Considerations on COM(2024)469 - Establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for Moldova - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2024)469 - Establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for Moldova. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2024)469  |
| date | March 18, 2025 |
| (2) | The Union enlargement process is built on established criteria, fair and rigorous conditionality and the principle of own merits. A firm commitment to ‘fundamentals first’ approach, which requires a strong focus on the rule of law, fundamental rights, the functioning of democratic institutions and public administration reform, as well as on economic criteria, remains essential. Progress depends on implementation by the Republic of Moldova (Moldova) of the necessary reforms to align with the Union acquis. |
| (3) | Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine further showed that Union enlargement is a geo-strategic investment in peace, security and stability. The Union is fully and unequivocally committed to the Union membership perspective of Moldova. Moldova’s orientation and commitment towards the Union is a strong expression of its strategic choice and place in a community of values. Moldova’s EU path needs to be firmly anchored in tangible and concrete progress on reforms. |
| (4) | It is in the common interest of the Union and Moldova to advance with the reforms to its political, legal and economic systems with a view to its future Union membership and to support its accession process. The prospect of Union membership has a powerful transformative effect, embedding positive democratic, political, economic and societal change and contributes to strengthening Moldova’s resilience. |
| (5) | It is necessary to bring forward some of the advantages of Union membership before accession. Economic convergence is at the heart of those benefits. Currently, the convergence of Moldova in terms of GDP per capita expressed in purchasing power standards remains low at 29 % of the Union average and is not progressing fast enough. Moldova’s diaspora should also be considered as an important contributor to Moldova’s social and economic development. |
| (6) | As accession negotiations with Moldova opened in June 2024, it is important to provide necessary support to Moldova’s accession track. Furthermore, it is important that support be brought to levels that are comparable with other candidate countries engaged in accession negotiations and that commensurate resources are ensured. |
| (7) | The implementation of the Growth Plan for Moldova requires the appropriate funding under a dedicated new financing instrument (the ‘Facility’). The Facility is to assist the country in implementing reforms for sustainable economic growth and advance on the fundamentals of the enlargement process. |
| (8) | Given Russia’s unjust war of aggression against Ukraine, which has profoundly impacted Moldova’s security, economy, and citizens’ livelihoods, as well as the ongoing and unprecedented hybrid attacks targeting the country and its democratic institutions, the Facility should aim to support Moldova in facing significant challenges, in particular as regards economy, energy, food and value chains. It is appropriate for the Facility to provide support to Moldova in a timely manner and to enable Moldova to strengthen its resilience against foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) in its sovereignty, democratic processes and institutions. |
| (9) | To achieve the goals of the Growth Plan for Moldova, emphasis with respect to investment areas should be placed on sectors that are likely to function as key multipliers for social and economic development: connectivity, infrastructure, including sustainable transport, decarbonisation, energy, green and digital transitions, agriculture and food industry, rural development, as well as education, labour market participation and skills development, with a particular focus on children and youth and on raising the standard of living throughout the country. |
| (10) | The Facility should build on the Association Agenda with Moldova as well as the work of the Economic and Investment Plan for the Eastern Partnership in Moldova which spearheaded investments in critical sectors such as connectivity, energy efficiency and energy security while avoiding stranded assets, business development, and competitiveness. Enhanced access to the Union single market, through the implementation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, improved infrastructure and participation in Union programmes and policies, subject to Moldova’s alignment with the relevant Union single market rules, will deliver immediate and tangible socio-economic benefits. |
| (11) | Sustainable transport infrastructure is essential to improve connectivity between Moldova and the Union and it should contribute to the integration of Moldova in the Union’s transport network. In the revised trans-European transport network (TEN-T), the Commission extended the Baltic Sea – Black Sea – Aegean Sea European Transport Corridor to Moldova. The TEN-T is the reference for funding sustainable transport infrastructure, including for environmentally friendly means of transport, such as railways as well as digitalisation of transport. Cross-border energy infrastructure projects and interconnections with Member States and Union enlargement partners are essential for regional energy security and integration within the Union. |
