On April 8, the Ministry of Energy hosted the quarterly meeting of the Coordination Council for the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding with the French Development Agency (AFD), signed in the summer of 2023.

Representatives from the other three ministries that are also signatories of the Memorandum — the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection — were also invited to the meeting.

During the meeting, participants discussed the findings of the Monitoring Report on the Implementation of Political Reform Measures (PRM), as part of Phase III of the Loan provided by the French Development Agency (AFD) aimed at strengthening energy infrastructure and enhancing climate change resilience.

The report was prepared by OMNIA, an energy consultancy firm specializing in large-scale reform projects and strategic decision-making processes.

OMNIA representatives reviewed the implementation status of 16 Political Reform Measures under Phase III, directly related to the energy sector, including: the approval of secondary legislation on renewable energy, the adoption of Moldova’s Energy Strategy through 2050, the functional implementation of the Residential Energy Efficiency Fund, and other financing mechanisms for energy efficiency measures in public and residential buildings, the implementation of the construction plan for the Vulcănești-Chișinău Energy Independence Line, the approval of the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, and the harmonization of national energy legislation with European directives.

“The partnership with AFD has accelerated Moldova’s transition to green energy by promoting energy security and sustainable development, including within the context of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Moldova has already overcome the most difficult phase of the energy crisis and is better prepared, not only to face the coming winters, but also to advance the reform agenda we committed to through this Memorandum. We are grateful to France for all the support provided, which enabled us to modernize our national energy sector,” stated Secretary of State Cristina Pereteatcu during the meeting.

As a reminder, in 2023, the Republic of Moldova received financial assistance from the French Development Agency (AFD) to strengthen its energy infrastructure and improve resilience to climate change. The agreement included a €40 million credit line. The relevant reforms were implemented based on a Policy Matrix (Roadmap), which outlined all 34 actions to be completed by Moldova by 2028. The roadmap involves fulfilling these commitments in six phases. The amount of financing for 2025 is expected to be finalized in the near future.

In addition, under the program’s implementation, Moldova received a €5 million technical assistance grant from the EU. The technical assistance program is managed by Expertise France, the technical cooperation subsidiary of the AFD Group.