The Republic of Moldova will assume the presidency of the Central European Initiative (CEI) in 2023. In a meeting with CEI Secretary General Roberto Antoneone, Speaker Igor Grosu said that this is an important step for the Republic of Moldova, particularly now that the country was granted the EU candidate status, IPN reports.

The Speaker said the Republic of Moldova has an ambitious reform agenda for 2023. “The past year, the authorities have taken important steps to change the state of affairs in the Republic of Moldova. We will continue making effort to adopt the necessary legislation so as to improve the quality of life of our citizens and will succeed with the assistance of our development partners,” stated Igor Grosu.

For his part, Roberto Antoneone said the CEI presidency will enable the Republic of Moldova to promote the European agenda and will facilitate the exchange of experience in a number of key areas, including with the EU member states.

The Central European Initiative is a regional intergovernmental forum of 17 Member States in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. It fosters European integration and sustainable development through regional cooperation.

The Republic of Moldova became a CEI member on November 8, 1996 at the Graz Summit of Heads of Government of CEI Member States, together with Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, and Belarus.