OREANDA-NEWS. June 22, 2011. The country’s Prime Minister Vladimir Filat said the beginning of these negotiations is a new stage of Moldova’s relations with the European Union, according to the Moldovan Government. According to him, establishment of the deepened and comprehensive free trade zone with the EU will open the way for Moldovan economy’s integration into the EU’s common market, benefiting the whole society.

Approval of the mandate for the talks was also welcomed in the conclusions of the EU’s European Neighborhood Policy Council. It welcomed presentation by Moldova and Ukraine of the reports on the visa order liberalization progress, noting that these documents will serve a useful example for other eastern partners of the European Union.

The negotiations over the Agreement on Association between Moldova and the European Union were started in January 2010. In June 2010, the talks were began over the agreement on the visa order liberalization and on 16th of June 2011, the EU’s Transport Council approved the mandate for holding negotiations with Moldova over joining the Single European Sky.

It is planned that establishment of the deepened and comprehensive free trade zone between Moldova and the EU will enable to considerably improve Moldovan companies’ access to the EU’s market, will improve commercial relations and provide both parties with a preferential access to the markets, eliminating not only tariff but also non-tariff and normative barriers.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Valerii Lazar emphasized earlier that during the talks with the EU over establishment of the deepened and comprehensive free trade zone, the republic will stand for getting a 5-10-year-long transition period to fully open its market to the goods imported from the EU states. Meanwhile, preferences for free penetration of Moldovan goods to the EU market are planned to be received at once.