The meeting of the Moldova – EU Association Council that took place in Brussels last week was held at an unprecedentedly high representation level, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Iurie Leanca stated in the program “Reply” on Prime TV channel, IPN reports.
Iurie Leanca said the Council should be analyzed in a broader context of the events that take place in the country. The relations between the EU and Moldova have intensified, including at politic level. The level at which this Council was represented is important. “The fact that Missis Mogherini, who is the Vice President of the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Mister Hahn, Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, were present there is an unprecedented thing, as far as I know. The level was usually much lower,” he stated, noting this could mean that Moldova counts more than earlier for the EU.
Minister of Finance Octavian Armasu said the Council’s meeting didn’t include many discussions on the financial-banking sector. This means there are no major problems in this regard at present. “The reform agenda is implemented as it was agreed from the start by the program with the International Monetary Fund and later by the conditions for providing macro-financial assistance. So, everything goes according to plan and all the measures are being implemented,” stated the minister.
Minister of Economy Kiril Gaburici noted the economic relations between Moldova and the European Union in 2017 grew by about 20% on a year before. Exports to the EU last year represented 65%. “The statistical data continue to show rises. The Association Agreement enables to extend the number of exported products and the quotas. We are doing our best for our products to be of the highest quality and to occupy a place on the shelves in the EU stores,” he said.
Journalist Valeriu Renita said the relations with the EU are economic and political and the disappointment in Moldova as a success story cannot last for years. “There was a letdown, but now we have realistic things and should go on,” he stated.
The Moldova – EU Association Council met in Brussels on May 3. After the meeting, Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn stated that Moldova is to fulfill two more conditions to be able to receive the first installment of the €100 million in macro-financial assistance provided by the EU – to make the National Integrity Authority operational and to adopt an additional budget for the anticorruption institutions to be able to work.
