signal."
"All pro-European forces were united and voted in favor, Putin's friends voted against. They are isolated, they are a minority, and they cannot prevent us from helping neighboring countries and candidate states for accession," said Muresan.
Siegfried Muresan, along with other European officials, including European Council President Antonio Costa, expressed confidence that the first €300 million of the aid will be available by the end of April. The rest of the money will reach Chisinau after Moldovan authorities present the European Commission with a concrete plan on how they will spend the funds to boost the country's economic growth.
Europa Libera writes that practically all deputies from the Patriots for Europe group, the third-largest force in the European Parliament, which brings together several far-right parties, voted against the aid for Moldova. According to the voting results, Hungarians rather abstained from voting, unlike their far-right colleagues from countries like France, Italy, Germany, or the Netherlands, who voted against.
MEPs from the Europe of Sovereign Nations group, which includes Alternative for Germany (AfD) from Germany, also voted against, alongside "independent" deputies, who generally hold extremist and pro-Russian views.
Julien Sanchez (Patriots for Europe, France) said in front of a nearly empty hall at that moment: "We are against this aid and oppose Moldova becoming an EU member, as well as the states from the Balkans and Ukraine, because they cannot become contributors to the EU budget, they will only deepen the EU catastrophe."
In turn, German MEP Alexander Sell (AfD, Germany) called the Republic of Moldova's economic growth plan "a waste," which would be against the interests of European taxpayers. He said that his group, Europe of Sovereign Nations, votes against the aid because Moldova is a corrupt country, and the €1.9 billion will end up "in the pockets of oligarchs."
