THE COMPETITION COUNCIL AND PARTNERS WILL IMPLEMENT AN EU TWINNING PROJECT IN MOLDOVA

A consortium of Lithuanian, Romanian and Polish competition authorities will implement an EU Twinning project in Moldova to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Competition Council of Moldova to implement competition and state aid policy in line with EU best practice.

The Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania, together with the other project partners, will support the effective application of the competition and state aid laws and the enhancement of the institutional and administrative capacity of the Moldovan Competition Council to act as an EU-like competition agency. This project is particularly timely and relevant given the recent commencement of accession negotiations between Moldova and the EU.

"For over 15 years, the Romanian and Moldovan competition authorities have engaged in intense bilateral cooperation and developed strong, enduring professional and personal relationships. We are honoured to be awarded this project, to have the opportunity to build on these relationships for its implementation, and to rely on such strong partners as our Lithuanian and Polish counterparts,” stressed Bogdan Chirițoiu, the President of the Romanian Competition Council, which is the main institution implementing the project.

"We are delighted that together with our Romanian and Polish colleagues, we will be able to transfer our experience to the Moldovan authority and strengthen their competences and capacities. The invitation to join this European Commission-funded project is also a recognition of our institution's professionalism and activeness in the field of international development cooperation," said the Chairwoman of the Competition Council, Jolanta Ivanauskienė.

The project, which will last 27 months, is scheduled to start in early October 2024. The project has a budget of €1.5 million and is funded by the European Commission. The Romanian Ministry of Investment and European Projects is responsible for the administration and financial management of the project.

As a reminder, in May this year Lithuania, together with the State Consumer Rights Protection Authority and the Austrian Competition Authority, completed the implementation of a nearly two-year EU Twinning project in Georgia, which ensured the compatibility of legislation with EU law and strengthened the culture of competition and consumer protection in both the public and the private sectors.

The Competition Council has previously implemented EU projects in Ukraine, Kosovo, Serbia and other countries.