First national conference on facilitating electronic trade e-TRADECON held in Moldovan capital

Chisinau, 25 March /MOLDPRES/ - Acting Prime Minister Aureliu Ciocoi today participated in the first national conference on facilitating the electronic trade, e-TRADECON. The event is organized by the Customs Service, European Union Delegation, USAID Programme for Structural Reforms in Moldova and the American Chamber of Commerce, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.  

In his speech given at the opening of the conference, the acting PM described the organization of this event as a good example of cooperation between the public authorities and the business environment in the sense of improving the business climate of Moldova. The acting prime minister said that the adhesion to the value standards of the regional and global markets, as well as the encouraging of exports of goods and services internationally was crucial for Moldova. In this respect, the expected ratification by the parliament of the new Customs Code would have a major impact on the facilitation of the international commerce.  

„I express confidence that the projects initiated by the Customs Service, in cooperation with development partners, will certainly have continuity and I urge you to further persevere to finish with good faith the reforms underway. At the same time, it is quite necessary that we together make needed efforts to provide Moldova with a modern development society, where the latest technologies are part of the daily life. Only by joining the efforts, we will be able to improve the quality of the services provided to economic agents, we will cut the costs, will diminish the risks of fraud and corruption, eventually improving the degree of the country’s competitiveness,’’ Aureliu Ciocoi stressed.    

In the end of its speech, the acting PM thanked the governmental team, the development partners and business associations for work and contribution to the continuous development of the customs administration sector and improving the competitiveness of the Moldovan economy.  

Attending online the discussion at the opening the conference, U.S. Ambassador to Moldova Dereck J. Hogan said that the United States would continue backing Moldova in achieving the goals of innovating the trade. ‘’USAID has supported the carrying out of a comprehensive study on Moldova’s commercial corridors, which included recommendations to back the country’s economic growth. We will continue cooperating with Moldova’s government and the private sector, in order to enforce these recommendations and support more Moldovan companies in the carrying out of the international commercial activity,’’ the American diplomat said.    

For his part, Ambassador of the European Union to Moldova Peter Michalko said that Moldova was an important partner of the European Union and the Association Agreement, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA) remained a stable basis of the EU-Moldova partnership. ‘’In 2020, EU remained a strengthened its position of the biggest commercial partner of Moldova, accounting for 70 per cent of the export. In this respect, we appreciate the efforts of the Customs Service, which continued the modernization process, despite the challenges dealing with the pandemic. The new Customs Code, worked out with the EU’s support and in line with the European Union’s Customs Code, is presently expected its final voting in parliament and we expect it to be adopted as a priority. It will provide modern instruments for facilitating the commerce in accordance with the highest international standards, which would increase the trade and improve the relations between the Customs Service and the business community,’’ Peter Michalko said.        

The national conference dedicated to facilitating the trade e-TRADECON is held on 25-26 March. The forum brings together top experts of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, World Bank, European Commission, USAID, representatives of the customs authorities from Moldova, Romania and Ukraine.

photo: Government