IPN on January 2 published an OP-ED article entitled “Bulgarian presidency of EU Council and effects on Moldova”, which was written by expert in political sciences Dionis Cenusa. The analysis says that over the next six months of 2018, Bulgaria will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union. It is for the first time that Bulgaria heads the Council after 11 years of its entry. At the same time, it is for the first time in the EU that the rotating presidency is held by a member state that does not form part of the Eurozone or the Schengen Area. Read more ...

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The fact that Bulgaria chose to concentrate on the Western Balkans shows that the Eastern Partnership will not be in the center of the EU’s attention for at least six months, wrote political pundit Dionis Cenusa. According to the politologist, in practical terms this cannot essentially influence the situation of the countries that managed to develop a separate bilateral legal and institutional framework with the EU. Consequently, the countries with Association Agreements, which include Moldova, will continue to be in the orbit of the EU, but the Eastern European countries without new agreements with the EU (Azerbaijan, Belarus) could be partially in the shadow. Read more ...

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The agricultural production in 2018 will be by 5% higher compared with 2017. The prices in the first half of this year, especially of grains and fruit, will be unstable, but will be higher than those logged in the second half of 2017. The estimates were made by the programs director of the Institute for Development and Social Initiative “Viitorul” Viorel Chivriga. According to the expert, extended risks will be witnessed in 2018 and 2019 as regards the implementation of the Association Agreement’s provisions on agriculture, regional development and environment, generated by the reorganization of the competent Ministry. Read more ...

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President Igor Dodon will soon present a country development concept for the next few years. “Some want in Europe, while others want to be closer to the Russian Federation. Some want Moldova to unite with Romania, while others want the union with Russia. Time came to think about Moldova. We are divided by many things, but are all united by one important thing – we love our motherland, the Republic of Moldova,” said President Dodon. He believes that it is important for Moldova to borrow the best practices, both of the European Union and of the Russian Federation. Read more ...

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There are many things to be done in 2018 and the reform agenda is a very ambitious one, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said in an interview for the public TV channel Moldova 1. He noted that 2017 brought economic growth and this favored the rise in public and social investments. Progress was also made at foreign level. “We reestablished absolutely good relations with our development partners, and I refer here first of all to the European Union, but also with our foreign financial partners, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. I’m glad that in December 2017 we managed to firstly sign the agreement on macro-financial assistance and we also had a positive assessment from the International Monetary Fund,” stated the Prime Minister. Read more ...

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A new law on the Customs Service will be promoted in the Government and Parliament in the course of 2018. The main provisions of the document refer to the appointment of the director general, which is proposed to be named by the minister of finance for a five-year term on a contest basis. The customs functionaries are to be chosen also by contest. Customs Service director general Vitalie Vrabie said the the new Customs Code of the Republic of Moldova was drafted and was proposed for public debates and will be soon submitted to the Cabinet and then to Parliament for consideration. “The new code was adjusted to the EU standards and specifies a series of instruments for facilitating trade, which enable to apply simplified customs procedures. 2018 will be a preparatory period during which we will work out all the regulations for ensuring the implementation of the code,” stated Vitalie Vrabie. Read more ...

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Farmers, including small ones, from the left side of the Nistru River can benefit from professional consultancy at an organic agriculture consulting center. This was created on the initiative of four specialized associations from the right and left sides of the Nistru within the UNDP-implemented Support to Confidence Building Measures Program. Read more ...

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Joint Moldovan-Romanian controls at three border crossing points will be launched this year. The border crossing points are: Cahul-Oancea, Costesti-Stanca and Lipcani-Radauti. Customs Service director general Vitalie Vrabie told a news conference that the works to modernize and extend the customs posts will begin in 2018. The project has a budget of €5 million, €3.2 million of which is the EU financing. Read more ...

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The whole scheme to liberalize and open up Moldova’s energy market is described in detail in the Association Agreement with the European Union. The Agreement contains the list of documents that should be approved and defines the way in which the market should be later opened up to investors, expert Dorin Dusceac stated in the talk show “People’s Council” on 10TV channel. “If we fulfill the assumed commitments, the liberalization of the market and modernization of infrastructure will become a reality, not only a thing wanted and declared by politicians,” said Dorin Dusceac, who is a researcher at the Paris-based Atomic Energy Commission and the deputy chairman of the National Unity Party. Read more ...

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In 2017, the European Commission chose four projects to strengthen capacities in higher education in the Republic of Moldova, with a budget of €1 million. The National Office of the European Union program for education, training, youth and sport Erasmus + said that in 2017 it offered 506 credit mobility funds. This means that the university students and staff of Moldova could better familiarize themselves with the European higher education system, could implement the best practices and advance in the university internationalization process. Read more ...

The summary of news from the IPN series “European Integration” is produced with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany and can be further disseminated on condition that the source is indicated.