press releases
Ambassador and Prime Minister Extend Program
As part of the U.S. government's continuing support of democratic reforms and rule of law in the Republic of Moldova, U.S. Ambassador Asif J. Chaudhry and Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat signed an agreement on October 29 to extend the customs reform component of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Threshold Country Program until early next year. The customs reform program will bring the Moldovan Customs Service into a Europe-wide paperless electronic system for controlling the movement of international cargo. Although other components of the Threshold Country Program have been completed, the Millennium Challenge Corporation has agreed to this special arrangement extending the customs program, as customs reform is a critical priority in Moldova. Once completed, this project will increase transparency in the Customs Service and increase revenues to the central budget. The total budget for the customs reform component in the Millennium Challenge Threshold Country Program is approximately $1.5 million.