Interlic.md

Prime Minister Iurie Leanca:

„Dear ladies and Gentlemen,.

I am glad to welcome you on the occasion of the visit undertaken by European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom and European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos to Moldova.

It is not for the first time when we are visited by two European commissioners concomitantly, but it is for the first time when we have on visit two commissioners with such important competences for Moldova and for its modernisation process – one which regards the local affairs and second dealing with agriculture, rural and regional development.

Today, we had a very good discussion with both commissioners and I want to thank you for the significant support provided to our European integration, by concrete actions, via results with impact on Moldovan citizens, on society in general.

Mrs. Malmstrom was the one who backed and guided us in the dialogue on lifting European visas. If you remember, Mrs. Commissioner visited us in January 2011, when she presented, in Chisinau, the Action Plan on Visas with all conditions, which Moldova was to meet. Thus, after three years of hard work here in Chisinau, as well as in Brussels, unprecedented interaction between us in the justice and local affairs area, by late past April, a few weeks ago, as you know, we reached to much wished-for result of free visa regime for the Moldovan citizens.

Dear Cecilia, I want to thank you in the presence of journalists and through them, in the presence of the Moldovan society, for your personal contribution, for the fact that, from the very beginning, you trusted us and, by that optimism, encouragement and actions, you helped us reach this stage, when we feel more freely and this is an incredibly positive and beautiful feeling.

Certainly, we have enough sectors in which we will further work together, in everything meaning domestic affairs. Just now we have discussed an idea, in my opinion, very interesting, how we could benefit from experienced judges, prosecutors from the EU member states here, in Chisinau, not only for a few days, but for a few months. As it had happened in Romania and Bulgaria during the period of accession to the European Union and I hope that, if we manage to obtain such an understanding and to see them here, it will help us a lot in this objective and imperative of justice reform, prosecution reform, a goal which, unfortunately, faces a rather high resistance on behalf of the system. On this ground, if we could bring people who had practiced this job, they could help us in general and, in particular, those from the system.

Certainly, I also want to refer to agriculture and rural development. I would like to underline the contribution of Mr. Dacian Ciolos, a very good friend of ours, who has repeatedly visited us, in Chisinau, and who has helped us, first of all, to better understand which are the opportunities resulting from this increasingly closer relation between Chisinau and EU, who helped us in getting very practicable results, such as: the last week decision of the European Commission to double the import quotas for vegetable and fruit products, an extremely important element, for sure, in the situation when the member states will back this objective. But, as I know, there will not be such a problem.

Dear Dacian, I am grateful to you too! I thank you for having confidence in us! I thank you for the fact that you are as enthusiastic and motivated to help us now, as you were 3-4 years ago. Today, we discussed and will continue talks on very practical issues related to the possibility that Moldovan farmers benefit from concrete projects, possibly ENPARD, maybe next autumn. But, we have a lot to work in this area and I am confident that the expertise and experience of Mr. Commissioner Ciolos will be extremely useful for us.

Thus, I welcome you once again warmly and with a lot of friendship to Chisinau and thank you once again for the interest to help us, including communicating with the Moldovan society. Mr. Ciolos has already met Moldovan mayors and will pay a visit to Comrat tomorrow. Mrs. Malmström will communicate with Moldovan students tomorrow. Thank you once again for this huge effort!”.

European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom:

„Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister,.

Ladies and Gentlemen,.

I am pleased to be here in Moldova again. I came to congratulate the Moldovan citizens for getting the liberalisation of the visa regime with the European Union. More than ten thousand Moldovans have already taken advantage of this opportunity. Reports show that the process is going well. This is an important achievement. Moldova is the first country of the Eastern Partnership to win a visa liberalisation with the European Union, as it worked so hard. Also, this is due to the government’s strong commitment, as well as the sacrifices made by citizens to reform the country. This was done in a relatively short period of time. And it was clear to the Commission, well before Christmas, that we were ready to go further, I presented this proposal and it took some time. I am satisfied with the fact that the visa liberalisation took place on 28 April.

All the achieved reforms are very important. We began to see tangible results of the reforms, which turn into benefits for the Moldovan citizens. This will improve the quality of products and services.

Nevertheless, we are concerned about the fields in need to be reformed. To this effect, the prime minister mentioned the need for further reforms in the justice system, preventing and combating corruption. These changes are important for the enforcement of the provisions of the Association Agreement and of the one on creating the Free Trade Area.

We will support you to implement these reforms. You can rest assured that the Commission will on the side of Moldova’s in implementing these reforms.

Thank you very much for your hospitality!"

European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos:

“I am glad to be again in Chisinau and I am happy to be along with Cecilia Malmstrom, who, just as Mr Prime Minister was saying, was very pro-active, there could not be done too much, if the reforms were not carried out here, and Cecilia was the one to very much trust this project, this possibility and as she was saying, this is a success not only for Moldovan, this is a success also for the European Commission, when a partner country manages to carry a project through. The same thing we try on a very concrete and pragmatic sector as the agriculture and rural development, which also regards the residents’ expectations and interests, beyond the macroeconomic or political aspects, and therefore I have come to Chisinau again.

Besides the official meetings, I have already had a discussion today, I would say a deep one, with representatives of mayors from rural communes of Moldova. I discussed both the Free Trade Agreement, especially the agricultural component, explaining some things, clearing up certain aspects which run the risk of turning in all kinds of myths, such as Moldova or its peasants would allegedly be banned from doing something. We clarified these things, and I also explained the fact that this Association Agreement does not come only with the commercial free trade component, which, as time passes, will create opportunities in Moldova’s agro-food sector on the European market, but also has a programme of financial assistance, so that the public authorities of Moldova, farmers may benefit from investments, though informing, promotion of these opportunities of the Free Trade Agreement. I wanted to meet mayors, as in the European Union, not only the farmers and not only the direct agricultural economic activity are involved in the Rural Development, but also the mayors, local communities and issues related to the living standards in the rural environment.

I hope that, along with the government, we would manage, through the enforcement of the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD), for which Moldova will enjoy an allocation worth 120 million euros in the next period, and more exactly starting from this year till 2017, to do so that both the Moldovan agro-food sector benefit from the implementation of this programme in order to modernise, and also results be seen at the basis, in the rural environment, so that the living standards improve and even the small producers benefit from this programme.

Tomorrow, I will have a visit to Gagauzia, where I will meet local decision-makers, the bashkan, and then I will have a meeting with students of the Comrat University, and in the afternoon, we will meet representatives of the Moldovan Farmers’ Association along with Mr Agriculture Minister Vasile Bumacov, in order to discuss, also, this aspect of the Free Trade Agreement.

Mr Prime Minister informed that, at a request by the government, the European Commission ruled to propose that the member states double the import quotas, i.e. of possibility for Moldova to export the main vegetable and fruit products, I mean here apples, plums, grapes. We want to make this doubling ahead of the Agreement’s signing, so that these new quantities are introduced in the Accord due to be signed. I will debate these things with the farmers, as well as the way we are to implement this programme for Agriculture and Rural Development. The European Commission is to approve this programme for a budgetary allocation of 64 million euros till late next July, after which we expect from the government the programme on implementation, enforcement of rural development strategy, which has already been decided by the government, so that, as Mr Prime Minister said, we could start carrying out this programme as soon as possible.”.