Moldova to start negotiations with EU concerning visa regime facilitation

On February 9, the first round of negotiation on the issues regarding the facilitation of the visa regime for Moldovan citizens will take place in Brussels, deputy minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Valeriu Ostalep stated during a briefing on Wednesday, January 24. According to him, at that date the first meeting on the technical level will take place, within which Moldova will solicit visa issuance in a facilitated regime for some categories of persons, including journalists, specified the quoted source. Ostalep also announced that in April the Joint Centre for the EU visa issuance will start functioning, and will operate at the Hungary’s Embassy in Chisinau. Within the Centre, consular officers of Austria and Slovenia will work, and will be later joined by the officials from at least other 3 states, who will collect documents requested for visa obtainment. Ostalep mentioned that the opening of the Centre will facilitate the visa obtainment to a certain extent, but once with its activity the dialogue with the EU on maximum liberalisation of the visa regime for Moldovan citizens will not cease. The EU Council of Ministers authorised the European Commission to negotiate the Agreement on visa regime facilitation and the Agreement on readmission between the European Community and Moldova. The decision was made on December 19. According to MAEIE, It is already known that the agreement on visa regime facilitation will stipulate a series of advantageous conditions for the procedures of visa issuance for Moldovan citizens, will establish a simplified procedure for obtaining multiple visas for relatively long terms and will allow free visa issuance for certain categories of persons.