High-Level Platform meets in Moldova to boost digital connectivity between Europe and Asia

On 9 November, the first High-Level Meeting of the Digital Connectivity Platform was held in Chișinău, Moldova, organised jointly by the European Commission and the Moldovan Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalisation. This meeting lays the foundations for greater digital connectivity between Europe and Central Asia, via the Black Sea region, the South Caucasus and Turkey, through an Integrated EU Secure Connectivity Offer.

The platform brings together European technology, expertise, standards and funding to strengthen secure, reliable and resilient digital connectivity. It contributes to the EU’s plans to develop the Middle Corridor, which will connect Central Asia via the Caspian Sea to the South Caucasus and directly to the European market via Turkey and the Black Sea. The aim is to diversify routes, triple trade flows and drastically reduce freight transit times by 2030.

The meeting brings together the Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, and the Prime Minister of Moldova, Vasile Tofan, alongside ministers responsible for digital transformation and senior representatives from EU Member States, the Black Sea region, Turkey, the South Caucasus and Central Asia, international financial institutions and the private sector.

The EU’s Integrated Secure Connectivity Offer is a regional implementation of the EU’s Business Technology Offer, as set out in the EU’s International Digital Strategy, and is in line with the EU’s secure connectivity initiatives, such as IRIS, and with policies such as the EU’s 5G security toolkit.

Within the framework of the Connectivity Agenda Platform, the Offer will facilitate strategic investment projects in reliable digital infrastructure with partner countries, bringing together European industry expertise, EU public funding instruments and security standards along the Middle Corridor. This will make the region safer, better connected and more resilient, benefiting both citizens and the economy.

Turning regional ambitions into concrete projects

The Commission has exchanged letters of intent with partner countries, private-sector partners, organisations from Member States and international financial institutions, which will mobilise up to €623 million for investment and technical support in 5G networks, space connectivity, artificial intelligence and data centres. This will support the implementation of the Interregional Connectivity Agenda, presented at the Ministerial Meeting on Security and Interregional Connectivity in October 2025 and forming part of the EU’sGlobal Gateway strategy. The Agenda aims to strengthen transport, energy and digital links between the European Union and Central Asia via the South Caucasus and the Black Sea region, through the coordination of strategic investments and regulatory cooperation.

In addition, the European Commission and Moldova announced the launch of the WIFI4Moldova initiative, which will provide free Wi-Fi access to 30 Moldovan municipalities.

These projects will boost cooperation on secure terrestrial and satellite connectivity, data centre infrastructure, and research and innovation, translating the Connectivity Agenda into concrete investment opportunities.

Background

The Connectivity Agenda Platform, launched in June 2026, provides a framework for advancing the Connectivity Agenda by coordinating investments and policy actions in the fields of transport and trade, energy and digital connectivity. It brings together partner countries, EU Member States, international financial institutions and the private sector to strengthen regional cooperation and the development of strategic investment projects. Following the successful launch of the Platform, the Commission organised the Connectivity Platform meetings focusing on digital issues. This will be followed by a meeting focusing on energy, to be held in 2027. Furthermore, we are continuing to build political momentum with the second Ministerial Meeting on Connectivity and Security, to be held in Brussels on 16 November.

 

More information: European Commission