This was mentioned in the work of the Regional Workshop on Improving Cooperative Compliance with the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. The event, which took place between March 16 and 18, 2021, was organized by the USAID Economic Development, Governance and Business Development (EDGE) project in cooperation with the EU-BMZ project to support regional integration implemented by GIZ and the IFC Trade Facilitation Program.

During this event, it was highlighted that the Republic of Moldova is among the first states in the world to create the National Committee for Trade Facilitation. This speaks to the importance that the country attaches to the subject of trade facilitation, it was also stated at the event. And following an assessment by the EDGE project of compliance with the requirements of the agreement on the establishment of Trade Facilitation Committees, it was found that Moldova is a good example of the implementation and functioning of the mechanism for coordinating the trade facilitation process.

Moreover, only in Moldova this committee is so representative – 118 members and has a very high status, working under the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova. The National Committee for Trade Facilitation, whose functions are exercised by the Economic Council is the platform that allows all parties involved in ensuring the process of trade facilitation and the beneficiaries of this process to meet at a single table to find solutions in this regard.

The Secretariat of the Economic Council to the Prime Minister is supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, funded by the UK Government’s Good Governance Fund.