European Commission President to visit Moldova November 29 and 30

Jose Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, will visit Chisinau on November 29 and 30, announced Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat at the opening of the 5th Diaspora Congress, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Prime Minister said the European official’s visit goal is to assess the relations between Moldova and the EU and to set concrete steps for the further development of these relations. Speaking before the roughly 100 participants in the Congress, Vlad Filat noted that the topics most frequently addressed in meetings with the diaspora are related to a greater freedom of traveling. “We progressed in this regard, as several airlines have come to Moldova offering lower airfares. This means you can come home more often and keep contact with the country”, said Vlad Filat. He added that in December, Moldova will negotiate with Israel the liberalization of the visa regime. Besides, at the beginning of November, an agreement to this effect will be signed with Turkey. As regards the efficiency of the consular service, the Prime Minister said that the austere budget didn’t allow opening more consulates, but the focus would fall instead on improving the quality of the existing services. The Fifth Diaspora Congress takes place in Chisinau on October 11 and 12. The event is organized as part of the project “Supporting the implementation of the migration and development component of the Moldova-EU Mobility Partnership”, financed by the EU and implemented by the International Organization for Migration's Mission to Moldova, in partnership with the Moldovan Government.