The Governor of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM), Anca Dragu, is on a working visit to Brussels, where she is holding discussions with high-level European officials.
In particular, the topics on the agenda concern the priorities of her mandate as Governor, progress in the context of fulfilling the criteria for the Republic of Moldova accession to the EU, macroeconomic developments and the economic prospects of the Republic of Moldova.
On the first day of the visit, 8 February 2024, Anca Dragu held a bilateral meeting with Annika Eriksgaard, Director for International Economic and Financial Relations in the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission (DG ECFIN). The officials discussed macroeconomic developments as well as the NBM's contribution to the process of European integration of the Republic of Moldova, including the current Twinning assistance project “Strengthening supervision, corporate governance and risk management in the financial sector”, implemented in the Republic of Moldova with the support of the European Union.
Another meeting focused on the objective of accession of the Republic of Moldova to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), following the signing of the application on behalf of our country by the Governor of the NBM, Anca Dragu, on 30 January 2024. Thus, during the discussion held by Anca Dragu with Giorgio Andreoli, Director General of the European Payments Council, the efforts of the Republic of Moldova to further align with EU standards and best practices were highlighted. “It was an honour to sign the application for SEPA membership. This moment proved the firm commitment of the NBM to Moldova's European path”, the NBM Governor stressed. Furthermore, Anca Dragu expressed her confidence that the Republic of Moldova has all the chances to join SEPA, as significant achievements have been made in the adoption and implementation of relevant legislation, harmonised with the EU acquis, on payment services, banking, anti-money laundering, free movement of capital, personal data protection and other key areas.
SEPA accession and other economic and financial subjects were also discussed during the meeting of Anca Dragu with John Berrigan, Director General, Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA) of the European Commission. Within the discussion, Anca Dragu mentioned that the NBM is interested in obtaining from the EU the recognition of the results of reforms in the banking sector, as part of an equivalence assessment exercise of the national banking legislation to the EU legislation. This recognition would increase the attractiveness of the domestic banking sector for investors, noted Anca Dragu.
The discussions of the NBM Governor with European dignitaries will continue in the afternoon of 9 February 2024 at the high-level conference “Central Bank Independence in a Changing World”. The event is organised for constituent members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which includes the Republic of Moldova.
