Moldova will hold presidential elections and a European referendum on October 20, which could decide the country's fate for years. After years of Russian influence, the new government has made a geostrategic turn, choosing to move closer to Western countries. Bilateral relations between Poland and Moldova gained a particular acceleration after the Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2022. Poland has supported Moldova by providing political, financial, military, material, and expert assistance. It can even be said that Poland, after Romania, has become the leading promoter of Moldova in its quest for integration into European institutions.

Poland has provided significant financial support to Moldova. In April 2022, the Polish government provided Moldova with a €20 million loan to help cope with refugees from Ukraine and rising energy and gas prices. In addition, the Bank of National Economy provided Moldova with a €5 million loan to support Moldovan micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. In October 2021, Poland became the first country to supply Moldova with non-Russian-sourced gas in a commercial market transaction, symbolically breaking Gazprom's monopoly in Moldova. In addition to financial and material assistance, Polish institutions regularly train Moldovan officials and officers from the police, border service, and firefighters. In June 2023, the Polish Interior Ministry donated personal protection equipment to Moldova, including bulletproof vests, safety goggles, helmets, protectors, explosives, as well as weapons and ammunition, with a total value of more than PLN 5 million.

In addition, in April 2024, Poland supplied Moldova with 20 industrial power generators with a total value of about PLN 2 million. In February 2024, Moldova signed an agreement with MESKO S.A., a leading Polish manufacturer of ammunition, anti-tank, and anti-aircraft missiles, to modernize the defense sector. Polish activity in Moldova is multifaceted and is not limited to development assistance. According to data from the Moldovan Foreign Ministry, 94 companies with Polish capital are registered in Moldova, and Polish investments in 2021 were worth about €11.5 million. The largest Polish companies in Moldova are Moldova Sugar, Red Sky (internet services), and ECM Group Polska. Polish companies are increasingly visible and active in the Moldovan market. The local branch of the Polish company Tymbark, which produces juices and fruit and vegetable preparations, has been sponsoring the Chisinau Food and Wine Festival and other sports and cultural events for three years.

You can read the details of Polish aid to Moldova in the Warsaw Enterprise Institute report Compendium of Polish aid for Moldova.

Source, Łukasz Wojdyga
Director of the Center for Strategic Studies