Mr Petru Rotaru, First Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM), participated in the 35th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), held from 5 to 7 June 2026. The EBRD Annual Meetings provide a platform for strategic dialogue among global financial authorities, finance ministers, central bank governors and leaders of the international business community. This year's event, hosted in Riga, aimed to empower emerging economies to adapt to new realities by strengthening their resilience and enabling them to prosper amid geopolitical uncertainty.
This year’s plenary session of the Board of Governors focused on reviewing the Strategic implementation plan (SIP) for 2026–2028 under the Strategic and Capital Framework (SCF) 2026–2030. Through this framework, the EBRD has set out an ambitious agenda to continue supporting Ukraine, promote the development of sustainable infrastructure, expand innovation and private sector development, and enhance strategic connectivity. The plan also envisages strengthening the EBRD’s local presence and supporting the gradual expansion of its operations in other regions of interest.
In the context of the event, Mr Petru Rotaru, together with the national delegation, held a series of bilateral meetings with senior officials, including Mr Māris Kučinskis, Minister of Finance of Latvia; Mr Matteo Patrone, EBRD Vice President; Mr William Beach, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Mr Januš Kizenevič, Vice-Minister of Finance of Lithuania; Mr Vegard Wennesland, State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries; and Mr Osman Çelik, Deputy Minister of Treasury and Finance of Türkiye.
Discussions focused on substantial progress in implementing the reforms needed to join the European Union. It was also assessed the status of technical assistance projects offered to our country by external partners. Another topic addressed was the strengthening of bilateral cooperation and the identification of new support mechanisms to increase the resilience and stability of the domestic financial and banking sector.
"Aligning the Republic of Moldova’s financial and banking sector with European standards and strengthening sound economic governance remain absolute priorities for the National Bank. The open dialogue with the EBRD and our international partners during this strategic meeting in Riga confirms that the reforms implemented by the NBM are increasing the confidence of foreign investors. We will continue to modernise the financial infrastructure and provide a predictable environment of stability, which is essential for attracting investment, supporting economic resilience and accelerating our path towards European Union integration," the First Deputy Governor stated during discussions with senior officials.
The First Deputy Governor also emphasised that investors benefit from a number of tangible advantages in the Republic of Moldova, including a stable financial system, modern payment infrastructure, low costs for cross-border transactions, predictable regulation, and opportunities in areas such as lending, financing renewable energy projects, the digitalisation of financial services and capital market development.
Mr Petru Rotaru was a member of the official delegation of the Republic of Moldova, led by Mr Eugeniu Osmochescu, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalisation (EBRD Governor for the Republic of Moldova). Participation in this international forum reflects the National Bank of Moldova’s continued and firm commitment to promoting financial stability, institutional transparency and the accelerated integration of the domestic banking sector into the European and international financial ecosystem.