Italy is the third most important commercial partner of Moldova with a trading volume of about US$ 300 million in the first half of this year. Moldova hosts over 700 companies with Italian capital and the investments made by these companies come to about US$ 90 million. The statistics were presented in the fifth Forum of Italian Companies and Joint Moldovan-Italian Companies that held within the Moldova Business Week, IPN reports.
According to Deputy Minister of Economy and Infrastructure Vitalie Iurcu, Moldova banks on Italian investments and will continue its reform agenda so as to attract these. Thus, the number of permissive acts required in Moldova will continue to be reduced. The state inspection regulation reform will be continued. The number of agencies with inspection duties was reduced from 67 to 18. Starting with 2018, the number of reports that the companies will have to present annually will be decreased to one.
Italy’s Ambassador to Moldova Valeria Biagiotti said the continuous dialogue between institutions and entrepreneurs is fundamental. Italy confirmed that it is a key partner of Moldova. The Italian presence in Moldova should continue to grow and the countries should profit including from the benefits provided by the Association Agreement with the EU in the business sector.
EU Ambassador to Moldova Peter Michalko noted that this event is a perfect opportunity for developing the economic and cooperation relations between the two states. The EU works alongside the Moldovan authorities to continue the reforms that would provide conditions for business and investment. These actions would help transform Moldova into a powerful and competitive partner, including from economic viewpoint.
Nicolae Marza, the representative of a joint Moldovan-Italian cheese company, said that if Moldova was certified to export milk products to the EU, this would be an advantage. In the absence of this opportunity, Moldova is the only market for the company.
The fifth Forum of Italian Companies and Joint Moldovan-Italian Companies brought together about 100 representatives of the Italian business community working in Moldova. The event is organized by the Embassy of Italy in Chisinau in cooperation with the Moldovan-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Italian-Moldovan Chamber of Commerce.
