Polish experience could be a model of successful EU integration for Moldova - Marek Tatala, Director of Economic Freedom Foundation
In an interview for InfoMarket, he noted that joining the European Union brings significant economic benefits, including access to the EU Single Market, investments co-financed by European funds and the positive impact of institutional reforms: “Poland, which actively supports Moldova's aspirations for EU membership, is a good case study of economic success thanks to European Union integration”.
Poland's participation in the EU Single Market accelerated its economic growth by about 2 percentage points and European funds by an additional 0.5 percentage points. The examples of Poland, Czech Republic and other countries that accessed the EU in 2004, confirms that foreign are fundamental for dynamic developmental growth. According to the Polish Economic Institute, real GDP per capita in Central European countries (EU-8) is 27% higher than it would have been without EU accession. In the case of Polish, this increase reaches as much as 40 percent. Marek Tatala emphasized that the EU is the biggest provider of financial assistance to Moldova. The European Commission has already approved investments of 1.8 billion euros in the country's economy for the next three years. These funds will be used for the development of infrastructure, energy and business.
However, in order to accelerate EU integration and unlock supplementary support, Moldova needs to step up justice reforms and the eradication of corruption. Poland's example shows that the country has made significant progress in eradicating corruption over the past 20 years, which is confirmed by Transparency International data,” said the director of the Economic Freedom Foundation.
He also noted that the key step on Moldova's European integration path is the harmonization of the national legislation with the EU law. This is a complex task, which requires careful planning, skills, finances and the diligent drafting of regulations. A harmonized legal system is beneficial for trade and other trans-frontier economic activities, or for attracting foreign investments.
According to him, special attention should be paid to the correct and accurate transposition of EU legislation. For example, the implementation of the EU Tobacco Products Directive should be carried out in a transparent and predictable manner, without excessive regulation, which can negatively affect the business environment and foreign investors. Overregulation can act as a constraint to innovation, productivity, and growth. Poland experienced some problems due to “gold-plating”, i.e. the process whereby the powers of an EU directive are extended when being transposed into the national laws of a member state.
“Moldova can learn from the Polish experience in order to avoid mistakes and maximize the potential of integration into the European Union,” Director of Economic Freedom Foundation stressed. //19.11.2024 - InfoMarket.
