Implementing the DCFTA (Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area) in the context of state capture: assessing the position of Small and Medium Enterprises

Abstract:

The implementation of the DCFTA in the Republic of Moldova is an ongoing process, its ultimate objective being the modernisation of the Moldovan economy, broad prosperity and the creation of an open society. By using conditionality, the EU is banking on public and private actors aligning to European norms and practices.

This article focuses on the position of SMEs and their interactions with the DCFTA. The overall argument posited is that the condition of ‘state capture’, twinned with a disadvantageous business climate serve as structural impediments to the full implementation of the DCFTA and to the capacity of the SME sector to benefit.