Italy grants €4 million to help Moldova align its agriculture sector with EU rules
The Republic of Moldova is receiving support from Italy to align with European agricultural and rural development standards. A project funded with four million euros aims to assist national authorities in modernizing the agricultural sector. This will be achieved by strengthening institutional capacities and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
The project is financed by the Italian Government, through the Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development (AICS).
A discussion with the AICS team took place on October 30, at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, with the participation of representatives of the Italian Embassy in Chisinau and the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (CIHEAM Bari).
According to the Ministry, the main objectives of the project are to diversify agricultural markets, develop production, and strengthen vocational training in rural areas—actions aimed at improving the competitiveness of the agri-food industry.
The project also contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ensuring food security and promoting agricultural education, the cited source states.
The Republic of Moldova launched the bilateral screening process—the first technical stage of comparative analysis in the accession process—in July 2024 and concluded it on September 22 this year for all 33 negotiation chapters.
Both Chapter 11 (Agriculture and Rural Development) and Chapter 12 (Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy) are highly complex areas, which involve the transposition into national legislation of a considerable number of European legislative acts – over 1,350.
“Only in this way will the Republic of Moldova be able to actively participate in the Common Agricultural Policy and benefit from European funds and the opportunities offered by the Common Agricultural Market”, said Ina Butucel, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Safety, during the screening sessions in September.
The authorities emphasize that almost 50% of the European legislative framework refers to agriculture, rural development and food safety, and approximately 30% of the European Union budget is intended to support these sectors.
