EU Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom said the European Union earmarked hundreds of millions of euros for financing Moldovan SMEs. In a press briefing held jointly with Prime Minister Valeriu Strelet, the European official said the visit made to Chisinau enables her to confirm the very good friendship, partnerships and commercial relations existing between the EU and Moldova, IPN reports.

“We contribute to the improvement of the investment climate with technologies that could encourage economic growth and could create new workplaces. It is evident that trade can be a force of stabilization in any period and we are glad about all the good and substantial reforms that were done by the Government of Moldova,” stated Cecilia Malmstrom.

The European official expressed her concern about the situation in the banking sector, saying it is important that the investigations should be continued, while those to blame should be brought to justice, in accordance with the international standards.

For his part, Valeriu Strelet said that the EU Commissioner for Trade’s visit to Moldova crowns a series of joint events that took place over the last few weeks and that, in the current realities, confirm that an irreversible process that will guarantee the country’s development and modernizations was launched with the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU.

Cecilia Malmstrom is paying a two-day visit to Moldova. The European commissioner had a number of meetings with Moldovan officials, including President Nicolae Timofti. In them, the official summed up the results achieved during one year of the creation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with the EU.