Moldovan-Bulgarian intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation holds meeting in Chisinau

Chisinau, 26 March /MOLDPRES/ - Bulgaria will open a branch of the Angel Kanchev University from Ruse in Taraclia and the Investments Agencies will more closely cooperate based on the agreement signed at the ninth meeting of the Moldovan-Bulgarian joint intergovernmental commission, held in Chisinau today.    

The commission is co-chaired by Energy Minister Victor Parlicov and Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry of Bulgaria Irina Shtonova.  

Bulgaria and Moldova reaffirmed their interest in the strengthening of the bilateral relations in the energy sector, with emphasis on the segment of natural gas, oil products and electric energy. The two sides exchanged information on the priorities in the energy sector and discussed ways of stimulating the cooperation between public institutions and companies from diverse sectors.    

According to the Energy Ministry, although the bilateral commercial regime is part of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), Bulgaria ranked 11th among the principal commercial partners of Moldova in the world, with a share of 1.8 per cent from the overall trade volume. Moldova’s foreign trade with Moldova in 2023 recorded a sum of 233 million dollars. A number of 176 enterprises with Bulgarian capital work in Moldova, with the investments amounting to 118.5 million lei.    

Victor Parlicov welcomed the recent boosting of the Moldovan-Bulgarian bilateral relations; the proof is the rich and diverse agenda of the meeting of the intergovernmental commission, which resumed work after an eight-year break.    

Taking into account the implementation of the goals of the European Green Deal and of the effective integration of Moldova’s energy market with the EU’s market, both sides agreed on considering the opportunities of cooperation in the energy efficiency sector and of the renewable energy sources, development of the power networks, their modernization and digitalization.