Visitors of the European Village found out more about the tangible results of EU – Republic of Moldova Association Agreement implementation in the framework of a public debate organised with the EU High-Level Advisers.

Topics covered during the debates included Education, Customs, Regional Development, Rural Development and Agriculture, Environment and Food Safety. EU High-Level Advisers, each of them being top experts from EU member states, spoke about their first-hand experience in implementing reforms in countries of origin, as well as the reform results achieved in their field of expertise by the Moldovan institutions they are advising since the EU – Republic of Moldova Association Agreement has been in effect.

On the modernisation process of education system spoke the EU High-Level Adviser on Education, former Minister of Education, Research, Youth and Sport in Romania, Daniel Funeriu.
The importance of tackling environment and climate change issues was referred to by Svetlana Zhekova, EU High-Level Adviser on Environment and former Bulgarian Minister of Environment.
Continuous consolidation of the food safety sector in order to ensure an efficient control system for the benefit of public health was raised by Zenonas Stanevicius, EU High-Level Adviser on Food Safety.

Snezhana Blagoeva, EU High-Level Adviser on Rural Development and Agriculture tackled the issue of importance of having efficient rural development policies in order to develop the country as such; whereas Matija Derk, EU High-Level Adviser on Regional Development spoke on ways of attracting resources to regions for their successful development.

Rosario De Blasio, EU High-Level Adviser on Customs, addressed the issue of corruption in the system and means to eradicate it.

Participants had the opportunity to address questions, the topics tackled during the debates raising high interest among the audience. The event was available not only to the visitors of the European Village, but also to Internet and TV users, being broadcasted live.

Background information

The EU High-Level Advisers’ Mission project is funded by the EU. The implementation period is 2016 – 2018. Beneficiary institutions include Prime-Minister’s Office, Parliament, State Chancellery, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Justice, Supreme Security Council, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Regional Development, Customs Service, National Anticorruption Centre, Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family, Ministry of Finance, National Food Safety Agency, Ministry of Environment.

EU High-Level Advisers’ Mission is a team currently consisting of 22 experts deployed in the Republic of Moldova with the overall objective to support the Government of the Republic of Moldova to implement its reform Agenda, in particular, to assist in developing the capacities required for the implementation of the Association Agreement (AA), including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), as well as to ensure the necessary follow-up for the post – visa liberalisation stage.