Over 70 activities in Moldova have been supported by the EU to strengthen migration administration capacities through a 30-month, €2m project implemented by the Swedish Public Employment Service, IPN reports.

Speaking at the project concluding conference, Aneil Singh, EU Delegation's head of the Operations Section, said the project is part of the broader EU-Moldova Mobility Partnership, launched in 2008 and which has supported more than 85 projects, including the “Consolidation of migration management capacities” Project.

Project director Per Lindberg said the overall objective of the project was to promote legal circular migration of labor force between EU and Moldova. Key activities included provision of information about procedures and opportunities of regular migration, the risks of irregular migration as well as legal job and long-stay opportunities in the EU.

Sewden's Ambassador Ingrid Tersman noted that it's important for Moldova to formulate good labor and migration policies, given that it has such a large community abroad and at the same time a deficit of hands at home. “These challenges require continuous attention from the government”, she said.

The project's beneficiaries included migrants and state institutions. Among its activities were the publication of a business start-up guide and efforts to develop a draft employment law to ensure a better functioning of the labor market. The publication of a new Occupational Classifier, which replaced an obsolete version that no longer satisfied the needs of the labor market, was another key project activity. Further, the project featured two awareness-raising campaigns about opportunities for legally working and staying in the EU.

Additionally, the project supported the opening of three important internet resources for the Moldovan migrants, job seekers and internship seekers: www.din.md, www.e-angajare.md, and www.stagii.gov.md