Proposal for a Council Decision on the Union position to be adopted in the Association Council established by the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part, in relation to the adoption of the rules of procedure of the Association Council and of the Association Committee, to the establishment of two specialised subcommittees, and to the delegation of certain powers by the A

Negotiations of the comprehensive and ambitious Association Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Moldova were launched in January 2010. In February 2012, the EU and the Republic of Moldova also launched negotiations on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) part, as a core element of the Association Agreement. On 29 November 2013 the European Union and the Republic of Moldova initialled the text of the Agreement.

The Association Agreement is the most advanced agreement of this type ever negotiated by the EU, in particular with regard to trade and economic integration, going far beyond a simple market opening. The aim is to accelerate the deepening of political and economic relations between the Republic of Moldova and the EU, as well as to advance the Republic of Moldova's gradual economic integration with the EU Internal Market in selected areas, notably through establishing a DCFTA.

On 16 June 2014, the Council adopted its decision on the signing, on behalf of the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, and provisional application of certain provisions of the Association Agreement, including its Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) part between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part. Subsequently, the Agreement was signed in Brussels on Friday, 27 June 2014 in the margins of the European Council.

The Republic of Moldova ratified the Agreement on 2 July 2014 and completed, in parallel with the European Union, the requisite notification procedures within the same month. Consequently, in accordance with Article 464 of the Agreement certain provisions thereof (specified in Article 4 of the Council Decision on the signing and provisional application of the Agreement with the Republic of Moldova of 16 June 2014) are applied on a provisional basis starting from 1 September 2014, pending ratification by the EU Member States.

The provisional application is foreseen in view of keeping mutual economic interests and shared values in equilibrium, and the common will of the EU and the Republic of Moldova to start implementing and enforcing the eligible parts of the Agreement in order to advance an early reform impact on sector specific issues before the conclusion of the Agreement.

EUR-Lex: COM(2014)587: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2014:0587:FIN

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