Between 4-6 September 2023, the Competition Council of the Republic of Moldova hosted the first session of technical assistance of the Competition Council of Romania, held in the context of the support opportunity provided by Romania through the secondment of experts to Chisinau, in order to implement the measures proposed by the European Commission in its Opinion on the application of the Republic of Moldova for accession to the European Union, but also with regard to the alignment of national legislation with the EU acquis.

During the first session of technical assistance entitled “Support for the Establishment of the Railway Regulatory Body”, experts from the Competition Council of Romania presented topics related to the regulation of the rail transport market, the procedures for the examination of complaints and cases related to this field and the need to establish a single national regulatory body in this sector.

The programme of the working session focused on practical aspects, the experts shared the experience of the Competition Council in Romania, presenting case studies, tools and mechanisms used, examples of successes and challenges encountered in investigating specific cases, as well as the solutions identified in this regard.

The event also included interactive sessions of questions, discussions and debates, during which participants addressed existing challenges and ways to address them, particularly in the context of alignment with EU practices.

The assistance project includes a series of events, during which the employees of the Competition Council of the Republic of Moldova will benefit from advice to harmonize sectorial regulations with competition law, strengthen institutional capacities for effective enforcement of competition and State aid rules, technical support to improve the skills and efficiency of the administrative apparatus.

On this way, we mention the indisputable importance of the cooperation relations established with the competition authority of Romania, in the context of the continuous and unconditional support of our colleagues over the years, which we are convinced will facilitate the European course of the Republic of Moldova and the objectives set in this regard.