| (12) | The Facility should support investments and reforms that promote Moldova’s path to the digital transformation of the economy and society in line with the Union vision for 2030 presented in the Commission communication of 9 March 2021, entitled ‘2030 Digital Compass: the European way for the Digital Decade’, fostering an inclusive digital economy that benefits all citizens. The Facility should strive to facilitate Moldova’s achievement of the general objectives and digital targets with regard to the Union. As outlined by the Commission in its communication of 15 June 2023, entitled ‘Implementation of the 5G cybersecurity Toolbox’, the 5G cybersecurity Toolbox should be the reference for Union funding to ensure security, resilience and the protection of integrity of digital infrastructure projects in the region. |
| (13) | The support under the Facility should be provided to meet general and specific objectives, based on established criteria and with clear payment conditions. Those general and specific objectives should be pursued in a mutually reinforcing manner. The Facility should support the enlargement process by accelerating the alignment with Union values, laws, rules, standards, policies and practices (‘acquis’) with a view to Union membership, accelerate progressive integration of Moldova in the Union single market, and accelerate its socio-economic convergence with the Union. The Facility should also foster good neighbourly relations. |
| (14) | In addition to boosting socio-economic convergence, the Facility should also help accelerate reforms related to the fundamentals of the enlargement process including rule of law, fundamental rights, inter alia, the rights of refugees, of persons belonging to minorities, including national minorities and Roma, as well as the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons. It should also improve the functioning of democratic institutions and public administrations; public procurement, state aid control and public finance management; the fight against all forms of corruption and organised crime; quality education and training as well as employment policies; and the country’s green transition, climate and environmental objectives. |
| (15) | The Facility should help Moldova in its preparation for Union membership in line with the existing enlargement methodology. |
| (16) | The Facility should complement the existing Economic and Financial Dialogue without compromising its scope, thereby enhancing economic integration and preparation for the Union’s multilateral surveillance of economic policies. |
| (17) | The Facility should promote the development effectiveness principles, respecting additionality to and complementarity with the support provided under other Union programmes and instruments and striving to avoid duplication and ensure synergies between assistance under this Regulation and other forms of assistance, including integrated financial packages composed of both export and development financing provided by the Union, the Member States, third countries, multilateral and regional organisations and entities. Moldova’s continued participation in other Union funding programmes is crucial. |
| (18) | In line with the principle of inclusive partnerships, the Commission should strive to ensure that Moldova’s parliament, local authorities, in accordance with Moldova’s national legal framework, and relevant stakeholders in Moldova, including social partners and civil society organisations are duly consulted and have timely access to relevant information to allow them to play a meaningful role during the design and implementation of programmes and the related monitoring processes. |
| (19) | Technical assistance, as well as cross-border cooperation assistance, should be provided in support of the objectives of the Facility and in order to strengthen the relevant capacities of Moldova to implement the Reform Agenda. |
| (20) | The Facility should ensure consistency with, and support for, the general objectives of Union external action as laid down in Article 21 TEU, including respect for fundamental rights as enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. In particular, it should ensure the protection and promotion of human rights, and the rule of law. |
| (21) | The Facility should boost innovation, research and cooperation between academic institutions and industry in support of the green and digital transitions, promoting local industries with a particular emphasis on locally based micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups. |
| (22) | Moldova should demonstrate a credible commitment to European values, including through its alignment with the Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), including with Union restrictive measures. |
| (23) | In the implementation of the Facility, account should be taken of the Union’s strategic autonomy as well as of the Union and its Member States’ strategic interests and the values on which the Union is founded. |
| (24) | Activities under the Facility should support progress towards Union social, climate and environmental standards, and support progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the ‘Paris Agreement’), the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and should not contribute to environmental degradation or cause harm to the environment or climate. Measures funded under the Facility should be in line with Moldova’s National Energy and Climate Plan, its Nationally Determined Contribution and ambition to reach climate neutrality by 2050. The Facility should contribute to the mitigation of climate change and to the ability to adapt to its adverse effects, and foster climate resilience. In particular, funding under the Facility should promote the transition towards a decarbonised, climate-neutral, climate-resilient and circular economy. |
