Moldovan, Irish PMs discuss European path of Moldova

Prime Minister Vasile Tofan today had a phone conversation with Prime Minister of Ireland Micheál Martin, during which the two officials discussed the European path of Moldova, bilateral relations and cooperation in the field of social protection. The discussion took place after Ireland had assumed, this month, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Prime Minister Vasile Tofan thanked his Irish counterpart for the constant support provided to Moldova in the process of European integration.

The Moldovan PM noted that Moldova was progressing at a good pace in implementing reforms and had recently opened Cluster 6 – “External Relations” within the EU accession negotiations. At the same time, the authorities of Moldova aim to open all four remaining negotiation clusters in next autumn.

“We count on the Irish Presidency to turn this favorable moment into a shared success,” said Vasile Tofan.

During the conversation, the sides also addressed the bilateral relations between Moldova and Ireland, the situation of the Moldovan community settled in Ireland, as well as the need to advance negotiations on concluding an agreement in the field of social protection.

The Moldovan prime minister emphasized that Moldova and Ireland share the fact that both are European states with large Diasporas that contribute to the economic and social development of their countries of origin and strengthen ties between societies.

Ireland in July took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next six months. During this period, Dublin will coordinate the work of the EU Council and will play an important role in advancing European files, including the process of EU enlargement. Moldova has recently opened Cluster 6 – “External Relations”, and the country’s authorities have expressed their goal of accelerating accession negotiations by the end of the year.