June 3, 2024, Chisinau - Prime Minister Dorin Recean had a meeting with Didier Reynders, the European Commissioner for Justice. The officials spoke about the justice reform, the anti-corruption policies promoted by the authorities and the hybrid challenges facing the Republic of Moldova.

Prime Minister Dorin Recean specified that the justice reform is the most difficult, but also fundamental to achieve progress on all other dimensions. Currently, the authorities are focused on the exercise of evaluating the integrity of judges and prosecutors, fighting corruption and transposing European legislation in the justice segment.

"Our goal is to increase the capacities of all actors in the system, to increase efficiency national courts, to move forward with the optimization of the court map and digitize the processes in the justice sector. Ensuring the rule of law is essential for all citizens, businessmen and to increase the investment attractiveness of the country", said Prime Minister Dorin Recean.

In this context, the European Commissioner for Justice congratulated the authorities for completing the selection procedure of a new general prosecutor and gave assurances regarding his personal and expert support of the European Union in the justice reform process.

The two officials also discussed the need to strengthen the efforts of all European states in the fight against Russian propaganda and influence, especially during election periods.

May 28, 2024, Chisinau – The First Home Plus program will be available to citizens, starting in July 2024, and by then the Government will complete the necessary processes to simplify access procedures. Prime Minister Dorin Recean spoke about the changes made to improve the program, during a press conferences.

"The government launches the program Prima Casa Plus, a targeted state aid, dedicated to families in the Republic of Moldova, through which we build better conditions of home life for all the people of this country. This program is an investment in our future, in the future of young people and families in the Republic of Moldova", said the Prime Minister.

According to the Prime Minister, the list of beneficiaries will be expanded - representatives of free professions, such as lawyers, bailiffs, mediators, taxi drivers, artists and other people who can prove an income. It will also increase the maximum lending ceiling from 1 million to 2.5 million lei, with a rate of 7.63%, and the maximum duration of the loan will be extended from 25 to 30 years.

Another novelty concerns the increase of the credit guarantee quota by the state from 50% to 70%, for homes bought outside the municipality of Chisinau. For homes in the capital, put into operation for up to 10 years until the submission of the application, the share will increase from 50% to 65%.

Those who already participate in the program can benefit from a recredit or change of the lender through the Prima Casa Plus program. At the same time, those who have a home no larger than 50 square meters will be able to submit the file for a larger home.

At the same time, a series of procedures will be simplified, for the benefit of citizens, through digitization processes and the removal of certificates issued by the Public Services Agency. 

May 31, 2024, Chisinau - Prime Minister Dorin Recean had a meeting with representatives of the EU Partnership Mission (EUPM) in the Republic of Moldova, led by Cosmin Dinescu. On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the Mission's activity, the Head of the Executive expressed his gratitude for the contribution to strengthening the crisis management structures in our country and increasing the resilience of national institutions to hybrid threats.

The Prime Minister reiterated that the objective strategic goal of the Republic of Moldova is the accession to the European Union. "The overwhelming majority of our citizens understand that Europe means peace, security and prosperity", emphasized the head of the Cabinet of Ministers.

The EU Partnership Mission is the first civilian mission within the common security and defense policy, established in our country. The mission has an initial mandate of two years, which can be renewed by decision of the member states of the European Union.

May 30, 2024, Brăila – Prime Minister Dorin Recean and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, visited the Brăila power station, Chisinau municipality, one of the locations where the large-scale electricity storage systems will be installed in batteries. The 85 million dollar investment was announced yesterday by the American official and is part of the 300 million dollar support package of the United States for the energy sector of the Republic of Moldova, announced in 2023.

The head The executive appreciated the constant support offered to our country by the American side, noting that a similar amount was allocated last year to help the Government of Chisinau compensate citizens' bills for the consumption of energy resources. According to the prime minister, US aid is not limited to the energy sector, but extends to areas such as economic growth, justice reform, the fight against corruption, the agri-food sector, but also increasing the resilience of state institutions.  

"The Republic of Moldova and the United States are cooperating to deliver what matters most to citizens - peace and well-being. We will continue to implement the essential reforms to ensure a prosperous and secure future for citizens and integrate our country into the European Union, and US support remains essential in achieving these ambitious goals," said Prime Minister Dorin Recean.

For his part, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, reaffirmed the strong support of the United States aimed at helping the Republic of Moldova in developing a more resilient, efficient and sustainable energy sector. "Continued US assistance will support Chisinau authorities in continuing reform efforts. We will help the Republic of Moldova to build a democratic, prosperous and sovereign future", said the US Secretary of State.

Thanks to the US investment, the necessary equipment will be procured and installed to strengthen the national energy network of our country and facilitate increased electricity trade with Romania, Ukraine and the European market. The new large-scale Battery Electric Energy Storage System (BESS) and additional equipment will improve the reliability of Moldova's electricity grids and contribute to the efficient management of energy reserves and demand fluctuations, the integration of renewable energy and scale-up of capacities that the energy needs of consumers are evolving.

The USA has offered our country, since 1992, support exceeding 2.5 billion dollars. Since the outbreak of Russia's war against Ukraine, the United States has granted the Republic of Moldova financial assistance worth 774 million dollars, of which 300 million are intended to overcome the energy crisis and strengthen energy security.

From these funds , $80 million was used to offset natural gas and electricity bills for low-income citizens, and $135 million is allocated to increase domestic power generation and the construction of a 400kV high-voltage line, through the Strășeni (Republic of Moldova) and Gutinaș (Romania) power stations, which will connect Moldova to Romania's electrical grid, thus facilitating integration into the European energy grid.

We note that this is the second visit of the head of American diplomacy to Chisinau, after the one in March 2022.