| (25) | The implementation of this Regulation should be guided by the principles of equality and non-discrimination, as elaborated in the Union of Equality strategies. It should promote and advance gender equality and mainstreaming, ensure meaningful participation of women in decision-making processes, and the empowerment of women and girls, and seek to protect and promote the advancement and full enjoyment of all human rights by all women and girls, as well as prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence, taking into consideration relevant EU Gender Action Plans and relevant Council conclusions and international conventions. Furthermore, this Regulation should be implemented in full respect of the European Pillar of Social Rights, including on child protection and labour rights. The implementation of the Facility should be in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its protocol and ensure accessibility in its investments and technical assistance, in line with Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2). |
| (26) | Reflecting the European Green Deal as Europe’s sustainable growth strategy and the importance of tackling climate and biodiversity objectives in line with the commitments of the Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission (3), the Facility should contribute to the achievement of an overall target of 30 % of Union budget expenditure supporting climate objectives and 7,5 % in 2024 and 10 % in 2026 and 2027 biodiversity objectives. At least 37 % of the non-repayable financial support, including provisioning, provided to investment projects approved under the Neighbourhood Investment Platform, one of the regional investment platforms referred to in Article 32 of Regulation (EU) 2021/947 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4), should be attributed to climate objectives. That amount should be calculated using the ‘Rio markers’ following the obligation to report the EU’s international climate finance to the OECD, as well as obligations under other international agreements or frameworks. As early as June 2025, the EU climate coefficients, applicable across all programmes under the 2021-2027 Multi-annual Financing Framework (MFF) and set out in the Commission Staff Working Document entitled ‘Climate Mainstreaming Architecture in the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework’, will also be applied to climate expenditure under the MFF’s Heading 6 (‘Neighbourhood and the world’). The Facility will align with the approach of other Heading 6 instruments, in order to ensure consistent climate reporting in Moldova. The Facility should support activities that fully respect the climate and environmental standards and priorities of the Union and the principle of ‘do no significant harm’. |
| (27) | Projects are approved under the Neighbourhood Investment Platform after assessment by the Commission and subject to a positive opinion by the Member States in the Neighbourhood Investment Platform Board. |
| (28) | The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States and Moldova, should ensure the compliance, coherence, consistency and complementarity, increased transparency and accountability in the delivery of assistance, including by implementing appropriate internal control systems and anti-fraud policies. The support under the Facility should be made available under the preconditions that Moldova upholds and respects effective democratic mechanisms, including a multi-party parliamentary system, free and fair elections, free, independent and pluralistic media, an independent judiciary and the rule of law, and guarantees respect for all human rights obligations, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. |
| (29) | The Facility should be supported with resources from the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI – Global Europe), primarily from the financial allocation for Neighbourhood East, amounting to EUR 520 million in non-repayable support and a maximum amount of EUR 1 500 million in loans for the period from 2025-2027. The non-repayable support should cover the 9 % provisioning required for the loans corresponding to EUR 135 million, support provided by the Union for projects approved under the Neighbourhood Investment Platform, as referred to in Article 18(2) of this Regulation, and complementary support, including support to civil society organisations and technical assistance. The non-repayable support should be financed from the envelope allocated to the Neighbourhood geographic programme under Article 6(2), point (a), of Regulation (EU) 2021/947. All provisions under Regulation (EU) 2021/947 should apply unless otherwise mentioned in this Regulation. |
| (30) | Decisions on the release of funds referred to in Article 19(3) for the support in the form of loans should be adopted in the period from 1 January 2025 to 30 June 2029. This final date includes the time necessary for the Commission to evaluate the successful fulfilment of the payment conditions concerned and to adopt the subsequent decision on the release of funds. |
| (31) | In order to maximise the leverage of Union financial support to attract additional investment, and to ensure Union control over the expenditure, the investments supporting the Reform Agenda should be implemented through the Neighbourhood Investment Platform. At least 25 % of the loan amount released to Moldova should be made available by Moldova to investment projects approved under the Neighbourhood Investment Platform. This is in addition to the non-repayable support provided by the Union for these projects. |
| (32) | The financial liability from loans under the Facility should not constitute part of the amount of the External Action Guarantee within the meaning of Article 31(4) of Regulation (EU) 2021/947. |
