Brussels is analyzing Moldova's progress in competition policies. This exercise is aimed at determining the extent to which the legislation and the practice of applying this legislation comply with the rules existing in the European Union. As a result, the first cluster in the negotiation process could be opened in April, IPN reports.
European officials say that the Republic of Moldova is making progress in the accession process. "We check the legislation, the rules, what we call new foundations, how the law works, how public procurement goes. You showed that you not only understand how European rules are designed, but you also adapted the legislation very quickly to align with our rules," said Marc Jorna, an expert of the European Commission.
According to him, an intergovernmental conference with both sides is expected to take place in April, where the first cluster in the negotiation process will be officially opened.
Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gerasimov said that 161 acts of the European Union in the field of competition are to be incorporated into the practices of the Republic of Moldova. However, Moldova still has a lot of work to do in this regard in the coming years.
According to Gerasimov, the role of the Government is to prepare the country's economy for the moment of accession.
"More than 60% of exports go to the European single market, which proves that our entrepreneurs, our companies are already competitive and can offer the same standards, the same quality as companies in the EU member states. In the coming years, we will work even harder to ensure that all companies can cope with the competition on the single market," said Cristina Gherasimov.
Representatives of the Competition Council and of the business community of the Republic of Moldova noted that this fact will offer more development opportunities to companies in the Republic of Moldova.
"The Competition Council, as the authority that applies these practical rules in the Republic of Moldova, is quite well prepared to do so in accordance with the standards existing in the EU. The main challenge is our institutional capacity and our limitations to the resources we have. Here, we have a lot of things that need to be improved: qualified personnel, the resources needed to apply these rules both correctly and efficiently," said Alexandru Gertsescu, president of the Competition Council.
"The role of businesses will be a very important one because, on the one hand, we want to enjoy the benefits of joining the European Union in transitional periods, but we also want particular concessions to make the most of them, without having additional costs, at least during the transition period. We want Moldova to negotiate as preferential conditions as possible for accession," said Vasile Tofan, the representative of the business community.
The European Union granted the Republic of Moldova the candidate status on June 23, 2022. On December 14, 2023, it was decided to start the accession negotiations.
