The first European Common Visa Application Centre (CVAC) was inaugurated within the Embassy of Hungary in Chisinau, on Wednesday, April 25, an event attended by Moldova’s leadership and European high officials. Nine months ago, Vice President of the European Commission (EC), Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, Franco Frattini proposed the Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin to open in Chisinau such a Centre to facilitate visa issuance to a number of European states, Info-Prim Neo reports. The ceremony was opened by Hungary’s Ambassador Bayer Mihaly, who said that the desire alone to open the centre was not enough. Today’s inauguration was made possible thanks to the support of Moldova’s leadership. The presence of the EC vice president at the Centre’s opening ceremony shows the unity between EC and the member states, as well as the support provided to the Common Application Centre, the Hungarian Ambassador said. President Vladimir Voronin stated that Centre’s inauguration is a historic event, as its activity will facilitate Moldovan citizens’ access to free travel. According to the head of state, Franco Frattini launched the idea of such a Centre in June 2006. In December 2006 it was framed and EU took the decision to open the Centre within four months. Vladimir Voronin thanked the Hungarian Government and embassy, which hosts CVAC, the countries that joined the Centre and those that are willing to grant visas through the agency of CVAC. “In concert with the Hungarian Government and Embassy we assume responsibility to make the Centre work efficiently”, Voronin said. Attending the ceremony, the Hungarian Foreign Minister Kinga Goncz said that this model of common application centre will be used in other countries too. At the same time, the large number of persons attending the Centre’s opening ceremony proves Moldova’s EU aspiration. EC Vice-President Franco Fratinni stated that as a political decision, the Centre’s opening is a reliable message for Moldova. “This Centre will remove bureaucracy and logistics problems, offering Moldovan citizens the possibility to travel freely throughout Europe”, Frattini said. He further mentioned that in December the borders will be removed in all the EU space and the cooperation will continue with the countries which, as the European official put it, deserve EU’s attention. Initially, the Centre will issue visas for Hungary, Austria, Latvia and Slovenia. Recently, the Hungarian side informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration that Denmark and Sweden, to which President Voronin has recently paid a visit, voiced their readiness to join these countries. Other EU member states, in particular Finland, Estonia and Belgium, are considering the possibility to participate in Centre’s activity.