The EU pays Moldova another EUR 157 million after 18 reforms were completed

The European Commission has transferred the third tranche from the Growth Plan to the Republic of Moldova after assessing 18 reforms in areas including the economy, the labor market, energy and good governance as completed. With the new payment, the amount made available to the country through the mechanism reaches EUR 661 million out of the total EUR 1.9 billion package for 2025–2027.

The Republic of Moldova is receiving another EUR 157 million from the European Union’s Growth Plan after the European Commission assessed 18 reforms associated with the mechanism as completed. The payment, announced at the tenth EU–Moldova Association Council, is the third tranche of the program and brings the amount made available to the country so far to EUR 661 million.

In brief
The European Commission has transferred a new EUR 157 million tranche from the Growth Plan to the Republic of Moldova.

The payment follows a positive assessment of 18 reforms across all seven areas of the agenda supported by the mechanism.

The total amount made available to Moldova through the Growth Plan thus reaches EUR 661 million.

The program has a total value of EUR 1.9 billion for 2025–2027 and is conditional on the implementation of the agreed reforms.

The funding aims to bring Moldova’s economy closer to the single market and prepare the country for accession to the European Union.

The 18 positively assessed reforms cover all seven components of the Growth Plan. They concern private-sector development, economic resilience, economic governance, social cohesion and the labor market, energy, the green transition and good governance. The mechanism’s structure links the successive release of funding to the completion of stages in the reform agenda, meaning that payments are not granted automatically at the start of the program.

The new tranche represents an actual payment of EUR 157 million, not merely an amount announced for a later stage. The Commission specifies, however, that the total of EUR 661 million represents the amount “made available” to Moldova through the Plan to date, wording that must be distinguished from the full spending of the money by the authorities or final beneficiaries.

The Growth Plan for the Republic of Moldova was proposed by the Commission in October 2024 and covers the period 2025–2027. With a value of EUR 1.9 billion, the package is the largest EU financial support program designed for the country to date and aims simultaneously to finance investment, accelerate reforms and gradually bring Moldova closer to the European single market.

The mechanism operates through the Reform and Growth Facility, meaning that progress on the reform agenda is directly linked to access to funding. In practice, the Commission verifies that the stages and conditions associated with a tranche have been met before authorizing the payment. The 18 reforms confirmed now enabled the third payment to be made.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos presented the new tranche as recognition of the Republic of Moldova’s progress. “Today’s payment is recognition of Moldova’s commitment to reforms and its determination to move forward on its path towards the EU,” she said, adding that European financial support should produce tangible effects for citizens.

The money is part of a broader strategy through which the EU seeks to offer economic benefits before formal accession. The Plan aims to improve Moldova’s access to the single market, develop the private sector, increase competitiveness and strengthen institutions, while the formal accession process advances separately through the negotiations and reforms set out in the enlargement framework.

The new payment comes a few days after European officials highlighted the already visible effects of economic integration. The Republic of Moldova’s participation in SEPA has reduced the cost of euro transfers, while integration into other components of the European market is expanding to telecommunications, energy and financial infrastructure. However, these benefits do not replace the obligations of the accession process or the conditions associated with the Growth Plan.

The Commission says the mechanism is intended to support economic growth and job creation through a combination of funding and structural reforms. The areas assessed now show that the program is not limited to physical investment, as its conditionality also includes the functioning of the administration, economic governance, social policies and the quality of institutions.

The current support adds to the funds granted to the Republic of Moldova in recent years through other European instruments. Between 2021 and 2025, the EU allocated more than EUR 1.2 billion to the country in grants, according to the Commission. The funding included budget support for energy security and the transition to clean energy, measures intended for households affected by rising electricity bills and assistance for reforming the justice sector.

The Commission indicates that approximately 1.2 million households benefited from European measures intended to offset the effects of rising electricity prices. This funding belongs to the support provided during 2021–2025 and should not be confused with the EUR 1.9 billion of the new Growth Plan.

The payment of EUR 157 million thus marks a new stage in implementing the reform-based mechanism. Of the total EUR 1.9 billion package, EUR 661 million has so far been made available to the Republic of Moldova, while access to the next tranches will continue to depend on completing the stages set out in the agenda agreed with the European Union.