He noted that of all the sectors that USAID has been actively developing – textile industry, winemaking, tourism, IT sector, education (creative professions) – AFD is more interested in the wine industry. “We are well versed in wine, and Moldova is a country with decent wine traditions, where quality, competitive wines are produced. This is a very promising industry and I think we can finance a number of winemaking projects here.”
The French have been working in Moldova since 2022, implementing projects in three main areas: energy and transition to a green economy, agriculture and water management, support for forestry and climate sustainability. In particular, in the field of energy, the INSPIREE project – Energy Efficiency of Public Buildings – is being implemented in Moldova jointly with the German government. The project aims to renovate and modernize 30 public buildings (16 universities and 14 district hospitals) to reduce energy consumption and improve the quality of services for citizens. AFD has allocated 30 million euros for this project.
AFD is also financing an Energy Green Transformation Program for 25 million euros. This Program is accompanied by technical assistance of €5 million from the EU through Expertise France.
In addition, AFD has provided the Moldovan government with a €60 million credit line for sustainable energy and transportation.
Overall, during the three years of the French Agency’s work in Moldova, the volume of implemented projects amounted to 310 million euros, of which two thirds have already been implemented.
