Moldova has made significant steps forward to fulfil its Action Plan, EC official says

While a great deal of work has been done to fulfil the Moldova-EU Action Plan in the field of legislation, more work and activities are needed to make sure that this legislation is put into practice, so that every citizen of Moldova can feel in his daily life the results of the reforms under the Plan, said Hilde Hardeman, Head of Unit at the European Commission’s External Relations Directorate-General, upon conclusion of the eighth meeting of the Moldova-EU Co-operation Committee. She appreciated the developments registered over the past two and a half years since the launch of the Action Plan, referring in particular to the agreements on visa facilitation and readmission and the opening of the Common Visa Application Centre. Speaking about the independence and efficiency of the judiciary and freedom of press in Moldova, Ms Hardeman told reporters that important legislative steps have been taken in these fields as well, but this process always takes time and it can never be finished. There is not a single country in the world that can firmly say that work in these fields is completely finished. These are issues that require continuous attention from the authorities in Chisinau, the EC official said. Ms Hardeman added that EC would produce a final report on the fulfilment of the Plan by April 2008. However she couldn’t tell what form the framework for future cooperation between Moldova and the EU would take. For his part, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Valeriu Ostalep remarked that the framework for future cooperation is a widely discussed topic and a crucial issue on the agenda between Moldova and the EU. The authorities in Chisinau wish for a document that will ensure the four liberties (the right to freedom of circulation of people, capital, goods, and services) for the citizens of Moldova. At the same time, Ostalep described the discussions within the meeting as “highly productive”, which took stock of the progress made by Moldova in fulfilling the commitments under the Action Plan.