Over 460,000 Moldovans benefited from the liberalized visa regime with the EU during a year, since it was instituted, IPN reports. In a news conference held jointly, Minister of Foreign Affair and European Integration Natalia Gherman and Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Pirkka Tapiola said not many Moldovans were banned from entering the Schengen area or violated the regime of stay, which is a good sign.

Natalia Gherman said the increased mobility in the EU was declared a priority at the Prague Eastern Partnership Summit of 2009. In 2010 Moldova became the first EaP member state to launch the negotiations for being offered a liberalized visa regime. In 2011 it received the plan of action for obtaining it. In three years, on April 28, 2014, the EU allowed the Moldovans to travel visa-free in the Schengen area with biometric passports.

Moldova became the first state in the EaP that got a liberalized visa regime. According to Natalia Gherman, now Moldova is a source of good practices in this field for Ukraine, Georgia, and Armenia. She noted that the number of biometric passports issued, including to citizens living in the Transnistrian region, has increased.

Pirkka Tapiola stated that Moldova obtained a visa-free regime with the EU not because the European states are indulgent towards this country, but because it did concrete reforms. The EU financially supported the implementation of reforms, providing €21 million to the country in this process.

During a year, 1,355 Moldovan citizens weren’t admitted to the Schengen area, while over 2,300 violated the regime of stay in the EU. Pirkka Tapiola said these figures are very low at global level, but the authorities should tend to diminish them.

The two officials referred to the visit that is to be paid by the President of the European Council Donald Tusk to Moldova on April 28, saying this visit is symbolic one year after the abolition of the visa requirements and is a sign that the relations between Moldova and the EU continue to improve.

Natalia Gherman and Pirkka Tapiola also said that Europe Day will be marked in Moldova this year too. On May 10, this day will be celebrated in Chisinau, while on May 16 – in Soroca, where the fortress that was renovated with European funds will be reopened.