| (33) | Horizontal financial rules adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on the basis of Article 322 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) should apply to this Regulation. Those rules are laid down in Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5) (‘the Financial Regulation’) and determine in particular the procedure for establishing and implementing the budget in direct and indirect management through grants, procurement, financial assistance, blending operations and the reimbursement of external experts, and provide for checks on the responsibility of financial actors. |
| (34) | Restrictions on eligibility in award procedures under the Facility should be provided for, where appropriate, given the specific nature of the activity or when the activity affects security or public order. |
| (35) | In order to ensure the efficient implementation of the Facility, including the facilitation of Moldova’s integration in European value chains, all supplies and materials financed and procured under the Facility should originate from Member States, Moldova, candidate countries and contracting parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area and countries which provide a level of support to Moldova comparable to the one provided by the Union, taking into account the size of their economy, and for which reciprocal access to external assistance in Moldova is established by the Commission, unless the supplies and materials cannot be sourced under reasonable conditions in any of those countries. |
| (36) | A Facility Agreement should be concluded with Moldova to set up the principles of the financial cooperation between the Union and Moldova, and to specify the necessary mechanisms related to the control, supervision, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and audit of Union funding under the Facility, rules on taxes, duties and charges and measures to prevent, detect, investigate and correct irregularities, fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest. Consequently, a loan agreement should also be concluded with Moldova setting out specific provisions for the management and implementation of funding provided in the forms of loans. Both the Facility Agreement and the loan agreement should be transmitted simultaneously and without delay to the European Parliament and to the Council. |
| (37) | The Facility Agreement should provide for the obligation for Moldova to ensure the collection of, and access to, data in compliance with Union data protection principles and with applicable data protection rules, adequate data on persons and entities receiving funding, including beneficial ownership information, for the implementation of the Reform Agenda. |
| (38) | The implementation of the Facility should be underpinned by the Reform Agenda, providing a framework for boosting inclusive sustainable socio-economic growth, clearly articulated and aligned with Union accession requirements and the fundamentals of the enlargement process. The Reform Agenda will serve as an overarching framework to achieve the objectives of the Facility. The Reform Agenda should be prepared in close consultation with Moldova’s parliament and relevant stakeholders, including social partners and civil society organisations, and their input should be reflected. Moldova should, where appropriate, and in accordance with its national legal framework, strive to ensure the engagement and consultation of local authorities. Disbursement of Union support should be conditional on compliance with the payment conditions and on measurable progress in the implementation of reforms set out in the Reform Agenda assessed and formally approved by the Commission. The release of funds should be structured accordingly, reflecting the objectives of the Facility. |
| (39) | The Reform Agenda should include targeted reform measures and priority investment areas, along with payment conditions in the form of measurable qualitative or quantitative steps that indicate satisfactory progress or completion of those measures, and a timetable for the implementation of those measures. The Reform Agenda should also include an indicative list of planned investment projects intended for implementation under the Neighbourhood Investment Platform. Those steps should be planned to be implemented by 31 December 2027, although it should be possible for the overall completion of the measures, to which such steps refer, to extend beyond 2027 but not later than 31 December 2028. The Reform Agenda should include an explanation of Moldova’s system to effectively prevent, detect and correct irregularities, corruption, including high-level corruption, fraud and conflicts of interest, when using the funds provided under the Facility, and the arrangements to avoid double funding from the Facility and other Union programmes as well as other donors. |
| (40) | The Reform Agenda should include an explanation on how the measures are expected to contribute to the climate and environmental objectives and the principle of ‘do no significant harm’, and to the digital transformation. |
| (41) | Measures under the Reform Agenda should contribute to improving an efficient public financial management and control system and an effective system of State aid control and to preventing money laundering, tax avoidance, tax evasion, fraud and organised crime, with the aim of ensuring fair conditions for all undertakings. The Reform Agenda should contain a description of such systems as well as specific steps related to negotiation Chapter 32 in order to support Moldova in bringing its audit and controls requirements in line with Union standards. In the event that a request for the release of funds includes a step related to negotiation Chapter 32, referred to in Article 19(2), the Commission should not adopt a decision authorising the release of funds unless it assesses such step positively. |
