Source: European Parliament
On 20 October 2024, the people of the Republic of Moldova voted in a referendum on Moldova’s EU path. Despite massive interference and hybrid campaigns by Russia, including blatant vote-buying, they expressed majority support for anchoring their future within the EU.
The Commission took note of the results reflecting diverse opinions among Moldova’s citizens and will keep working closely with the country to build consensus on its path towards EU membership.
Moldova has continued to make progress as recognised by the EU leaders during the European Council in March 2024. However, since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Moldova has been tackling challenges related to slow economic growth, supporting a large number of Ukrainian refugees, inflation, disruption to its energy supplies and cyber-attacks.
For this reason, in October 2024, the President of the Commission announced the Commission’s proposal for a Growth Plan for the Republic of Moldova[1]. Its aim is to support the Moldovan economy with EUR 1.8 billion between 2025 and 2027.
It also provides Moldova with similar financial support to that offered to Western Balkan countries and to Ukraine, reflecting their aspirations to join the EU.
The co-legislators adopted Regulation (EU) 2025/535 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 March 2025 establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Republic of Moldova[2].
The EU condemns the unprecedented malign interference by Russia into Moldova’s elections and will continue supporting Moldova’s resilience and progress on its EU accession path.