EU-Moldova cooperation more consolidated after five years of Association Agreement's implementation

Chisinau, 30 October /MOLDPRES/ - The sectoral cooperation between the European Union and Moldova is more consolidated after five years of Association Agreement’s implementation, especially in the research, innovation and education fields. At the same time, the collaboration in the foreign policy and security sectors has been deepened. These findings are contained in a report unveiled by experts of the Institute for European Polices and Reforms (IPRE) and the Expert-Grup Independent Analytical Centre in Chisinau today.      

At the same time, the reports’ authors found out that the work of the democratic institutions, strengthening of the rule of law state and justice independence had not witnessed clear-cut transformations, which hit the quality of the EU-Moldova dialogue and full turning to account of the support on behalf of the European Union.    

Despite these constraints, due to the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), Moldova has significantly got closer to the European Union from the economic viewpoint, with EU becoming the country’s principal economic partner, experts said. At present, about 70 per cent of the Moldovan exports are oriented to the European Union’s market and the imports account for almost 50 per cent. The net impact of the exports to EU is estimated at over 367 million euros, contributing to the creation of more than 15,000 jobs and helping for a five-per cent growth in the revenues to the budget and to the increase by 320 million euros of investments in the private sector.    

Before the report’s presentation, Head of the EU Delegation in Moldova, Ambassador Peter Michalko said that EU would start updating the document of joint scheduling for Moldova and working for a new joint agenda. The European official noted that this meant a predictable framework of strategic planning for Moldova, as well as a certain governmental, legal and administrative stability. 

The Moldova-European Union Association Agreement was signed on 27 June 2014.