Economic expert Viorel Chivriga, who made the study “Priorities and challenges in the implementation of the DCFTA in the Republic of Moldova”, commissioned by the Foreign Policy Association (APE), said the Association Agreement between Moldova and the European Union will be doomed to failure if the reforms started by the government are not implemented.
“We need competition, clear rules of the game and a legislative framework friendly to the business community. We must destroy the barriers faced by the business community as they hamper the country’s economic development. We need production and investments,” Viorel Chivriga said when presenting the study in a news conference at IPN.
The expert stated the authorities can speak a lot about the benefits of the rapprochement with the EU, but we need visible results that will be accepted by the population. “The negotiation and the implementation of the Association Agreement have been excessively politicized. It’s a big mistake. The accord belongs to society, not to a party or another. This is to the detriment of the correct implementation,” stated Viorel Chivriga.
According to him, it’s very important to promote and disseminate information. “Opinion polls show that there are wide discrepancies. The number of those who choose the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union exceeds the number of those who are for joining the European Union or the numbers are almost equal. The people are waiting for information. We will achieve success when we realize that there are implementation terms and costs and there must be responsible institutions,” stated Viorel Chivriga.
He added that there are sides that can contribute to the implementation of the DCFTA – the business community, the local public administration, the scientific community and civil society. “We need human resources and mechanisms for ensuring interaction between institutions. We need changes in a number of sectors. The laws can be very good, but it’s bad when they are not implemented. We must adjust the legislation to the international one or implement the community acquis. We will incur large costs for meeting the international standards and need human resources,” stated the expert.
The study was carried out with the support of East Europe Foundation with the financial resources provided by the Government of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark/DANIDA.
