The Human Development Index of Moldova over the last decade increased faster than the world average, but not sufficiently enough to significantly reduce the discrepancy with the new EU member states and the accession candidates, says the report “European Aspirations and Human Development of the Republic of Moldova” that was made public in Chisinau on December 7, Info-Prim Neo reports. Moldova now ranks 111th in the Global Human Development Rankings out of 187 states, with 56 positions lower than the worst ranked EU member states. The constraints that hinder the process of convergence with the new EU member states are the low incomes, the population’s state of health and the modest quality of education. The quality of the education system does not cope with the needs of a competitive economy, as stated by the World Economic Forum. The report authors consider that when Moldova signs the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the EU, the demand for labor force and the need for skilled workers will increase. The report also shows that the life expectancy at birth in Moldova is only 69.3, which is close to the inferior limit of the group of the new EU member states. It also sees one of the greatest discrepancies by gender as the men live by eight years less than the women. The authors recommend that Moldova should behave like an accession candidate of the EU even if it still does not have clear accession prospects.