Bilateral Screening for Chapter 10 – Information Society and Media - finished in Brussels

Moldova has completed the bilateral screening process with the European Commission for Chapter 10 – Information Society and Media. The meetings took place in Brussels on the last two days and were chaired by Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov, along with Cătălina Plinschi, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization.

Deputy Prime Minister Cristina Gherasimov emphasized that the implementation of the policies from this chapter would stimulate digitization, enhance audiovisual services and strengthen cybersecurity.

"We conclude this week with another chapter of negotiations discussed in Brussels. Along with more colleagues from public institutions and members of the European Commission, we analyzed, over two days, Chapter 10 - Information Society and Media. This chapter includes legislation governing information technologies, electronic communications and media services. Implementing policies from this chapter will stimulate digitization, improve audiovisual services and strengthen cybersecurity. All these will help us build a modern, connected, transparent and objectively informed society," said Cristina Gherasimov.

According to authorities, Moldova has shown significant progress in transposing the European acquis in the digital and communications field. Recent achievements include the transposition of the European Electronic Communications Code and the Roaming Regulation, which will allow citizens to benefit from RoamLikeAtHome, removing additional charges for using roaming services in the EU.

Another achievement is the partial transposition of the NIS 2 Directive, strengthening national cybersecurity through enhanced measures to protect critical infrastructures. At the same time, the Directive on Open Data and the reuse of public sector information has been transposed, facilitating access to government data for innovation and development of digital services.

The agenda also included the transposition of the P2B (Platform-to-Business) Regulation, providing more transparency and fairness for businesses using online platforms to conduct their activities. Another directive is the transposition of the Geoblocking Regulation, eliminating unjustified restrictions on accessing goods and services online in the EU area.

After concluding this screening session, the next step involves developing the negotiation position on this chapter and officially launching the accession negotiations.

On June 25, 2024, Moldova started the accession negotiations with the European Union. They were officially launched during an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg. Presently, authorities are coordinating the bilateral screening phase. The negotiations themselves are scheduled to begin this year. The country’s authorities aim for Moldova to become part of the EU by 2030.