OREANDA-NEWS. May 16, 2014. Prime Minister Iurie Leanca participated in a yearly meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Leanca gave a speech on the progress made by Moldova with the support of EBRD and the evolution of the Moldova-European Union relations, the government’s communication and media relations department has reported.

“I was asked to speak from the viewpoint of a post-Soviet country today. Nevertheless, I would like to make use of this possibility to stress that Moldova has evolved much from its past and advanced. I want to convey you a clear-cut message – Moldova is no longer perceived as a post-Soviet republic. Over the last almost five years, we have made decisive steps to establish close and irreversible relations with the European Union,” Iurie Leanca said.

The prime minister emphasised that the liberalisation of the visa regime with EU was just a beginning, showing what Moldova would have to benefit from in its European integration. “Once we sign the Association Agreement and the Free Trade Agreement on 27 June, our goods and services will get access on the common market of the European Union – the largest and the most prosperous in the world. We are aware that the way the economy and our citizens will benefit from these possibilities will depend on the policies applied by the Chisinau government,” the prime minister said.

Iurie Leanca made a request to the EBRD Board of Governors on the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the Moldova-EBRD Anticorruption Initiative, that would help improve the business environment in Moldova. “Only a zero tolerance towards corruption may provide a fair business environment, in which the economic potential may develop, and in which the public policies and development projects may be fully enforced. Our recipe for promoting economic reforms is simple: the government must meet the needs of the business and not vice versa, as it happens often. For this reason, we have simplified more procedures dealing with the business environment,” the prime minister said.

At the same time, the prime minister underlined the importance of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the national economy and their development opportunities, once the provisions of the Agreement on the Creation of the Free Trade Area are enforced.”Our goal is to de-block the SMEs’ potential by increasing access to finances, simplifying the procedures of getting them and competition based on fair principles,” Iurie Leanca said.

The prime minister pointed out the openness between the business environment and the Moldovan government, got including via the Economic Council under the Prime Minister, set up with the support of EBRD. “There is still much to do, but there is much more openness and transparency between the government and the business environment of Moldova now, and the bureaucracy is much lower than five years ago. The Economic Council, backed by EBRD, is in the centre of this process. This unites the business community and the public institutions, helping them work together, in order to formulate friendly policies to the business environment and speed up the economic reforms. EBRD is an extremely important partner for Moldova. The progress made in the economic growth, creation of jobs and new opportunities for business, via increasing access to finances, enhancing the competitiveness and infrastructure development, would not have been possible without the EBRD’s support.”.

Iurie Leanca ended his speech by referring to the positive changes in Poland following its accession to the European Union.

“Ten years ago, in May 2004, we witnessed the greatest enlargement of the European Union, when ten states, most of which were members of the former Communist bloc, joined the European Union. Now, we are one of those countries. Twenty years ago, Warsaw was a gray city, with poor people and poorly developed economy. Ten years ago, Poland became a European Union member state. At present, it is enough to make a walk in this city and notice the changes for the better Europe has edified along with Poland’s citizens. Poland is one of the countries inspiring us, and its development since the accession to the European Union is the best argument proving the need to get closer to the European Union,” the prime minister said.