Moldovan deputy premier unveils results of first visit to Brussels, informs on priorities for 2018

Chisinau, 26 January /MOLDPRES/ - Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Iurie Leanca today gave a news conference. At the event, he summed up his first visit to Brussels, announced priorities for this year and explained the need to create the position he holds in the cabinet.  

The official said that, in Brussels, he had had meetings with Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini, EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis, European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for the Euro and Social Dialogue Valdis Dombrovskis and Vice-President of the European Commission for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič.    

“During the same visit, I had meetings also with representatives of the big European political families, which whom I discussed the bilateral agenda and who showed quite open for cooperation,” Leanca said.  

The deputy prime minister noted that, in Brussels, the sides had discussed the extension of the list of goods Moldova would be able to export to the European Union.   

Referring to the office of deputy prime minister he is holding in the cabinet, Iurie Leanca said that “the reason for which the concerned office was separated is to create a platform for everything which means European agenda and for boosting the dialogue with EU. We have at our disposal 7-8 months, a period during which we should prove performance and consolidate all we have carried out so far. I am set to make a much better communication with EU, as well as a functional analysis of the mechanism of implementation of the Association Agreement,” the official stressed.  

Leanca specified that his and the entire cabinet’s most important goal was the implementation of the Association Agreement, which implies also domestic actions, such as the justice reform, development of the free trade area. Among the objectives mentioned by the deputy prime minister there is also the carrying out of an analysis of the state institutions’ functionality.

“I will create a working group with the agencies subordinated to ministries and with civil society’s representatives. We will meet once per week in order to set the way of work. I hope that we will send also employees of ministries and agencies to probations, in order to gain European experience,” Leanca added.   

Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Iurie Leanca paid a working visit to Brussels on 22-23 January.

(Reporter A. Zara, editor  L. Alcaza)