On 8 November 2018 Moldovan businesses and business associations, civil society representatives, government officials and diplomats gathered at the TRACOM Industrial Park in Chisinau to mark four years of Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) implementation in the Republic of Moldova. The event signaled the launch of a national campaign to increase public awareness of opportunities opened up for Moldovan products under the Free Trade Agreement with EU, and the positive changes in the lives of all Moldovans that have resulted.
Speaking at the event, Peter Michalko, Ambassador, Head of the European Union Delegation in the Republic of Moldova, said: “DCFTA offers ample possibilities for improving the quality of products and increasing the exports of Moldovan products and services to the EU and worldwide. We are happy that many Moldovan businesses seized these opportunities, and were able to access the European market.”
Moldovan businesses attending the meeting shared their experiences of receiving support from the EU and using the opportunities offered by the DCFTA. According to Andrei Mârza, owner of a garment factory in Soroca that makes uniforms and work wear, his factory created 70 new jobs and his sales figures saw a three-fold increase thanks to EU support. Tudor Rotaru, owner of a dried fruit and chocolate production line in Ialoveni, reported that, thanks to the opportunities made available through the DCFTA and the EU’s support and training programmes, he is now exporting sweets to Slovenia, Romania, Ireland and other markets, growing his sales from 20,000 lei in 2014 to 10 million lei in 2017.
The public awareness campaign is based on the analysis of the results of 4 years of DCFTA implementation, conducted by independent think-tank Expert-Grup. The analysis found that, after 4 years, the European Union has become the most important and most reliable commercial partner for Moldovan producers. Two out of every three Euros earned by Moldovan exports now come from the EU – compared with one in two in 2014 – which represents an estimated net increase of €367 million in exports. This growth has led to the creation of at least 15,000 new jobs in the country. And by 2020 the DCFTA is expected to add an extra €355 million to government revenues and taxes, equivalent to Moldova’s healthcare expenditure for an entire year.
Highlight video celebrating the event
Background information:
The public awareness campaign launched at the Chisinau event will last until the end of December and is being implemented under the EU-funded project: “Visibility and Communication for AA/DCFTA”. The project provides reliable information on opportunities offered by AA/DCFTA to Moldovan businesses, as well as practical training on how to make use of those opportunities. To date, the project has organised 11 training and information sessions in various regions of Moldova, bringing together over 840 participants, and covering such topics as improving competitiveness, rules of export, and sources of funding and financial support. The project operates an online portal and several social media accounts, as well as an Online News Bureau, which aims to provide comprehensive and timely information on the implementation of the AA/DCFTA, as well as the latest opportunities under DCFTA.
EU4Business Moldova online portal: http://www.eu4business.eu/moldova
EU4Business Moldova Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/eu4businessmoldova/
EU4Business Moldova Online News Bureau: http://dcfta.md/eng/birou-de-presa
