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TOGETHER IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19
EU RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC’S CHALLENGES

#StrongerTogether #TeamEurope #EU4Moldova

Team Europe to fight against COVID-19

The EU reacted fast and responded to the urgent needs of countries in the Eastern Partnership when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. As part of Team Europe, the EU has mobilized an ambitious support package totaling over €1 billion to help address immediate needs, strengthen healthcare resilience, and support the social and economic recovery of the six EaP countries.

As part of this, Moldova has access to a wide range of regional support programmes, as well as a tailor-made, bilateral COVID-19 response package for Moldova, worth over €127 million in grants. This package is being mobilized using a combination of existing and new funds to deliver concrete support to the people of Moldova.

SUPPORT FOR EMERGENCY NEEDS (MARCH-MAY 2020):

  • More than 55.000 respiratory masks, gloves, goggles, gowns, as well as, 20 germicidal ultraviolet lamps, 3.000 litres of sanitizer have been delivered to the districts of Ungheni and Cahul
  • The EU Border Assistance mission between Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) has delivered 1.500 face masks, 1,2 tonnes of disinfectant gel and digital thermometers for instant fever detection of travellers to the Moldovan Border Police, helping to promote safe travel.
  • Children have been treated for COVID-19 in four hospitals on the right bank of the Nistru River, and one medical institution on the left bank of the river has received toys with support from the ‘EU Confidence Building Measures’ programme.

When it comes to vaccines, the EU has continued to deliver on its promises of support and solidarity for Moldova. Moldova was the first European country to benefit from the COVAX Facility and the EU vaccinesharing mechanism. Overall, the EU has so far (June 2021) supported the delivery of more than 900,000 doses of vaccines to Moldova through COVAX or via donations by the EU Member States under the vaccine-sharing mechanism. The EU also supports the rollout of the vaccine through bilateral and regional programmes.

SUPPORT FOR HEALTHCARE RESILIENCE:

  • A €15 million budget support resilience contract was adopted in December 2020 to help Moldova cope with the pandemic and boost the long-term resilience of the healthcare system.
  • An Energy Efficiency programme, totalling over €50 million of grants and preferential loans, promoting energy efficiency in public buildings, with a focus on hospital renovations, was launched together with the EIB and EBRD.
  • A €5 million programme with the WHO launched in January 2021 to provide additional equipment for the healthcare system and support the roll-out of the vaccine.

SUPPORT FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND VULNERABLE GROUPS:

  • More than 80.000 pieces of personal protective equipment (notably masks, gloves and visor masks for people with hearing impairments) delivered to people with disabilities and care staff of 6 institutions in the rayons of Hincesti, Orhei, Dubasari, Edinet, Soroca and Balti municipality.
  • Emergency grants have been made available to support vulnerable citizens and the elderly, and to fund protective equipment for social workers.
  • A call for proposals for support to social services, economic development and vulnerable groups affected by the pandemic was launched under the EU Civil Society Facility.
  • A new ICT Innovation Centre in Cahul for innovative SMEs and a seed-fund for innovative companies in Moldova is being set up.
  • The EU and Polish Aid allocated €800,000 to Local Action Groups (LAGs) to finance rural entrepreneurs, small infrastructure interventions, promote local values and overcome crisis situations in the context of the pandemic.
  • A Virtual Entrepreneur Academy supporting SMEs in rural areas has been launched
  • €21.4 million of unspent funds have been mobilized under the ongoing budget support programme for police reform to combat COVID-19 in the law enforcement sector being set up

Member States such as Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Germany have also provided PPE, lifesaving critical medical equipment, and other supplies bilaterally or through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The total value of the EU Member State countries (August 2021) is over €20 million.   

In addition to the COVID-19 response package, an emergency COVID-19 macro-financial assistance programme for Moldova, worth €100 million in loans on highly favorable terms, was adopted in April 2020. The first instalment of €50 million was disbursed in November 2020. The second tranche is set to be disbursed in 2021, if the relevant conditions are met.

However, now, with the vaccination strated, people get more and more focused on the social and economic recovery long awaited by the countries. That is why Team Europe aim to broaden its umbrella behind the response to Covid-19 and ensure a long-term visibility as a global leader, including in key areas such as green agenda, business development, human rights, diversity, democracy and rule of law. 

Additionally, the European Commission announced the Economic Recovery Plan for the Republic of Moldova valuing 600 million EUR over the next three years to promote investments and to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic for the citizens. The assistance package is conditional to implementation of key reforms, especially in the justice and anti-corruption sector.

“EU response to COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Moldova” Online Communication Campaign

In the context of the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova launched the online communication campaign “EU Response to COVID-19”, designed to reflect the EU’s and its Member States efforts to support the measures in addressing the immediate needs of the health system and front line personnel in their fight against the pandemic, as well as mitigating  the short and long-term consequences of the impact of the pandemic on the social and economic sectors.

The online communication campaign reached over 700,000 people and ensured active engagement of almost 300,000 people through social media platform of the EU Delegation and national and local online portals. The online EU Talks event on the “EU response to Covid-19 crisis in the Republic of Moldova: How EU helps civil society in Moldova” has been followed by more than 20,000 people inside and outside the country.  In parallel, the key messages of the campaign, #TeamEurope and #SolidarityForHealth, have been intensively utilised by the EU Ambassador and the Ambassadors of the EU Member States in their public communication during events and interviews including Europe Day 2020 dedicated activities. 

In order to show-case EU and its Member States support and solidarity with the citizens of the Republic of Moldova during these challenging times, an online concert to celebrate Europe Day called “Europe at your home” was performed by the Moldovan National Youth Orchestra and La La Play Voices children’s choir, with the participation of 200 professional musicians and children from the Republic of Moldova and the European Union. The concert was a compilation of 27 songs representing each Member State of the European Union finalised with the “Ode of Jo”,. Over 260 000 people watched the concert through online platforms and TV channels.

In the context of the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova launched the online communication campaign “EU Response to COVID-19”, designed to reflect the EU’s and its Member States efforts to support the measures in addressing the immediate needs of the health system and front line personnel in their fight against the pandemic, as well as mitigating the short and long-term consequences of the impact of the pandemic on the social and economic sectors.

The online communication campaign reached over 700,000 people and ensured active engagement of almost 300,000 people through social media platform of the EU Delegation and national and local online portals. The online EU Talks event on the “EU response to Covid-19 crisis in the Republic of Moldova: How EU helps civil society in Moldova” has been followed by more than 20,000 people inside and outside the country. In parallel, the key messages of the campaign, #TeamEurope and #SolidarityForHealth, have been intensively utilised by the EU Ambassador and the Ambassadors of the EU Member States in their public communication during events and interviews including Europe Day 2020 dedicated activities.

In order to show-case EU and its Member States support and solidarity with the citizens of the Republic of Moldova during these challenging times, an online concert to celebrate Europe Day called “Europe at your home” was performed by the Moldovan National Youth Orchestra and La La Play Voices children’s choir, with the participation of 200 professional musicians and children from the Republic of Moldova and the European Union. The concert was a compilation of 27 songs representing each Member State of the European Union finalised with the “Ode of Joy”. Over 260 000 people watched the concert through online platforms and TV channels.