EU offers emergency support to tackle energy crisis in Moldova

On 27 January, the European Union proposed a €30 million emergency assistance package in a first step to support the Republic of Moldova in tackling the severe energy crisis provoked by Gazprom. 

“Through this package, the EU stands ready to finance the purchase and transport of natural gas to the Transnistrian region, to help restore electricity and heating for the region’s more than 350,000 inhabitants until 10 February 2025. The package can also allow for electricity supply from the Left Bank to the Right Bank,” says a press release by the European Commission. The option to provide support via coal deliveries from Ukraine is also being explored.

This assistance package comes as the Transnistrian region is going through a severe energy crisis. Since 1 January 2025, Gazprom has not honoured its contractual obligation to channel gas to the region. As a result, the region has to rely on coal and gas reserves to supply electricity and heating to its population which is insufficient to cover their needs.

“In the middle of winter, more than three hundred and fifty thousand residents in the Transnistrian region are left in the dark and in the cold because Russia decided to stop its gas deliveries,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “We simply cannot accept that people on our continent do not have access to the most basic services. But hard times reveal true friends. That is why we are throwing today a lifeline. We will deliver gas to the people of Transnistria and restore their access to electricity and heating.” 

The EU is also preparing a broader assistance package to further support the entire country.