EU haalt banden met Moldavië aan (en)
The European Union is to accelerate talks aimed at sealing special partnership status for Moldova, the Swedish presidency said on Friday, as the new non-Communist prime minister took office in Chisinau.
The EU "looks forward to starting, as soon as possible, negotiations on a new agreement with Moldova that will replace and go beyond the current Partnership and Cooperation Agreement," a statement from the Swedish EU presidency reads.
"The European Union stands ready to support Moldova in these efforts and reaffirms its commitment to deepen and strengthen its relations with Moldova, including in the framework of the Eastern Partnership," it adds.
Moldova's Liberal premier Vlad Filat took office on Friday, pledging to make European integration "an absolute priority of foreign policy ... not just at a level of declarations but also actions."
The Communist government, in charge since 2001, had paid lip-service to Brussels, claiming to be committed to EU integration, but did virtually nothing to reform the Soviet-style bureaucracy and economy.
As a precursor to negotiations, the EU said it also welcomed plans to reverse an April decision that slapped a visa regime on neighbouring Romania and prevented "equal treatment of all EU citizens."
Former president Vladimir Voronin had imposed the visa regime in retaliation for alleged meddling and help given by the Romanian government to Moldova's opposition rallies in April, which turned violent and were brutally repressed by police and secret services.
A re-run of the elections gave the democratic opposition the upper hand in the new legislature and managed to oust the Communists from government and presidency.
Mr Filat is set to appear before the foreign affairs committee in the European Parliament on Tuesday and hold a common press conference with Jerzy Buzek, the president of the European Parliament.