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Taxation and Customs Union
News article7 February 2023Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union

EU-Moldova: New agreements on closer cooperation in the areas of customs and taxation

The Commission today signed two agreements between the EU and Moldova which cements Moldova’s participation in the EU’s Customs and Fiscalis programmes.

This means that Moldova will be able to take part in the activities of both programmes alongside EU Member States and other participating countries. The agreements were signed by Paolo Gentiloni, EU Commissioner for Economy, and Natalia Gravrilita, Prime Minister of Moldova, back-to-back to the EU – Moldova Association Council meeting held in Brussels today.

Moldova’s participation in Customs and Fiscalis programmes is an important step in further strengthening operational cooperation in the areas of customs and taxation and is emblematic of the mutual commitment towards closer ties. It will allow Moldovan customs and tax authorities to participate in various collaborative activities and to benefit from a wide-ranging training. All these new cooperation avenues are of particular importance considering Moldova’s status of candidate country to the EU.

Fiscalis is the EU’s programme for cooperation in the field of taxation. Amongst other things, it allows tax administrations to work together in fighting tax fraud, evasion and aggressive tax planning. The programme also facilitates information exchange and administrative cooperation between authorities and helps to reduce administrative burdens and compliance costs for taxpayers.

The Customs programme also promotes cooperation between authorities, particularly through its support for the development and operation of the central IT systems for EU customs. The programme helps customs administrations to deal more efficiently with increasing trade flows and emerging trends and technologies, while providing a better response to security threats.

Today’s signatures follow last year’s agreement between the EU and Republic of Moldova to mutually recognise each other’s Authorised Economic Operators (AEOs) programmes, bringing together traders who meet certain criteria and who can therefore benefit from simplified customs arrangements.

  • More information on relations and cooperation between the EU and Moldova here.
  • More information on the EU’s Fiscalis programme is available here.
  • More information on the EU’s Customs programme is available here.
  • Joint Statement: EU-Moldova Association Council
  • Press release

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Details

Publication date
7 February 2023
Author
Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union