Moldova – EU initial amendments to agreement on facilitation of visa issuance
The last round of negotiations on amendments to the Moldova-EU agreement on the facilitation of the visa regime was held in Brussels on 22 March.
The Moldovan delegation was headed by Secretary General of the Foreign and European Integration Ministry Mihai Capatina, whereas the EU delegation by Director of Unity for Visa Policy of the General Directorate for Internal Affairs within the European Commission Jan De Ceuster, according to the MAEIE’s information and media communication service.
During the meeting, the sides completed the negotiations on amendments to the Moldova-EU agreement on the facilitation of the visa regime. The amendments are expected to extend visa privileges for Moldovans, in particular to ease the visa application procedures, to extend the categories of people who can benefit from tax-free visas, to simplify the procedure of issuing multi-entrance visas for one year and 5 years for certain categories of people, among whom representatives of the civil society, business people, students and researchers.
In view of Moldova’s advanced relations with the European Union, it was decided to abolish the visa regime for holders of business passports. The decision is expected to facilitate more the dialogue of the Moldovan authorities with the authorities of the EU states, and at the same time it is an important step towards achieving the goal of securing a visa free regime for the Moldovans.
At the end of the meeting, the chief negotiators initialled the agreement on amendments. The document will be signed after the internal procedures are completed.
Source: Moldpres
