‘Strong support goes hand in hand with reforms’ – President of the European Council visits Moldova
March 1, 2021

‘Strong support goes hand in hand with reforms’ – President of the European Council visits Moldova


The EU supports President Sandu’s strong focus on reforms, strengthening the rule of law and tackling corruption, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said during his visit to the Republic of Moldova on 28 February. The visit is part of a tour to the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine from 28 February to 3 March.

At the press conference with President Maia Sandu in Chisinau, Charles Michel highlighted two messages to Sandu and to the people of Moldova:

“First, the EU is a reliable partner for Moldova. We are the biggest trading partner and market for Moldovan exports. During the last ten years, we have provided over one billion euros in grants. And more than one thousand projects have been implemented in the entire country. And the European Investment Bank offers to finance important projects in the energy sector and for SMEs,” said Michel.

He reiterated that the EU has mobilised 108 million to deliver protective equipment, to strengthen the healthcare system, and to support socio-economic recovery. Moldova has already benefitted from 50 million of EU emergency macro-financial assistance and another 50 million will come in a second tranche, once mutually agreed conditions have been fulfilled.

“My second point: our strong support goes hand in hand with the implementation of reforms,” said President Michel. He stressed that EU support is linked to strict conditionality on the rule of law and democratic standards: Your patient efforts to address the lack of independence of the judiciary and prosecution, and to move forward on investigating banking fraud and fighting corruption are crucial to avoid a spiral of stagnation. That’s why those who have been implicated in activities outside the rule of law should have no say in Moldova’s future.

Charles Michel said the EU was now focused on speeding up vaccinations. The day before his visit, on 27 February, a first consignment of 21,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccines was delivered to Moldova from Romania to support the country’s response to the pandemic. More vaccines are expected to arrive in the next few days.

This delivery follows Moldova’s request for vaccines through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, through which the country has already received 8 million items (surgical masks, FFP3 masks, protective suits and gloves) offered by Romania, 55 ventilators and 405,000 items of surgical masks, protective gloves and protective suits sent by Czechia, almost 57,000 items of protective face shields and disinfectant liquid made available by Poland, and more than 6,000 items of examination gloves, hand disinfectant and blankets offered by Austria.

Find out more

Press release

EU signs €15 million COVID-19 Resilience Contract with Moldova



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