• On 17 December in Chisinau, the EU officially launched a 27-month Twinning project for the Moldovan Competition Council.
• UOKiK is implementing it as a Junior Partner in a consortium with the competition authorities of Romania and Lithuania.

The European Union has launched the Twinning project "Strengthening the institutional capacities of the Competition Council for the enforcement of competition and state aid policy in line with EU best practices". The official presentation of the project took place on December 17, and brought together representatives of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, competition authorities from Romania, Lithuania and Poland, as well as the Competition Council of the Republic of Moldova, together with delegates from public institutions and members of business associations.

The Twinning project aims to strengthen the institutional and administrative capacities of the Moldovan Competition Council to implement the EU acquis and best practices. It also aims to support the alignment of competition and state aid policy and legislation with European standards.

The main topic of the launch event was the Republic of Moldova's path of integration into the European Union, where competition is an important negotiation chapter. In this regard, Deputy Prime Minister Dumitru Alaiba stated that "the Republic of Moldova will need a lot of assistance and mobilization, relying both on the support of the business environment and on the constructive cooperation of the institutions. The ultimate objective of all of us is Moldova's accession to the European Union".

Radu Marian, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Economy, Budget and Finance, thanked the partners for the implementation of the Twinning project, emphasizing the importance of the competition field for accession to the European Union: 

"This is the central pillar of the European economy and the free market. It is an area in which the Republic of Moldova needs to work intensively in order to align itself with EU standards", said Radu Marian. The MEP welcomed the initiative to launch the project and assured Parliament's cooperation.

Julda Kielyte, Team Leader of the Competitive and Inclusive Growth Portfolio at the Delegation of European Union to the Republic of Moldova, highlighted that the project represents an opportunity for both the Competition Council and the Republic of Moldova.

"Competition and market functioning are fundamental for the European Union. Effective competition ensures the functioning of the European market and fair and equal conditions for business. This project is an opportunity for the Competition Council to learn from the experience of European partners, which have gone through the complex process of European accession", said Julda Kielyte.

The President of the Competition Council, Alexei Gherțescu, expressed his gratitude for this support from the EU and the participating Member States and emphasized that the main task of implementing the project falls on the competition authority in cooperation with the three partner Member States. However, the success of the project also depends on the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, including public authorities, civil society and business.

In occasion of the event, the support measures that the Competition Council will benefit from under the project were presented. The Twinning project, lasting two years and three months, is funded by the European Union and implemented through a consortium consisting of the Romanian Competition Council as project leader, the Lithuanian Competition Council and the Office for Competition and Consumer Protection of Poland as junior partners.

The Twinning project not only brings European expertise in support of the Republic of Moldova, but also strengthens the role of the Competition Council as the regulator of effective competition in the market. Thus, it supports the country's transition to a modern economic model, representing a decisive step in bringing the Republic of Moldova closer to the values and standards of the European Union.