| (42) | The Reform Agenda should also include indicators for assessing progress towards the achievement of general and specific objectives of the Facility set out in this Regulation. Those indicators should be based on internationally agreed indicators. Indicators should also, to the extent possible, be coherent with the key performance indicators included in Commission implementing decision approving the Reform Agendas for the Western Balkans under Regulation (EU) 2024/1449 of the European Parliament and of the Council (6) and in the EFSD+ Results Measurement Framework. The indicators should be relevant, accepted, credible, easy and robust. |
| (43) | The Commission should assess the Reform Agenda based on the list of criteria set out in this Regulation. In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission to approve the Reform Agenda. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (7). The Commission should duly take into account Council Decision 2010/427/EU (8) and the role of the European External Action Service (EEAS), where appropriate. |
| (44) | The work programme within the meaning of Article 110(2) of the Financial Regulation adopted in accordance with the relevant provisions of Regulation (EU) 2021/947 should cover the amounts funded from the envelope allocated to the Neighbourhood geographic programme under Article 6(2), point (a) of Regulation (EU) 2021/947. |
| (45) | Given the need for flexibility in the implementation of the Facility, it should be possible for Moldova to make a reasoned request to the Commission to amend its implementing decision, where the Reform Agenda, including relevant payment conditions, is no longer achievable, either partially or totally, because of objective circumstances. Moldova should be able to make a reasoned request to amend the Reform Agenda, including by proposing addenda, where relevant. The Commission should be able to amend its implementing decision. |
| (46) | Financial support for the Reform Agenda should be possible in the form of a loan. In the context of Moldova’s financing needs, it is appropriate to organise the financial assistance under the diversified funding strategy provided for in Article 224 of the Financial Regulation and established as a single funding method therein, which is expected to enhance the liquidity of Union bonds and the attractiveness and cost-effectiveness of Union issuance. |
| (47) | It is appropriate to provide loans to Moldova on highly concessional terms with a maximum duration of 40 years and to not start the repayment of the principal before 2034. |
| (48) | Considering that the financial risks associated with the support to Moldova in the form of loans under the Facility are comparable to the financial risks associated with lending operations under Regulation (EU) 2021/947, provisioning for the financial liability from loans under this Regulation should be constituted at the rate of 9 %, in line with Article 214 of the Financial Regulation and the funding of the provisioning should be sourced from the envelope allocated to the Neighbourhood geographic programme under Article 6(2), point (a), of Regulation (EU) 2021/947. |
| (49) | The provisioning rate for the financial liability from loans under this Regulation should be set at the rate of 9 % to be reviewed at least every three years from the date of entry into force of this Regulation. The Commission is empowered to adopt a delegated act established under Article 31(5), fourth subparagraph, of the Regulation (EU) 2021/947. |
| (50) | In order to ensure that Moldova disposes of start-up funding for the implementation of the first reforms, it should have access to up to 18 % of the total amount provided for in the Facility, after deduction of complementary support, including support to civil society organisations and technical assistance, and provisioning for loans, in the form of a pre-financing, subject to availability of funding and to the respect of the preconditions for support under the Facility. |
| (51) | It is important to guarantee both flexibility and programmability in providing Union support to Moldova. Moldova should submit on a six-monthly basis a duly justified request for the release of funds at the latest two months after the timeline for the planned fulfilment of steps, set in the Commission implementing decision approving the Reform Agenda. For that purpose, funds under the Facility should be released according to a fixed semi-annual schedule, subject to the availability of funding, on the basis of a request for the release of funds submitted by Moldova and following verification by the Commission of the satisfactory fulfilment of both the general conditions related to macro-financial stability, sound public financial management, transparency and oversight of the budget and the relevant payment conditions. Where a payment condition is not fulfilled as per the indicative timeline set in the implementing decision approving the Reform Agenda, the Commission could withhold in whole or in part the release of funds corresponding to that condition, following a methodology on partial payments. The release of the corresponding withheld funds could take place during the next window for the release of funds and up to twelve months after the original deadline set out in the indicative timeline, provided that the payment conditions have been fulfilled. In the first year of implementation, that deadline should be extended to 24 months from the initial negative assessment. |
| (52) | By way of derogation from Article 116(2) and (5) of the Financial Regulation, it is appropriate to set the payment deadline for contributions to state budgets starting from the date of the communication of the decision authorising the disbursement to Moldova and to exclude the payment of default interest by the Commission to Moldova. |
