European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström accepted Prime Minister Iurie Leanca’s invitation to pay a visit to Moldova. European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos was invited to take part in the meeting of agriculture ministers of the EaP member states, which Moldova proposed to host in Chisinau. European Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger agreed to participate in the ceremony to start the construction works on the Ungheni-Iasi gas pipeline. The meetings of the officials took place during the Premier’s working visit to Brussels, IPN reports.
According to a communiqué from the Government, in the meeting with Dacian Ciolos, the officials discussed the latest developments as regards the policies promoted by Moldova and the EU in agriculture and rural development. They referred especially to the relevant draft national strategy and the programs to promote agricultural products adopted by the EU.
Iurie Leanca said that Moldova counts on the EU’s assistance in finalizing the draft strategy and in implementing it. He reiterated Moldova’s firm intention to take part in the European Neighborhood Program for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD).
The discussions in the meeting with Cecilia Malmström focused on the results of the EU assessment mission of February – March. The European official approved of the progress made by the Moldovan authorities in implementing the conditions of the second phase of the Moldova - EU Visa Liberalization Plan. She said that the European Commission’s report on the progress made by Moldova will be published by the June 25 meeting of the Moldova – EU Cooperation Council.
Cecilia Malmström welcomed the fact that Moldova is an incontestable leader in implementing the Mobility Partnership objectives, encouraging the Moldovan authorities to share this experience with the countries from the eastern and southern neighborhood of the EU.
In the discussions with Günther Oettinger, special attention was paid to the construction of the Ungheni – Iasi gas pipeline. The officials underlined the consistent development of the cooperation between Moldova and the EU in the energy sector. One of the latest developments in this respect was the creation of a joint group of experts that started work in March.
