OREANDA-NEWS. November 15, 2011. Experts of the Moldovan Economics Ministry met a delegation of Georgian experts who are on a visit to Chisinau, the Economics Ministry's press relations department has said.

The sides exchanged opinions on the start of the talks on a free trade agreement on the creation of a deep and comprehensive free trade area between Moldova and the European Union, which is a common goal shared by Moldova and Georgia.

At the meeting, Deputy Economics Minister Octavian Calmic noted that Georgia started the preparations for the launch of talks with the EU in 2009, a year before Moldova. He noted that this increases Moldova's interest in the Georgian experience in this respect. In the context, Calmic noted that a European mission that will assess the enforcement of the sanitary and phytosanitary measures will visit Moldova in December 2011.

The conclusions of this assessment mission will play a significant role in the EU's decision on the launch of talks on the signing of a free trade agreement with Moldova. The Moldovan government aims at starting the talks on a deep and comprehensive free trade area between Moldova and the European Union in early 2012, at teh same time when Georgia will launch negotiations on the matter.

The experts displayed interest in the implementation of the European standards in fields like: quality infrastructure, amendment of legislation on competition, reform of the sanitary and phytosanitary sectors, creation of a food security agency, which is expected to take over the remit of at least two relevant bodies: the Sanitary veterinary agency for the safety of animal products and the General inspectorate of phytosanitary supervision and seeds' control.

Moldova is fulfilling the action plan for the implementation of the recommendations issued by the European Commission on the creation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between Moldova and the European Union. In the context of the successful fulfilment of the recommendations, Moldova hopes to start the talks on the signing of a free trade agreement in early 2012.

The Free Trade Agreement, also called the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between Moldova and the European Union, sees the gradual liberalization of the trade of goods and services, the free movement of the labour force, the reduction of customs fees, the removal of technical barriers, the abolition of quantitative restrictions and the adjustment of the national legislation to the acquis communautaire. Unlike the current trade regime between Moldova and the EU, which is a unilateral regime granted for a limited term by the European Union, the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area is a multilateral agreement for an unlimited period of time, which offers greater export benefits and a long-term predictability for business and investments.