Brussels, 03/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 2 July, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle said he hopes the EU-Moldova association agreement will be initialled at the Eastern Partnership summit (in Vilnius on 29 November). This will depend on “the serious issues revealed by the political crisis” being “addressed without undue delay” and responsibly, he said.
“It is important for the politicians and the administration to be able to use the association agreement, and the opportunities it offers, to overcome the polarisation of the society and to show that it brings benefits to all the citizens”, Füle stated at the end of his meeting with Moldova's President Nicolae Timofti. “The economic part of this agreement could be a way how to also involve businesses from Transnistria”, he added
Reiterating the importance of learning the lessons from the recent political crisis in Moldova, Füle spoke of his “strong expectations” that the serious issues would be addressed without delay. The future support of the EU depends on this, he said.
Füle and Timofti agreed on the need to establish a robust system of checks and balances in order to ensure the independent behaviour of all state institutions, and they spoke of the importance of continuing reforms to the judicial apparatus. (CG/transl.fl)