OREANDA-NEWS. January 24, 2014. Prime Minister Iurie Leanca today had a meeting with Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Wilhelm Molterer. The discussion focused on joint investment projects under implementation and prospects for developing the bilateral cooperation, the government’s communication and media relations department has reported.

The prime minister highlighted the importance of the projects carried out in partnership with the BEI to develop Moldova’s economy, and spoke out for extending the area of collaboration. The latter regards, in particular, the agriculture and roads infrastructure sectors, as well as the vocational education for young people at the European standards level, so that the BEI investments in different fields create jobs for young graduates of Moldova.

Wilhelm Molterer appreciated the progress made by Moldova in implementing the reforms, and confirmed the Bank’s willingness to back the country in continuation.

Thus, the BEI will further provide assistance to carry out projects on roads restoration, and will financially support projects on the adjusting of the vocational system to the needs of the labour market in the sector. This will ensure both the creation of new jobs, and a high quality of works in the infrastructure projects.

The official said the BEI was interested in backing a project on the promotion of Moldovan farming products’ exports in the European Union. The concerned project will provide cheap financial resources and for a longer period to agriculture sector entrepreneurs willing to extend their production capacity and improve the quality of goods to comply with the European standards. In this way, they will turn to account opportunities provided by the Free Trade Agreement between Moldova and the EU, due to be signed in 2014.