site.btaMoldovan-Bulgarian Intergovernmental Commission Holds Its Ninth Meeting in Chisinau

Bulgaria will open in Moldova a branch of Ruse University "Angel Kanchev" and the investment agencies will cooperate more closely on the basis of an agreement signed at the ninth meeting of the Moldovan-Bulgarian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation, which was held in Chisinau, MOLDPRES reports.

The co-chairs of the commission are the Minister of Energy of Moldova Victor Parlicov and the Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry of Bulgaria Irina Shtonova.

Bulgaria and Moldova confirmed their interest in strengthening bilateral relations, including in the energy sector, with a focus on natural gas, oil products and electricity. The two sides exchanged information on energy priorities and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between government agencies and companies from different sectors.

According to the Energy Ministry, although the bilateral trade regime is part of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTA), Bulgaria is ranked 11th among Moldova's main trading partners in the world, with a 1.8% share in total trade. The volume of foreign trade between Moldova and Bulgaria is registered in 2023 at USD 233 million. There are 176 enterprises with Bulgarian capital operating in Moldova, the total volume of investments is 118.5 million lei.

Parlicov welcomed the recent intensification of the Moldovan-Bulgarian bilateral relations, as evidenced by the rich and varied agenda of the meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, which resumed its activity after an eight-year break.

Taking into account the fulfilment of the objectives of the European Green Deal and the effective integration of Moldova's energy market with the EU market, the two sides agreed to explore cooperation opportunities in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, the development of electricity grids, their modernisation and digitalisation.