The EU threatens that, if the pro-Europeans do not win the elections, the Republic of Moldova will no longer get any financial support, writes the Russian press, interpreting a statement by the Romanian MEP, Siegfried Mureșan.
NEWS: In the fall of 2025, parliamentary elections are to be held in Moldova. All 101 MPs will be elected according to the proportional representation system (vote for political parties) for a 4-year term. However, the West, always ready to teach "democracy" to everyone, cannot just wait and watch the moment when the citizens of Moldova get to express their will.
The European Union will stop providing financial aid to Chisinau if, after the parliamentary elections, no pro-European parties will come to power. The Romanian Siegfried Mureșan, a member of the European Parliament since 2014, stated this in a show on Pro TV.
"This money is for the citizens of Moldova. We want it to reach the people of Moldova as quickly as possible, and there are clear rules for this. As long as there is a pro-European government in Chisinau that respects the rules, the money will reach Moldova, just like before. But if the government in Chisinau is one that no longer observes the rules and obligations, the EU will not be able to provide this support, even if it wanted to", said Mureșan.
The member of the National Liberal Party of Romania, which is part of the European People's Party (the largest political force in the European Parliament), didn’t even blink when making such an outrageous statement. Moreover, in the West, his words were received with understanding. If any Russian politician had said something similar, he would have been immediately accused of meddling in the affairs of another state. So, in the EU nobody is even pretending any more that Moldova is not subject to blackmail.
It should be noted that the simple citizens of Moldova will lose absolutely nothing from the lack of these "gifts" from the EU, because this money does not go to them, it goes to the politicians who promote European interests. For Moldova, it is much more advantageous to trade with Russia, because this would really contribute to filling the state budget and raising the standard of living of the population. The West understands this perfectly well and knows that the overwhelming majority of the Moldovan population does not support the European integration processes, which is why they are rushing to intervene.
NARRATIVES: 1. The EU is blackmailing the Republic of Moldova and forces it to have a European government. 2. The EU financial assistance is not for citizens, but for rulers loyal to Brussels. 3. Trade relations with Russia are more beneficial for the Moldovan economy than those with the EU. 4. The majority of Moldovan citizens are against European integration.
PURPOSE: To discredit the electoral process in the Republic of Moldova, suggesting that the European Union turns a blind eye to fraud in order to keep pro-European forces in power; to fuel the idea that the European Union is blackmailing Moldova, conditioning financial support on the presence of pro-European governments, and not on the observance of democratic rules; to present the European Union as not interested in the well-being of Moldovan citizens, implying that European funds are directed only to politicians loyal to Brussels; to promote the idea that the economic relationship with Russia is more advantageous than the one with the EU, ignoring the embargoes and restrictions imposed by Moscow on Moldovan products and the more than relevant share of foreign trade with the EU; to create the impression that the majority of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova do not want to join the EU, minimizing the results of polls and referendums that indicate a majority support for European integration.
LOCAL CONTEXT/ETHOS: The Republic of Moldova is in the process of joining the European Union, which gained momentum in 2022 when, in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it submitted its application for membership, at the same time as Ukraine and Georgia. In the summer of 2024, accession negotiations were opened. On October 20, 2024, a referendum on European integration was held, which narrowly passed, and later provisions to this effect were introduced in the Constitution. However, some compact areas such as the Gagauz Autonomous Region, as well as certain population categories such as Russian-speaking minorities, vulnerable to Russian propaganda, oppose European integration. This option is also promoted by some pro-Russian political parties, primarily the political groups controlled by the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, but, even if less openly, also by the Party of Socialists, led by the former pro-Moscow president, Igor Dodon.
In parallel, the Russian press, as well as the one affiliated with the pro-Russians in Chisinau, intensively distributes a series of narratives directed against the European Union and the Western world in general, against the current pro-European government in Chisinau, to justify Moscow's actions, including the war, and boost Euroscepticism among the population.
The European Union is the biggest external financial supporter of the Republic of Moldova, and in the fall of 2024 it announced the largest support package for Moldova, worth 1.8 billion Euro , which last week was increased to 1.9 billion, and the conditions for granting it were also improved.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: MEP Siegfried Muresan did not say that the financial assistance of the European Union (EU) depended on the presence of pro-European governments in the Republic of Moldova. In reality, Mureșan emphasized the importance of complying with the rules and commitments assumed by the Chisinau authorities in order for the financial assistance to be granted. He stated that as long as there was a government that followed the rules, the funds would continue to be allocated. This indicates that the emphasis is on compliance with the rules and not on the political orientation of the government. So, the EU is not blackmailing the Republic of Moldova: it is Chisinau's decision if it needs European money, observing its commitments in return.
Contrary to the statement that EU funds do not reach the citizens, there are numerous programs financed by the EU that directly aim to improve the living conditions of the population of the Republic of Moldova. Among the projects targeted in the €1.9 billion aid package are transport infrastructure, such as the Chisinau ring road and cross-border bridges over the Prut River, as well as improvements in health and education, with the construction of two modern hospitals in Balti and Cahul, we well as new schools and kindergartens. The support will also include the development of rail connections and the expansion of the energy network, as well as the financing of businesses and the creation of new jobs.
On January 31, the government of the Republic of Moldova and the European Union signed a non-reimbursable funding agreement in the amount of 64 million Euro , part of the money being allocated for the indexation of the increase in electricity tariffs in the context of the economic crisis.
Other financial aid packages for the Republic of Moldova, worth billions of Euros have been granted to the country over the years both for budgetary support and for projects in infrastructure, renewable energy and business development, which have benefited the citizens of the Republic of Moldova.
The statement that the economic relationship with Russia would be more advantageous for the Republic of Moldova does not take into account the repeated embargoes imposed by Russia on Moldovan products. These embargoes negatively affected the country's economy and led to the reorientation of exports to other markets. Starting from 2014 and until 2023, Moldovan exports to the EU increased more than twice – from 1.24 billion dollars to 2.4 billion in 2024, when they came to represent over two thirds of Moldovan exports. On the other hand, exports to Russia gradually decreased over the years and reached $117.7 million in 2024, i.e. 3.3%
On October 20, 2024, a constitutional referendum was organized in the Republic of Moldova, following which the preamble of the Constitution was completed with two new paragraphs, to reconfirm the European identity of the people of the Republic of Moldova and the irreversibility of the European path, as well as to declare European integration as the country's strategic goal. Despite an extensive disinformation and manipulation campaign launched by Russia , the referendum passed, albeit narrowly, proving that the majority of the population of the Republic of Moldova wants the European integration of the country.
