Moldovan, European officials broach trade promotion

Chisinau, 31 March /MOLDPRES/- Prime Minister Pavel Filip today had a working meeting with European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom in the context of the third meeting of the EU-Moldova Association Council, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.

The talks focused on trade between Moldova and EU in the context of implementing the Association Agreement. Filip thanked for the continuous support provided to development and implementation of the Free Trade Area, including implementation and monitoring mechanisms related thereto. He underlined the importance of boosting trade flows between Moldova and EU.

“We further rely on European partners’ support to encourage recovery of opportunities offered by the free trade area. We managed to extend these benefits to economic entities throughout the country, including the Transnistrian region. Besides commercial advantages, it is important the impact of implementing the Free Trade Area for the daily life of citizens”, he said.

The European official appreciated the increase in Moldovan exports on the European market, and encouraged the authorities to continue reforms as Moldova should fully benefit from opportunities of the free trade area. In the context of using shares of export of certain Moldovan products on the EU market, the two officials tackled the perspective for their development.

At the end of the meeting, Filip invited Malmstrom to attend Business Week, due in Chisinau.

The EU is main trade partner of Moldova, with a share of about 65 per cent for export and over 50 per cent import. Last year the number of companies involved in trade with the EU has increased, and goods exported to the EU market grew by over 9 per cent.