S&D Member Evin Incir joined the European Parliament’s fact-finding mission* to Moldova, to assess the impact of Russia‘s war in Ukraine. MEPs expressed support for the immense efforts made by the Moldovan population and authorities in receiving refugees from Ukraine and also evaluated further needs for support.
Moldova, as a neighbouring country of Ukraine, is currently home to 94,000 refugees, more than half of them being young people or children, the highest number of refugees from Ukraine per capita.
The S&D leader Iratxe García Pérez will travel to Romania and Moldova from the 10th to the 13th of April to get first hand information and assess the challenges posed by the mass influx of refugees from Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.
S&D MEP Evin Incir said:
“I am impressed by the generosity of the Moldovan people who have opened their homes to their Ukrainian neighbours who are fleeing the cruel and shameful war waged by Russia against the people of Ukraine. The pandemic had hit Moldova’s economy hard and had already put its social and health systems under considerable strain. In addition, the country faced an energy crisis in autumn 2021 causing energy prices to rise.
We call for good use to be made of the Solidarity Platform set up by the Member States to share responsibility for the common neighbourhood and the refugees from Ukraine. Also, to allow for relocation where possible and coordinate distribution of EU funds. In the current context, where a close European neighbour, i.e. Ukraine, is under military attack by Russia, we must demonstrate the solidarity of all Europeans that care for each other and for their common home. "
Note to editors:
The European Parliament‘s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Sub-Committee on Security and Defence travelled to Moldova from 31 March to 2 April. MEPs visited Chisinau and the border crossing point Palanca near Ukraine‘s Odessa region.
