This Monday, 45 international delegations representing the European Union, the United States as well as international organizations and international financial institutions will try to help Moldova. Paris will therefore host an international conference of support for this neighboring country of Ukraine with the immediate objective of providing it with emergency aid to get through the winter while accompanying it on the way to joining the EU. EU.
Moldova, a country of 2.6 million inhabitants which has been a candidate since the end of June for entry into the EU, is bearing the full brunt of the consequences of the war, particularly in terms of energy, while the Russian company Gazprom has reduced by half its gas exports to Chisinau. The “International Platform of Support for Moldova” was launched on the initiative of Germany, France and Romania. Two editions have already taken place, the first in Berlin in March, the second in Bucharest in July.
A country that cannot store gas
This third meeting is of particular importance with the onset of winter and “Russian gas blackmail”, summarizes a French diplomatic source. In addition to the lack of Russian gas supplies, Moldova is facing power cuts linked to strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Additionally, it has no gas storage capabilities.
Moldavian Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu has assessed the need for additional financing at 1.1 billion euros to cover the country’s additional energy costs this winter. His government has turned to Romania to buy cheap gas, but the country remains extremely vulnerable. In addition, the “country is threatened militarily” with the presence of Russian soldiers on Moldovan territory, in the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria.
And from an economic point of view, Moldova had to take in many Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. “Some have left but Moldova still has around 80,000 Ukrainian refugees” who need help, according to Nicu Popescu.
Membership of the EU that “will take time”
The conference, which will take place under the aegis of French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and her German counterparts Annalena Baerbock and Romanian Bogdan Aurescu, will be closed by Emmanuel Macron and Moldovan President Maia Sandu. New financial commitments should be made there after the approximately 600 million euros announced during previous editions.
In the longer term, Paris will have in mind to place Moldova on the path of reforms and bringing it up to European standards with a view to its accession to the EU, which “will take time”, warns the diplomatic source. The French president will address security issues bilaterally with Maia Sandu.