EU to Grant Moldova EUR 50 M of Additional Assistance

The European Union is to boost the financial aid it allocates to Moldova in support of its commitment to reforms, the leader of the bloc's mission to the country said.

Pirkka Tapiola, who represents the EU in Moldova, said a new agreement is to be signed in a short time by Prime Minister Iurie Leanca and EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso after the latter arrived in the capital Chisinau late Wednesday.

Barroso's visit is a gesture of "support ahead of the signing of the Association Agreement of Moldova with the EU on June 27," Tapiola was quoted by public broadcaster BNR as saying.

The EU Commission President is on a regional trip that is set to continue in Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Moldova, however, has been of particular concern for the EU and Brussels has given a new push to integration efforts there in the light of the Ukraine crisis. Apart from the bloc, Romania has also stepped up efforts to accelerate democratic and economic development through financial assistance.

It was decided in May that alongside Chisinau, Tbilisi is also to sign an Association Agreement at the end of this month.