Maia Sandu pleads in Brussels for funds allocated in the future EU budget: Moldova and Ukraine need a Marshall Plan

The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, who is on an official visit to Brussels on Monday, delivered a speech at the opening of the annual Conference on the European Union budget, in which she pleaded for a Marshall Plan for her country and for neighboring Ukraine, showing that both have to suffer from the war of Moscow.

Maia Sandu emphasized that Ukraine is facing Russian military aggression, while the Republic of Moldova is subject to hybrid war on the part of Russia. Both countries need a Marshall Plan for the 21st century from the European Union, said Maia Sandu, the head of the Moldovan state urging the allocation of financial resources for her country – which is a candidate for EU accession – in the next budget of the EU bloc, reports NewsMaker, quoted by News.ro.

In the beginning of her speech, Maia Sandu declared that the European heart “beats stronger than ever” in Moldova, once the country prepares to join the EU. “For us, EU membership means protecting the values ​​that we consider important and that we do not take for granted. These values ​​are under attack in our region and, as we think about the EU budget, it is time to start thinking about a serious investment to ensure that peace is restored, that peace prevails over conflict”, said Maia Sandu.

The president from Chisinau explained to the European officials, gathered in the European Commission hall to discuss the future EU budget, that although the Republic of Moldova is not militarily attacked by the Russian Federation, just like Ukraine, it is subject to a hybrid war, in which the field battle is “everywhere”: economy, informational space and energy sources. Thus, Maia Sandu argued why Moldova needs financial support from the EU.

Maia Sandu emphasized that the EU budget must not be just a financial document, but a “budget for peace”.

The President of the Republic of Moldova mentioned that the expansion of the European Union is “the key to security”. Maia Sandu added that a well-planned budget, which supports enlargement, is essential for the EU to be more united and more secure in an “increasingly complex” global landscape.

“If the European Union is seriously thinking about the enlargement agenda, this must be reflected in its budget planning. Supporting candidate countries like Moldova means prioritizing investments in those areas that strengthen economies, but also entire societies – investments in governance, in anti-corruption measures, in judicial reforms and, very importantly, in security infrastructure”, said Maia Sandu.

The head of state said that “just as Western Europe received an economic lifeline after the Second World War through the American Marshall Plan, Moldova and Ukraine need an equivalent of this plan for the 21st century from the EU”.

“The Marshall Plan was designed to show an exhausted continent that democracy and capitalism were a better way forward than anything offered by communism. Today’s modern version will also have to offer similar hope to those of us working towards EU membership,” she told European officials.

Also, Maia Sandu stated that “more speed and adjustments” are needed in the way the budget is spent. “A standard delay of a few months in the implementation of a project can make the difference between a winter with or without electricity in Eastern Europe. (…) We cannot continue to use the same slow procedures if we want Europe to count. That’s why the next EU budget must be a budget that looks beyond the horizon, that anticipates challenges and offers innovative solutions”, President Sandu pointed out.

She warned that a Russian victory would also affect the Europeans. “If we fail, the repercussions will be felt here, in Brussels, and in any other European capital. Help us show Moldovans, who have been living in hope for 30 years, that the European Union offers not only a prospect for a better future, but also the better present they deserve – a decent, free and dignified life”, pleaded the Moldovan head of state before the European officials. “The decisions you will take will resonate beyond the halls of this conference and even beyond the current borders of the EU, influencing the geopolitical landscape of our continent and the lives of millions of people who believe in the promise of a united Europe. Investing in peace through the EU budget is ultimately an investment in the prosperity of all European nations. A peaceful Europe is a prosperous Europe, where companies can prosper, economies can grow, and societies can flourish without the risk of war”, concluded Maia Sandu.

Editor: Liviu Cojan

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