CHISINAU, July 26 (RIA Novosti) – The Moldovan Parliament registered a bill on the denunciation of the country’s association agreement with the EU brought forward by an opposition lawmaker, Moldnews.md reported Saturday.
The bill submitted to the parliament by Communist lawmaker Grigore Petrenko suggests that association with the European Union “blatantly violates the status of permanent neutrality enshrined in the Constitution,” and its economic part and a free-trade zone with the EU “put Moldovan producers at a disadvantage and lead to the disruption of a free-trade regime with a number of strategic partners in the East.”
The lawmaker hopes that the parliament “may consider this bill next week and denounce the association agreement with the EU by July 31.”
On June 27, Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine signed association agreements with the European Union. The signing came after a month of rallies against the country’s political course, with the leading opposition Socialist Party calling for a referendum on Moldova’s foreign policy.
Later the Moldovan parliament voted 59-4 to ratify the deal.
Russia has repeatedly expressed deep concern over the country’s signing of the agreement with the EU, saying it would be forced to protect its market once it faces an uncontrolled flow of duty-free goods from the EU.
Moldova also has a free-trade agreement with Russia in the CIS framework.
