OREANDA-NEWS. July 11, 2011. "The European Commission positively appreciated Moldova's achievements while preparing for starting the talks on the setting up of the Moldova-EU Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area," Deputy Economics Minister Octavian Calmic has said upon his arrival from Brussels. The visit took place within the eighth round of negotiations on the EU-Moldova Association Agreement, the Economics Ministry's public relations and protocol service has said.

During the visit, Octavian Calmic had informal discussions with the heads of the European Commission (EC) branch directorates. Thus, at a meeting with the EC Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, the sides discussed the extension of the term for the European Union applying the excise duties on Moldovan cigarettes. The European Commission proposed 2018 as deadline for adjusting the excise duties' quotas to the EU, while the Moldovan authorities propose the 2030 year.

"Moldova's position is based on a string of domestic premises and the necessary regional context will be taken into account. The most important arguments that we bring in favour of extending the period is the need to step up the customs and fiscal administration, especially while regulating the trade transactions of the economic agents from Moldova's eastern districts, the lack of the regional context for increasing the excise duties, and not in the least, the economic, fiscal and social role of this branch for Moldova," Octavian Calmic said.

At a meeting with the leadership of the EC Directorate-General for Veterinary Measures, the Moldovan deputy minister presented a draft strategy on food products' safety, worked out on the basis of the best European practices. The European Commission will carry out the draft's official assessment by late July 2011.