The EU and Moldova welcome the progress on update of the Association Agenda and look forward to its formal adoption at the earliest opportunity, says a joint statement following the sixth Moldova-EU Association Council meeting held today in Brussels.
The updated Association Agenda will guide the implementation of the AA/Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) as well as programming of EU financial support, taking into consideration the March 2020 Joint Communication on the future of Eastern Partnership and the Joint Staff Working Document on post-2020 Eastern Partnership priorities.
The Association Council reiterated the expectation that Moldova step up efforts to support the rule of law, and to prevent and fight against corruption as a matter of highest priority. It reiterated the EU’s commitment to continue supporting Moldova in implementation and monitoring of these reforms to achieve tangible improvements in the lives of the citizens of Moldova. In this regard, the EU recalled that its assistance is based on the principle of conditionality linked to satisfactory progress on reforms, notably in the area of justice, rule of law and fight against corruption.
The EU recalled also its commitment to help Moldova address the long-term effects of the pandemic by mobilizing up to EUR 600 million in the next 2-3 years under the Economic Recovery Plan.
The parties agreed on the need to increase efforts on gender equality and prevention of violence against women and girls. In this regard, the EU welcomed Moldova’s recent ratification of the Istanbul convention. The EU encouraged Moldova to continue efforts aimed at protecting the rights of persons belonging to minorities and to tackle discrimination in all its forms.
The Association Council welcomed the continued effective fulfilment of the visa liberalisation benchmarks, underlining the substantial number of Moldovan citizens that have benefited from the visa-free regime. The EU referred to the Fourth Visa Suspension Mechanism report, recalling the need for further efforts to address the issue of unfounded asylum applications, align the visa policy with EU lists of visa-required third countries, and make progress on fighting financial fraud, anti-money laundering, and the prevention of and fight against corruption and organized crime.
Also, the EU reiterated its commitment to support Moldova’s macroeconomic and financial stabilization, and highlighted its readiness to support Moldova with a new macro-financial assistance program in conjunction with a new International Monetary Fund program as a result of the Government’s re-engagement with the IMF. The Association Council recalled the importance of preserving stability in the financial and banking sector and the independence of the National Bank of Moldova.
The Association Council encouraged Moldova to adopt the spirit of the European Green Deal and to ensure that the COVID-19 economic recovery follows a green path.
The EU welcomed Moldova’s commitment to the Eastern Partnership and looked forward to continuous cooperation in view of the Summit in December 2021, which is expected to endorse the post-2020 agenda based on recovery, resilience and reform. The Association Council agreed on the importance of good neighbourly relations between Moldova and Ukraine, including on the issue of the sustainable use of the Nistru river basin.
