Implementation of Deep and Comprhensive Free Trade Area priority on agenda of Moldova's Economics Ministry

Chisinau, 20 May /MOLDPRES/ - The implementation of the Association Agreement between Moldova and the European Union today was tackled at an online meeting between Economics and Infrastructure Minister Sergiu Railean and European PM on behalf of Renew Europe, European Parliament’s rapporteur for Moldova Dragos Tudorache.   

„There are almost six years since Moldova has signed the Association Agreement. In all these years, the progress made has allowed us to see the beneficial impact of the Agreement on the citizens and the business environment. At the same time, we are aware of certain challenges and debts in the process of implementation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), which can be overcome through joint efforts, with the involvement of the colleagues from all institutions concerned in the process. At present, the DCFTA’s enforcement is priority on the agenda of the Economics and Infrastructure Ministry (MEI),’’ Minister Railean said.  

According to the official, a significant increase in the export was recorded with the implementation of the Association Agreement, with about 66 per cent of the exports going to the European market in 2019. In the same year, the number of companies exporting to EU amounted to 1,837 economic agents, out of 2,518 ones involved in export activities.   

„A true challenge for Moldova is to get right to export animal origin products to the EU market. Presently, the country is in process of fulfilling the necessary conditions,’’ the economics minister noted. In the context, Dragos Tudorache gave assurances that he would back and promote Moldova’s interests in the European legislative body.

At the same time, the sides stressed that the setting up of the first digital park was an important achievement in the Information Technologies and Communications (ITC) sector. At present, over 500 active residents with 9,000 employees work at Moldova IT Park, including 222 newly created IT companies and 133 IT companies with foreign capital from 32 countries.     

Also, the officials reviewed the measures which contributed to the enhancement of the competitiveness, creation of jobs, increasing exports and the flow of foreign investments, including through increasing investments in the entrepreneurial infrastructure. Thus, among the progress mentioned, there was the cut in the number of permissive acts, implementation of a string of programmes on financial support and access of small and medium-sized enterprises to trainings through the Organization for Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises Sector Development.    

The level of carrying out of the national action plan for the implementation of the Association Agreement, especially of the title 5 on Trade, shows a quota of 64.59 per cent on the period 2017-2019.