Moldova submits 1st part of EU membership questionnaire

CHISINAU. April 22 (Interfax) - Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita has handed over the first part of the EU membership questionnaire to Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Janis Mazeiks and promised that the second part would be submitted by mid-May, an Interfax correspondent said in a report.

"We have taken yet another important step towards building Europe here, at our home. We have been working tirelessly to fill out this document within ten days. We will continue our work so that we move along the path of integration with the European family," Gavrilita said at the ceremony in the presidential administration.

For her part, Moldovan President Maia Sandu lauded the speedy accomplishment of the difficult mission by the government and the submission of "the first part of the detailed description of the Moldovan situation for the purpose of evaluation of its readiness for integration with the EU."

"This is a very important project; this is a fateful project of our country, European integration. [...] For us, the European Union means peace, democracy and prosperity. Moldova is a small and vulnerable country. I have no doubt that we will be better protected and confident of the future in the European family," Sandu said.

Mazeiks congratulated the Moldovan authorities on the swift submission of answers and a boost given to the process of Moldova's integration with the EU.

He said the EU would be waiting for the second part of the questionnaire, which would provide detailed information about the general situation in the country. He added that must be done to allow the European Commission to evaluate Moldova's preparedness for integration with the EU consistent with the submitted application.

As reported earlier, Moldova received the questionnaire from the European Commission on April 11. The document contains 369 questions. Moldova applied for membership in the European Union on March 3, following similar applications from Ukraine and Georgia.