Pirkka Tapiola: Moldova made considerable progress, but has yet a lot to do

10.09.2014 05:03
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The Republic of Moldova has developed a lot over the last few years, but there are yet many challenges, Head of the European Union Delegation to Moldova Pirkka Tapiola stated in the program “Place for dialogue” on the public station ”Radio Moldova”, IPN reports.

“The country grew and developed, but there is yet a lot to be done. Many reforms started, a large part of which were not finished, while those that were completed haven’t produced the results expected by the people. It’s true that the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU and the abolition of the visa regime are very important, but the reforms that help the country move on are much more important,” said Pirkka Tapiola.

He also said that the Republic of Moldova is now able to economically integrate into the EU owing to the Free Trade Agreement. “Things were started, but should be brought to an end and you have to do enormous work. I’m concerned about the expression “in the short term”. Benefits cannot appear overnight. You must work and the producers will manage to successfully export to the EU market,” stated the diplomat.

Asked about Moldova’s prospects of joining the EU, Pirkka Tapiola said Moldova’s wish and aspiration for European integration are very important for the European Union. “This is a process that will help build something beneficial for the people. We recently signed the most ambitious association agreement and should now lay emphasis on the implementation of this accord, while the results will contribute to forming a pro-European consensus for all the citizens of Moldova. Personally, I’m optimist when I see what’s going on here,” he stated.

Pirkka Tapiola is a Finish diplomat who was appointed as Head of the European Union Delegation to Moldova on April 4, 2013, instead of Dirk Schuebel, whose tenure expired last November. He served as counselor on development in Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the European External Acton Service and as senior adviser at the Council of the European Union. Earlier, he worked as a Finish diplomat in Ukraine and Thailand.