EIB suggests giving Moldova 150-170 mln euro in 2023 - EIB vice-president

CHISINAU. Nov 23 (Interfax) - The European Investment Bank (EIB) plans to give Moldova loans, grants and technical assistance worth in total some 150-170 million euro in 2023, the bank's press service said on Monday following the attendance by EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwinska of the third ministerial conference of the Moldova Support Platform in Paris.

According to the report, the EIB sent to Moldova almost 280 million euro in loans and raised some 16 million euro in grants for the state and private sectors in 2022.

"Next year, our priority will be investments in the energy and transport sectors [...] We also plan to support healthcare projects that aim to ensure access to high-quality medical services," Czerwinska said.

The financing will cover a broad range of projects aimed at increasing energy efficiency and mitigating the consequences of climate change in accordance with the European Green Deal initiative in the region, meeting the country's needs in the sphere of healthcare and digitalization, and also investment in Moldova's agroindustrial sector.

"To date, the EU contributed non-reimbursable funds of 64 million euro to joined EU-EIB initiatives. For the future, the EU already announced 250 million euro, of which 50 million euro is assisting the Country's budgetary needs to overcome this winter period. Furthermore, the European Union is committed to support Moldova in connecting its transport infrastructure to the TEN-T. In the immediate future the EU will provide 20 million euros grant for the rehabilitation of railways, will facilitate Moldova's participation in the Transport Community Treaty and will assist the country to develop its national mobility strategy," EU Ambassador to Moldova Janis Mazeiks said.