The Republic of Moldova marks 10 years since the signing of the Association Agreement with the European Union. “This major step of rapprochement with Europe brought, in the decade that followed, numerous advantages to our country and to each citizen,” Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gerasimov wrote on Facebook.
The official noted that thanks to the Association Agreement, Moldova is integrated into the European Economic Area and, thanks to the deep and comprehensive free trade, more than 2/3 of exports are oriented to the EU. The diversity and quality of Moldovan products have increased, boosting the economy. In recent years, more and more products – plums, grapes and cherries – have reached the tables of citizens in the European Union.
Moldova is also integrated into the EU energy market and buys natural gas at advantageous prices together with other European countries. It builds new high-voltage lines that provide secure access to electricity in the EU at competitive prices. Moldova is integrating into the European transport infrastructure – bridges, roads are being built, railways are being rehabilitated.
The Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration also said that thanks to the Association Agreement with the EU, Moldova launched the process of joining the Moldovan banks to the Single Euro Payments Area. Soon there will be no more fees for interbank transfers made by citizens and companies in Moldova and EU countries. Moldovan citizens travel freely, without visas in Europe, communicate on the phone and surf the Internet much easier and cheaper while roaming.
Thanks to the Agreement, Moldova has benefited from significant financial support from the EU, which helps to modernize the country and increase people’s quality of life, participates in most of the EU programs, such as EU Customs, Fiscalis, LIFE, EU4Health, Horizon Europe and Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), while civil society has had more resources to actively engage in public life.
“We continue to build European Moldova,” Cristina Gerasimov wrote on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Association Agreement with the European Union.
The Association Agreement between the Republic of Moldova, on the one hand, and the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their member states, on the other hand, was signed on June 27, 2014, in Brussels, Belgium.
