A delegation of Development Committee MEPs, who made a three-day visit to the Republic of Moldova, call for a focus on the medium- and long-term needs of the country.
The six-member delegation, led by Mónica Silvana González (S&D, ES), the committee’s Standing Rapporteur for Humanitarian Aid, travelled to the Republic of Moldova to assess the situation of refugees arriving and staying in the country following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
They held meetings with the EU Delegation to Moldova, representatives of EU member states and local NGOs. They also met Moldovan authorities, including the General Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Serghei Diaconu, the Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament, Igor Grosu and other key parliamentarians. Since the start of the war, Moldova has welcomed nearly 500,000 people coming from Ukraine, of which 90,000 have remained in the country.
Members visited the temporary accommodation centre established at the MoldExpo centre in Chișinău, where they met with representatives from national bodies as well as the UNHCR, UNICEF, and NGO partners. They discussed with them the rapid and well-organised response to the sudden inflow of refugees. MEPs also travelled to the Palanca border crossing point, meeting with border authorities and representatives of the international organisations and NGOs who work closely with the Moldovan authorities and volunteers to provide immediate assistance to refugees crossing the border.
Speaking at the conclusion of the visit, Mónica Silvana González said: “Since 24 February Moldova has shown admirable generosity to, and solidarity with, Ukrainian refugees. During our visit, we witnessed first-hand the work of the government and local civil society, which have mobilised quickly to meet the needs of refugees. We have also seen the excellent coordination with UN agencies and NGOs involved in the response. We welcome the humanitarian assistance provided by the EU while noting that we need to consider the medium- and longer-term needs. The EU needs to support capacity-building for local actors and the Moldovan government to encourage stability and sustainable development in the country.”
Members of the delegation
Mónica Silvana GONZÁLEZ (S&D, ES), Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ (EPP, LT), Frances FITZGERALD (EPP, IE), Karsten LUCKE (S&D, DE), Stéphane BIJOUX (Renew, FR), Gianna GANCIA (ID, IT).
This visit follows an April 2022 visit of MEPs from the Committee on Foreign Affairs to the Republic of Moldova, and an address by Moldovan President Maia Sandu to the European Parliament plenary in May.
