EU Ambassador to Moldova Peter Michalco said they do not see now a continuation of the progress achieved by the previous Government led by Maia Sandu in the second half of last year. The efforts made particularly in the second half of 2019, the initiated reforms and the political will show in that period should continue, IPN reports.

“We expect them to continue. We expect the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office to take the necessary steps as those taken until last December. We now do not see a continuation of this progress. It is a test for the Republic of Moldova and its institutions, if they are able to bring particular things to an end. It also goes to cases where there are accused persons, but the trial isn’t over yet and justice should do its job,” the European official stated in the talk show “Emphasis on today” on TVR Moldova channel.

Peter Michalko said the Republic of Moldova during the past three years made considerable progress in such areas as the economy, trade, the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement that led to a very high level of commercial exchanges and enabled the Moldovan products to reach the EU market.

At the same time, there are areas where no progress was made. On the contrary, there is stagnation or regression. These areas include the democratic standards, especially until last June, the areas related to democracy and the rule of law, the fight against corruption that wasn’t accentuated enough. “The foreign partners, but first of all the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, expected and asked for progress from the authorities in investigating important cases, primarily the bank fraud – the recovery of the money and punishment of those to blame. It is important to say that these areas continue to be important and remain in the focus of the foreign partners, including the EU,” stated the EU Ambassador.

He also said that three is now no political force in Moldova that would question the fact that the Association Agreement lays at the basis of the relationship between Moldova and the European Union. It is the basis for reforms, for changes whose objective is to improve the life of citizens, to transform the state institutions into better servants for the people and to introduce European standards that should become a reality for the citizens.