Today, it is with pleasure we hand over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union to our Spanish friends.
It has been an eventful half year for us at the Swedish Embassy with a record of incoming high-level visits beginning with our State Secretary Diana Janse in early January, followed by visits by our Minister for EU Affairs Jessica Roswall on March 8, our Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström at the end of April and finally our Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who joined the European Political Community meeting in Moldova. Also, for the first time, an EU Security Policy Directors' Meeting was held outside of the Presidency’s country when they all met here in Chisinau in April.
We have been very happy to host both the President of the Parliament Igor Grosu, as well as, ministers, such as Minister Popescu and Minister Revenco, in Stockholm this spring. And we have very much appreciated the frequent high-level dialogue between Moldova and Brussels, with many high-level visits in both directions.
All these meetings have also led to results. One such result is the creation and opening of the new Common Security and Defense Policy mission, the EU Partnership Mission (EUPM), here in Chisinau. The EUPM is here to contribute to strengthening Moldovan crisis management and increasing resilience against hybrid attacks, including cyber threats and disinformation. The EU has also adopted a special sanctions regime to counter Russian destabilization attempts in Moldova, with an associated list of names.
Another progress is the agreement that has been negotiated with EU telecom operators on the gradual lifting of roaming charges for Moldova. The agreement will enter into force on 1 January 2024. The EU continues to offer financial support to the Republic of Moldova and has increased the macro-financial assistance to €295 million. It has also allocated €87 million through the European Peace Facility to strengthen the Moldovan Armed Forces.
For us at the Swedish Embassy, it has been a joy to work closely with the EU Delegation and Team Europe, communicating what the European Union is all about, including participating in EU Days organised around the country,
We have continued to admire the hard work by our Moldovan counterpart to anchor and consolidate the European choice, as well as, delivering in the EU-integration process.
It was particularly heart-warming and inspiring to see all the people that gathered at the National Assembly on 21 May to express their support for a European future.
Sweden strongly believes that the Republic of Moldova already is a part of Europe and will be part of the European Union in the future.
