October 21 (SeeNews) - The European Commission said it has approved the disbursement of 14.35 million euro ($15.9 million) in budget support assistance to help Moldova's new government deliver on reforms it has undertaken.
This assistance will support police reform, the fight against corruption and anti-money laundering, the modernization of the energy sector and a more efficient and transparent public finance policy, the EU's executive body said in a press release on Friday.
"Today's assistance package demonstrates the EU's commitment to the Moldovan citizens, who have long demanded that such reforms are put in place. The Moldovan authorities are intensifying their work to combat corruption in an effective way and to guarantee the independence of the judiciary and prosecution services," Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said.
"This is vital for public trust and needs to move forward at full speed. The Moldovan people can count on the EU's full support to accompany the process," Hahn added.
This new disbursement follows the budget support payments made in July 2019 worth 14.54 million euro, the recently announced first installment of Macro-Financial Assistance of 30 million euro, and the EU-Moldova Association Council at the end of September.
The Commission resumed its budget support payments to Moldova in July this year, following a pause of due to a deterioration of the rule of law situation in the country. Following the change of government in June 2019, the Moldovan authorities have engaged in a significant and substantial structural reform process, which has provided the necessary conditions for the EU to resume its budget support and macro-financial assistance to Moldova, the Commission added.
The European Commission and the European External Action Service stressed they will continue to monitor closely the political situation and assess the fulfillment of the conditions ahead of any future budget support payments.
($=0.8986 euro)