Moldova is one of the three countries, alongside Georgia and Turkey, with the highest economic growth in Europe. The Gross Domestic Product rose by 7.5% in the first semester of 2011. The growth in the first nine months of last year was 6.7%, Prime Minister Vlad Filat said in a news conference, summing up the results of the previous economic year, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the Premier, the growth was due not to the rise in consumption, but especially to the 12% rise in investments and the 61.9% rise in exports over the first nine months of 2011. The European Union remained Moldova’s main trade partner. Exports to the EU represented 53.1% of the total exports. The growth rate in exports was much higher that the growth rate in imports. “In the Doing Business rankings, we advanced 18 spots, which is a record jump. We thus were among the top 10 ten reforming countries in the world. The foreign direct investments in the national economy in 2011 rose by 9.2% compared with 2010, totaling 261 million dollars,” said Vlaid Filat. According to him, the poverty level during the last two years has decreased. The absolute poverty rate was 21.9%, down 4.4% from 2009. Among the Government’s objectives for 2012, the Premier mentioned the rise in the volume of investments, industrial production and exports, and making progress in the talks on visa liberalization and the creation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with the EU.