The Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) programs of the Republic of Moldova and the European Union will be mutually recognized in a move to facilitate and secure bilateral trade. The Mutual Recognition was launched on Friday and the relevant agreement will take effect on November 1, IPN reports.
Attending the launch, Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița said that this Mutual Recognition will help the Republic of Moldova to increase its capacities to export to the EU. This desideratum is even more important in the context of the difficult economic situation in the region. The facilitation of customs operations will contribute to reducing the pressure on the frontier posts at the border with Romania.
“This result is a powerful signal of trust in the Government I lead and in the corruption fighting commitments we undertook. The information technology system for exchanging data for the mutual recognition of Authorized Economic Operators is the first electronic system connecting the customs authorities of our country and those of the EU. In other words, the EU and its member states gave a vote of confidence to the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova that, under the new system, will be treated as a counterpart by any country of the European community,” stated the official.
The EU Ambassador in Chisinau Jānis Mažeiks said that during the past eight years, the Europeans Union has strengthened its role as the main trading partner of the Republic of Moldova. Over 50% of the Republic of Moldova’s commercial exchanges are with the EU. “The Authorized Economic Operators and the mutual recognition of these will further contribute to strengthening the commercial relations. These results were achieved during a relatively short period of time and Moldova is indeed the first country in the region that secured such an agreement. Not many countries have such an agreement with the European Union,” noted Ambassador Mažeiks.
Customs Service director Igor Talmazan said that after Russia launched it invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian ports were blocked and almost all the economic operations were redirected to the Moldovan-Romanian customs posts. This led to a series of operational blockages, while the supply chain disruptions caused inconveniences to business entities. “Together with the implementation of this program as from November 1, we hope a lot that these problems will be solved and the business entities will be able to supply goods on time and will not need to stay in these long lines witnessed at the moment,” stated Igor Talmazan.
According to the authorities, by the Mutual Recognition of AEO partnership programs, security of supply chains will be strengthened and exchanges with the EU will be facilitated. This commitment derives from the Moldova – EU Association Agreement, especially its provisions on the customs regime and trade facilitation. The EU has concluded and implemented Mutual Recognition of AEO programs with Norway, Switzerland, Japan, Andorra, the US, China and United Kingdom.
