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IER: Launch of the project Preparing Moldova for a comprehensive free trade area with the European Union

The European Institute of Romania (IER) recently launched the project 'Preparing Moldova for a comprehensive free trade area with the European Union' at the Infoeuropa Centre on April 1, 2011.

The event, organised together with the Department for European Affairs, was attended by Mr. Bogdan Mănoiu, Minister, Head of the Department for European Affairs, Mr. Leonard Orban, Presidential Adviser for European affairs, former member of the European Commission and Honorary President of EIR, Mrs. Gabriela Drăgan, Director-General of the European Institute of Romania, H.E. Iurie Reniţă, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova at Bucharest, Mr. Dinu Toderaşcu, Program Manager for Moldova, Ukraine and Russia, Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation Office (BST), Bucharest, as well as by Mr. Viorel Chivrigă, Head of Department, IDIS Viitorul, Chişinău.

Mrs. Gabriela Drăgan, Director-General of the European Institute of Romania, welcomed the important guests and underlined the aim of the project, which is to support the authorities of the Republic of Moldova directly involved in the negotiation process for concluding a free trade agreement with the European Union. Mrs. Drăgan presented the main components of the project, which are: the carry out of a training program (at Chişinău) for 30 members of the central public administration of the Republic of Moldova, the carry out of a study concerning the consequences of a large and comprehensive free trade area with the EU over the economy of the Republic of Moldova, as well as the creation of a debate platform about the free trade with the EU and the bilateral relation Romania - Republic of Moldova.

Mr. Leonard Orban, Presidential Adviser for European Affairs, Honorary President of the European Institute of Romania, expressed once again the support of Romania for the European evolution of the Republic of Moldova. Taking into consideration that the Republic of Moldova does not benefit from the so called European perspective, it has been recommended a gradual approach, with the separation of the efforts into various stages. Mr. Orban invited to balance and intelligence in approaching the future stages of the evolution of Republic of Moldova; in the same time, he noticed the more and more complex nature of the European trade policies and underlined the importance of this domain in the negotiations between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union. In this respect, it was highlighted the necessity to concentrate the efforts on three important domains: the negotiations concerning the free trade agreement, the association agreement and the mobility process (liberalisation of visa arrangements). The guest also reminded that, at Community level, it is intended a modification of the European Neighbourhood Policy so that the financial support to be awarded depending on the fulfilment of the obligations of the partner states, among which the Republic of Moldova can be found.

Mr. Bogdan Mănoiu, Minister, Head of the Department for European Affairs, highlighted the opportunity to carry out such a project, like the one initiated by the European Institute of Romania and IDIS Viitorul, that would have an important contribution to the negotiation process for the conclusion of the large and comprehensive free trade agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union. Mr. Mănoiu reassured the Moldavian authorities of Romania's support for optimising the important progress that had been recorded. 'In a wider perspective, taking into consideration the objective of the Republic of Moldova – the fully accession to the European Union –, we express once again our determination to contribute to this desire by using the preparation experience gained by the Department for European Affairs.'

H.E. Iurie Reniţă, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova at Bucharest, highlighted the main objective of the Moldavian government (the European integration) in a context in which the political dialogue between the Moldavian officials and the EU has recorded special results. His Excellency expressed the will of the Moldavian authorities to continue the reforms in essential domains like justice and internal affairs and customs security. Also, the main priority remains the initiation of the Free Trade Agreement, mentioning that important results have been recorded despite the lack of expertise and financial resources caused by the present economic crisis. H.E. Iurie Reniţă thanked the Romanian authorities for the 'consistent, constant and multi-dimensional assistance' offered and launched a call to all the Member States to support the European action of the Republic of Moldova.

Mr. Viorel Chivrigă, representative of IDIS – Viitorul in the project highlighted the fact that Romania's expertise can be very useful to the Republic of Moldova in the negotiation process. The guest greeted the initiative of the European Institute of Romania to carry out such a project in which the Romanian expertise could be transferred to the public administration in the Republic of Moldova. Mr. Chivrigă also underlined that the lack of finalisation of reforms represented 'Achilles heel' for the Republic of Moldova and, in the same time, expressed his hope that practical projects like this one would contribute to improving this less positive element.

Mr. Dinu Toderaşcu, Program Manager for Moldova, Ukraine and Russia, representative of Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation – German Marshal Fund, institution that finances the project, highlighted the fact that the project launched by the EIR enters in the cross-border cooperation projects carried out by EIR and which are meant to facilitate the expertise exchanges between Romania and its neighbours. Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation finances mainly three areas: civic participation initiatives, cross-border initiatives and connections with the eastern states. Mr. Toderaşcu underlined the consistency of BST in supporting the initiatives concerning the Republic of Moldova.

Sursa: http://www.actmedia.eu

Tags: moldova european important republic which support agreement affairs highlighted romania trade comprehensive union institute project department

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