Moldova improves conditions of export and investment attraction
Moldova has considerably improved its possibilities in the filed of export promotion and investment attraction within the European Union project - Support to Export Promotion and Investment Attraction in the Republic of Moldova - SEPIA.
During the Thursday press conference on results achieved during the 2-year project, project Team Leader Philip Santens said the main project results were the growth of export enterprise number and the provision of the Ministry of Economy with consulting support for policy elaboration.
According to him, there was conducted the accreditation of 3 laboratories within the project, which is aimed at the facilitation of Moldovan goods exportation.
Santens said it is a progress for Moldova that it managed to obtain these accreditations within 2 years, by spending only 300 thousand lei on it, while, at the same time, Syria, for example, failed to have it even within 6 years.
Head of the European Union Delegation to Moldova Dirk Schuebel said the project is important for Moldova, adding the EU became the main trade partner of the country last times, where are exported about 50% of Moldovan goods.
Schuebel said the European Union is also the biggest investor in Moldova, which has provided 75% of investments to the republican economy, and the amount permanently goes up.
He said after the SEPIA project finishes the EU will continue helping Moldova in it attempts to implement European standards.
"The project has achieved all the outputs we set it out to do and we are happy to see that this is also recognized by other donors as, for instance, the Dutch Centre for Promotion of Imports from Third Countries (CBI) will continue the export programs initiated by the Project in, among others, the wine, fresh fruit and vegetables and ICT sectors", Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova said.
Deputy Minister of Economy Octavian Calmac gave a high appreciation of the project, adding it favored the investment climate improvement in Moldova.
According to him, during 2 years of the project, the Ministry organized series of Moldovan business people foreign visits for acquainting them with export potential of other countries.
"In the issue of these visits, we established with regret, that Moldovan goods presence abroad leaves much to be desired. But we know now, what we must do to develop the export: to subsidize economic agents in international expositions for promoting Moldovan goods abroad", he said.
Calmac said the exports went up 15% during January-October in comparison to the analogous period of 2009, and imports - up 1%. The production equipment prevails over the imports structure, which, according to Calmac, is important for the domestic industry development.
The Deputy Minister also said that authorities try to open new trade areas in West and East.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov said the exports are the "economy oxygen", and one of the biggest obstacles in its development way is the absence of goods and market infrastructure quality.
"The EU does not give on some issues if it is concerned of the consumed goods quality, thus and so, Moldova, if it wants to export its goods, must meet EU quality standards in full", Bumacov said, adding the SEPIA helped the republic improving the technological development level. The project budget reached 1.6 million lei.
Infotag
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