National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology of the Republic of Moldova

In the first quarter of 2012, Chisinau will host the third meeting of the electronic communications regulators from Eastern Partnership countries, an event intended to create the EaP Regulators Group. The decision was taken at the end of the second regulators’ meeting, held on November 23 - 24 this year, in Barcelona, Spain, attended by a delegation of the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI).

Several countries, including the Republic of Moldova competed for the right to host this meeting. At the proposal of European Commission officials, present at the meeting in Barcelona, the participants preferred Chisinau. They reasoned their choice by the fact that the R. Moldova has achieved good results in electronic communications regulation, which makes them confident of being able to share the regulatory experience of Moldova.

According to the joint declaration approved by the participants at the meeting in Barcelona, the Group of Electronic Communications Regulators from Eastern Partnership countries will bring together six national regulators from EaP member countries and several similar authorities from EU countries. However, the Group will also be open to other members of the Body of European Electronic Communications Regulators (BEREC) from the EU and other national regulatory authorities interested to join. The new organization is designed as a tool to strengthen the relations of cooperation, exchange of information and experience among the regulators.

The draft document establishing the Group of Regulators from EaP countries was reviewed at the meeting in Barcelona and will be approved by the competent authorities of these countries. Before the official set-up of the Group, the R. Moldova, in the person of ANRCETI, was designated as coordinator – in charge of providing support for the cooperation of the partner countries in the activities related to the creation of this group.

The meeting in Barcelona was attended by officials from the EC, BEREC, representatives of regulatory authorities of EU member countries and Eastern Partnership countries. The first such meeting took place in October 2010 in Vienna, Austria. It was at this meeting that the initiative to create the EaP Regulators Group was launched for the first time.

Eastern Partnership is an organization of regional cooperation created in 2009 with the support of the EU in order to create the conditions necessary to accelerate political association and economic integration of partner countries from Eastern Europe with the European Community. The Eastern Partnership comprises six countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, R. Moldova and Ukraine.

November 25, 2011