On Tuesday, September 28, the European Union disbursed to Moldova the 36.4 million euros promised as direct support to the state budget. The announcement was made during the official meeting in Brussels of Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița with Oliver Varhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement.

The two officials discussed the priorities of Chișinău authorities and the promotion of the European agenda of Moldova. The Prime Minister spoke about justice reforms, economic recovery and improving the business climate, pandemic crisis management, and immunization of the population, but also about strengthening state institutions.

Natalia Gavrilița appreciated the support offered to Moldova through European assistance programs in various fields and stressed that European assistance is essential for the implementation of internal reforms and ensuring macro-financial stability. In this way, Gavrilița expressed thanks for the approval of the economic recovery plan for Moldova, worth 600 million euros.

“We are open to bringing the Moldova-EU relationship to a higher level. We look forward to the Association Council meeting, where a new Association Agenda with the EU will be adopted. We want to include security, justice, and energy issues in the political dialogue. We count on the identification of concrete support projects by the General Directorate for Neighborhood and Negotiations for Enlargement of the European Commission,” said Natalia Gavrilița.

The two officials also reviewed the topics related to the development of rural business and local infrastructure in order to create as many jobs as possible in the country.

“We intend to propose a pilot project in Moldova to modernize the economy in rural areas throughout the country, by developing the food and agricultural industry, creating well-paid jobs, and ensuring that villages develop and the citizens no longer leave the country,” mentioned Commissioner Varhelyi.

Later, Natalia Gavrilița invited Oliver Varhelyi to visit Moldova.