Vasile Tarlev: Joining CEFTA will increase direct investments and will expand intra-regional commerce

A unique multilateral agreement of free regional trade and the EU Autonomic Commercial Preferences will contribute to the supplementary increase of direct investments in Moldova and the five countries from the Western Balkans. This declaration was made by the prime-minister Vasile Tarlev, at the Europe and South Europe Prime-minister’s summit from Bucharest dedicated to the simultaneous expand and amendment of Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). Tarlev considers that the simultaneous admittance to CEFTA of the countries that have already signed bilateral agreements of free trade based on actualized criteria would facilitate the acceleration of the expand process of the Free Trade Zone and would offer a unique free trade juridical framework. According to the prime-minister, Moldova participates at all the regional projects of the European and Southern European Stability Pact and is being supported by the European Commission and by other states from the region. “This makes us hope that on the date of the 4th of May 2006 at Thessalonica will be taken a decision regarding the adhesion of Moldova at the European and South Eastern European Cooperation Process. The prime-ministers of the states from The South Eastern Europe present at the CEFTA meeting from Bucharest on Thursday 6th of April adopted a declaration that requests the specialized ministers to expand and amend CEFTA. Negotiations will finalize at the end of September, so the agreement could be enforced by 2007 when Romania and Bulgaria might become EU members. The agreement will facilitate the establishment of an “origin cumulating diagonal” zone between the EU and Western Balkans countries and will stipulate the adequate administration and evaluation framework of an efficient project implementation. According to the declaration, the members of the agreement decided on initiating official negotiations until the 31st of May under the supervision of the Europe and South European Stability Pact regarding the signing of the agreement by the end of the year. By the end of this year the Republic of Moldova, Albany, Bosnia, Macedonia, Serbia-Montenegro and Kosovo could become CEFTA members.