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Jacques Barrot, the Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for justice, freedom and security, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the Commissioner responsible for external relations, Dragutin Mate, the Slovenian Minister for Home Affairs and Valentin Mejinschi, the Minister for Home Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, today launched, in cooperation with the appropriate ministers of the Member States concerned (Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden) a mobility partnership between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova, by signing a Joint Declaration in the margins of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. Vice-President Barrot stated: "Through these mobility partnerships, the European Union is taking practical steps to commit itself to managing migration in a coordinated and responsible fashion, which should better equip both the Union and its partners to meet the challenges posed by migration and to take full advantage of the opportunities it offers". Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner, responsible for external relations, continued: "I welcome the signature of this pilot mobility partnership between Moldova and the EU. This next-generation partnership will give Moldova and the EU a single framework for jointly addressing the questions of migration and development that are so important in the lives of Moldovan citizens. The Commission will give the partnership its full support, including financial aid". Mobility partnerships, which are currently in a pilot phase, are new instruments designed to give practical expression to the partnership between the European Union and third countries so as to ensure the responsible joint management of migratory flows in the interests of the Union, its partners and the migrants themselves. Mobility partnerships should also be seen in the context of the implementation of the Global Approach developed by the European Union in the field of migration. The Republic of Cape Verde and the Republic of Moldova are the first two countries with which the Union is entering into such a commitment. Initiatives taken under the partnership will aim to promote a better framework for the movement of persons and legal migration, in particular by increasing the Republic of Moldova's ability to manage migration and by implementing measures to inform, integrate and protect migrants and returnees, while respecting economic and social conditions in the Republic of Moldova. These initiatives will also seek to make better use of migration to promote development. The negative effects of the migration of workers, in particular highly qualified persons, will be mitigated by facilitating circular migration and the return and reintegration of such persons. The partnership also includes bilateral initiatives that encourage the transfer of social security benefits and programmes for sustainable reintegration, exchanges, training and temporary work. There are also plans to develop initiatives to encourage participation by the diaspora in the development of the Republic of Moldova by making it easier for communities of origin to use remittances for productive, development-related ends. Other initiatives will be set up in cooperation with the Republic of Moldova in order to consolidate its ability to manage its labour market, better address issues relating to asylum and protection of refugees, combat illegal migration and human trafficking and tighten border controls. On these last two items, account will be taken of the facilitating and coordinating role played by the Frontex Agency, which is expected to conclude an operational arrangement with the Republic of Moldova in the near future.