| (53) | The Commission should provide, upon request of the European Parliament in the framework of the discharge procedure, detailed information about the implementation of the Union budget under the Facility, in particular as regards audits carried out, including weaknesses identified and corrective measures taken, and as regards projects approved under the Neighbourhood Investment Platform, including where applicable the amount of Moldova’s co-financing as well as other sources of contributions including from other Union financing instruments. |
| (54) | In the framework of the Union’s restrictive measures, adopted on the basis of Article 29 TEU and Article 215 TFEU, no funds or economic resources should be made available, directly or indirectly, to or for the benefit of designated legal persons, entities or bodies. Such designated entities, and entities owned or controlled by them should, therefore, not be supported by the Facility. |
| (55) | In the interest of transparency and accountability, Moldova should publish data on final recipients receiving amounts of funding exceeding the equivalent of EUR 50 000 cumulatively during the implementation of reforms and investments under the Facility. |
| (56) | In accordance with the Financial Regulation, Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (9) and Council Regulations (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 (10), (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 (11) and (EU) 2017/1939 (12), the financial interests of the Union are to be protected by means of proportionate measures, including measures relating to the prevention, detection, correction and investigation of irregularities, fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest, double funding, to the recovery of funds lost, wrongly paid or incorrectly used. |
| (57) | In particular, in accordance with Regulations (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 and (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) should be in a position to carry out administrative investigations, including on-the-spot checks and inspections, with a view to establishing whether there has been fraud, corruption or any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the Union. |
| (58) | In accordance with Article 129 of the Financial Regulation, the necessary rights and access should be granted to the Commission, OLAF, the Court of Auditors and, where applicable the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), including by third parties involved in the implementation of Union funds. |
| (59) | The Commission should ensure that the financial interests of the Union are effectively protected under the Facility. Considering the long track record of financial assistance provided to Moldova also under indirect management and taking into account its gradual alignment with the Union’s internal control standards and practices, the Commission should rely to a great extent on the operation of Moldova’s internal control and fraud prevention systems. In particular, the Commission and OLAF and, where applicable, the EPPO should be informed of all suspected cases of irregularities, fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest affecting the implementation of funds under the Facility without delay. |
| (60) | Furthermore, Moldova should report the irregularities including fraud which have been the subject of a primary administrative or judicial finding, without delay, to the Commission and keep it informed of the progress of administrative and legal proceedings. With the objective of alignment to good practices in Member States, this reporting should be done by electronic means, using the Irregularity Management System established by the Commission. |
| (61) | Moldova should establish a monitoring system feeding into a semi-annual report on the fulfilment of its Reform Agenda’s payment conditions accompanying the semi-annual request for the release of funds. Moldova should collect and provide access to data and information allowing the prevention, detection and correction of irregularities, fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest, in relation to the measures supported by the Facility. |
| (62) | The Commission should ensure that clear monitoring and independent evaluation mechanisms are in place in order to provide effective accountability and transparency in implementing the Union budget, and to ensure the effective assessment of progress towards the achievement of the objectives of this Regulation. |
| (63) | The Commission should provide an annual report to the European Parliament and the Council on progress towards the achievement of the objectives of this Regulation. |
| (64) | The Commission should carry out an evaluation of the Facility upon its completion. |
| (65) | Moldova should support free, independent and pluralistic media that enhance and promote the understanding of Union values and the benefits and obligations of potential Union membership, while undertaking decisive actions in terms of tackling FIMI. It should also ensure pro-active, clear and consistent public communication, including on the Union support. The recipients of Union funding should actively acknowledge the origin and ensure visibility of the Union funding, in line with the Communication and Visibility Manual for EU External Actions. |
| (66) | Implementation of the Facility should also be accompanied by enhanced strategic communication and public diplomacy to promote the values of the Union and highlight the added value of the Union’s support and how the Facility benefits the citizens of Moldova. |
| (67) | Since the objectives of this Regulation cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, but can rather be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 TEU. In accordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve those objectives. |
| (68) | In order to provide funding for Moldova in due time without further delay, this Regulation should enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, |