February 3 (SeeNews) - The European Commission (EC) said that Moldova needs to improve, among others, its justice, financial control and taxation frameworks in order to align with the European Union's (EU) acquis.
Moldova has achieved some level of preparation to implement the acquis in the area of justice, freedom and security, but there is scope to improve institutional cooperation and coordination in order to boost implementation, the EC said on Thursday in an analytical report on Moldova's alignment with the EU acquis.
In terms of financial control, Moldova is at the early stage of preparation, as its legislation on public internal financial control is an adequate basis for developing work in this area in line with
international standards and EU requirements. However, the country needs needs to adopt a new development strategy and ensure the financial, functional, and operational independence of the Court of Accounts and to ratify the 1929 Geneva Convention and further align its legislation with the EU acquis, the Commission said.
Regarding taxation, the Commission notes that Moldova is at an early stage of preparation, as it has taken steps to align legislation with the EU acquis on VAT and excise duties. However, legislation on direct taxation has yet to be aligned with the EU acquis and international best practices.
On the free movement of goods, the EC appreciated that Moldova has some level of preparation, as it has taken steps to align with some of the EU acquis in the new approach sectors. "It is especially important for Moldova to achieve full alignment with the EU acquis for the legislative framework (known as the “quality infrastructure”), and to build sufficient capacity to implement EU law as these are fundamental to implement the extensive EU “New and global approach” acquis in this chapter," the EC added.
In the area of public procurement, Moldova is at an early stage of preparation and needs to adopt specific legislation on the award of procurement contracts in the field of defence and security, and amend secondary public procurement legislation. The efficiency of the public procurement system needs to be improved and the e-procurement system needs re-engineering, the EC said.
The Commission also noted that in the case of free movement for workers, company law, social policy and employment, Moldova is at an early stage of preparation.
Further on, the EU's executive body said that Moldova showed some level of preparation in areas such as the alignment with the EU's acquis in the areas of competition policy, consumer health and protection, digital transformation and media, as well as in economic and monetary policy.
On the other hand, the Commission considered that Moldova is moderately prepared in the areas of science and research, external relations, and security and defense policy.
The EC said it will continue providing Moldova with guidance and support, to help it further align to EU standards and norms.
In June, the European Council decided to grant EU candidate status to Moldova and Ukraine. Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia applied for EU membership in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine launched in February.