Brussels, 26/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - During her visit to Chisinau on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 October, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström urged the Moldovan authorities to continue their efforts to fully implement the agreement setting up the EU-Moldova free-trade area, which came into effect in September 2014. Hailing the progress made thus far, which has contributed to the resilience of the Moldovan economy, Malmström called for reform to be speeded up and for the banking scandal to be quickly resolved by the courts.
Despite the significant difficulties encountered by Moldova - the economy has shrunk and the banking system is in crisis - the stable trade framework put in place with the free-trade area has prevented any fall in bilateral trade since autumn 2014, the commissioner stated at a conference on the EU-Moldova free-trade agreement, in the Moldovan capital Chisinau on Friday 23 October.
“Access to the European Union's market has provided a source of considerable stability at this very difficult time. Over the first year of the DCFTA (deep and comprehensive free-trade agreement), even as Moldova's overall exports fell dramatically, they continued to grow with the EU. EU imports from Moldova increased, while our total bilateral trade remained constant. As a result, in the last year the EU's share of Moldovan exports rose by 10 percentage points. Today we buy almost two thirds - 62% - of the goods you sell to the rest of the world. And that's not just the product of pure economic forces. It's also because the EU has been a reliable partner for the people of Moldova at your time of need”, she stated.
Malmström also hailed the “good progress” made by Moldova in implementing the provisions of the agreement: “significant reforms” on the way customs works, joining an important convention on rules of origin, “increased efforts” to tackle piracy and new legislation put in place to protect intellectual property, joining the WTO government procurement agreement, the Moldovan standards authority's joining the EU's umbrella organisation and the adoption of almost 2,000 EU standards in the first half of 2015 alone.
“But there is still, of course, a lot of work to be done”, the commissioner warned, highlighting in particular implementation of EU rules, especially in agriculture. “Dairy and other animal production should be great success stories for Moldova on the EU market. But rules on food safety and animal health need to be put in to practice before that can truly happen”, she made clear.
She also urged Chisinau to establish the right business climate in the country, by tackling the recent banking scandal head-on. “We are concerned about how long the process to bring justice is taking. Those who are responsible need to be found. They should be tried and, if found guilty, punished with the full force of the law. It's in the interest of ALL the people of this country. Only by punishing ALL those responsible can Moldova show that the rule of law applies here. And only by doing that can Moldova create confidence: - for the foreign investors who do want to come here, - for anyone who wants to trade with Moldovan exporters - and - most of all - for the Moldovan businesses who want to invest and grow themselves”, she stressed. “And while it's certainly the government's responsibility to take action, it's also the responsibility of civil society, including the business community”, she argued. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)