Josep Borrell: The future of Moldova and its citizens is definitely in the EU.
This was stated by the Vice-President of the European Commission, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy during a press conference organized following the results of the 7th meeting of the EU-Moldova Association Council. He said that the process of European integration is intensive and takes time, and each state is judged by its achievements, but moves along the path of European integration at its own speed. However, after today's meeting, he is confident that the future of Moldova and its citizens is clearly in the EU. Josep Borrell spoke about the main issues that were raised at the meeting. According to him, Moldova and the EU are expanding cooperation at the sectoral level. He welcomed Moldova's accession to European programs in the customs and tax fields, as well as to the EU4health program. “We are ready to consider the possibility of reducing tariffs for roaming between the EU and Moldova. We will support Moldova's efforts to modernize payment systems in order to fulfill the necessary conditions for Moldova's integration into the single European payment area. With regard to trade relations, we have decided to implement a priority plan for Moldova. This will allow us to advance in the implementation of the free zone of comprehensive and deep trade with the EU, as well as to expand Moldova's access to the European market,” Borrell said. He called on the country's authorities to implement an economic and investment plan for the implementation of reforms and use more than 1 billion euros provided for these purposes. The deepening of cooperation in the field of foreign policy, security and defense was also discussed. He noted the initiated dialogue in the field of security policy and cybersecurity, countering hybrid threats and the work that has begun to ensure the sustainability of the defense sector of Moldova, including in the form of 47 million euros allocated under the European Peace Mechanism. Borrell confirmed that Moldova has implemented important reforms in the field of justice and the fight against corruption, noted that important laws have been brought into line with European requirements. Natalia Gavrilita, in turn, expressed her gratitude to the European partners for the unprecedented support provided to Moldova. She noted the main achievements of the country in the field of justice, the fight against corruption, improving the quality of governance, etc. The EU-Moldova Association Council was held for the seventh time, the first time since Moldova received the EU candidate status. // 07.02.2023 — InfoMarket
