Brussels, 23/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 21 January, the Council adopted a regulation granting Moldova additional Community autonomous trade preferences and amending Council Regulation 980/2005/EC and European Commission Decision 2005/924/EC. As proposed by the Commission (see EUROPE 9544), the regulation adopted extends Moldova's autonomous trade preferences by removing all Community tariff ceilings for its industrial goods and improving access to the Community market for its agricultural products. In addition, the introduction of autonomous preferences makes Moldova's inclusion in the EU's Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) unnecessary. Moldova, then, has been removed from the list of beneficiaries of Regulation 980/2005/EC and the list of beneficiary countries which qualify for the GSP+ in decision 2005/924/EC. Relations between the EU and Moldova are established on the 1998 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, the main aims of which are to promote trade and investment, and to foster the sustainable development of the former Soviet republic. (E.H.)