Visiting EU commissioner praises Moldova's progress

Chisinau, 5 June /MOLDPRES/ - Prime Minister Vlad Filat today met visiting European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule, the government's communication and media relations department has reported.

Deputy Prime Minister Eugen Carpov, Foreign and European Integration Minister Iurie Leanca and the head of the EU delegation to Moldova, Dirk Schuebel also participated in the meeting.

The prime minister thanked the European Commissioner for his participation in the first Informal Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Eastern Partnership states and for the support in the organization of this event in Moldova.

Filat said that the Moldovan government would further implement the agenda of reforms. The prime minister said that the political situation had stabilized after the election of the president, adding that this would allow implementing reforms in the established timeframes.

The officials also tackled the economic situation in Moldova. Filat said that a FMI mission reviewed the economic indexes in Chisinau two weeks ago.

"Unfortunately, the economic growth this in 2012 will not reach the levels attained over the past years. Yet, we forecast a 3-per-cent economic growth. The most important fact is that the inflation rates are decreasing," Filat said.

The sides also broached the Transnistrian conflict and the headway made in its settlement.

For his part, European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule said he was glad to come back to Moldova and to take part in the Informal Dialogue within Eastern Partnership. He noted that the organization of this event in Chisinau serves as a proof of the international partners' support for Moldova.

At the same time, Stefan Fule said that the upcoming meeting of the Moldovan-EU Cooperation Council due on 26 June 2012 would serve as an opportune political moment for announcing the commission s decision on the shift to the next stage of the dialogue on a visa-free regime.

The EU official urged the Moldovan government to further preserve the same pace in the implementation of reforms. At the same time, he praised Moldova's progress recorded in this respect over the past two years.