Implementation of Association Agreement with EU as priority - Moldovan PM says

Chisinau, 11 October /MOLDPRES/- Government members convened yesterday in the Governmental Commission for European Integration to examine the implementation process of the Moldova-EU Association Agreement, as well as other priority areas of reform addressed within the Moldova-EU political dialogue, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.

Prime Minister Pavel Filip encouraged the state institutions to pay maximum attention to the fulfillment of the commitments, including the actions presented by the Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, as well as examining the recommendations of the recent reports on the implementation of the Association Agreement. "Implementation of the Association Agreement with the EU is a priority and we must make every effort not to accumulate arrears, this being an essential governmental bond", he said.

The participants in the meeting have reviewed the results of the first ministerial meeting on trade. Although the three participating countries registered an increase in exports to the EU, Moldova exporting up by 33% than in the last 9 months of this year, compared to Ukraine (10%) and Georgia (5%), they encouraged further use of the potential of this format by identifying key areas and interest in expanding cooperation.

Also, the commission broached issues related to the preparation for the fifth meeting of the EU-Moldova Association Committee. It will focus on foreign trade, development of trade with European partners, harmonization of national legislation, public procurement, quality infrastructure and competition-related issues.

Another topic discussed at the meeting was the acquisition of the right to export meat and poultry eggs in order to turn to good account the opportunities of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. In this context, the accreditation of the laboratories, the strengthening of the institutional capacities, the improvement of the legal framework that would ensure the proper processing of the waste are the main priorities for the next period.