Ms Mariana Kotzeva, Director-General of Eurostat, visits the Republic of Moldova on 23-24 September 2026. The visit will focus on strengthening cooperation between Eurostat and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), supporting the alignment of Moldova's National Statistical System (NSS) with European Union standards, and advancing statistical modernisation in the context of the country's EU accession negotiations.

During her visit, Ms Kotzeva will hold high-level meetings with representatives of the Parliament and Government of the Republic of Moldova, as well as extensive discussions with the management of the NBS, the country's central statistical authority and coordinator of the National Statistical System.

The visit takes place at an important stage in Moldova's European accession process. On 15 June 2026, the Republic of Moldova and the European Union formally opened negotiations on Cluster 1 ”Fundamentals”, which includes Chapter 18 ”Statistics”. This development provides an important framework for strengthening institutional capacity and advancing the harmonisation of Moldova's statistical legislation, methodologies, production and dissemination of statistics with the EU statistical acquis.

Chișinău hosts the Policy Group on Statistical Cooperation

On 23 September, Ms Kotzeva will participate in the Policy Group on Statistical Cooperation (PGSC) meeting, held in Chișinău on 22-23 September. The meeting brings together the heads of the NSIs of the EU enlargement countries and representatives of Eurostat. It will focus on EU accession preparedness, Chapter 18 ”Statistics” requirements, data availability, peer reviews of the alignment of the NSSs with the European Statistics Code of Practice, and modernisation of statistical production. The NBS, along with other country representatives, will present recent developments in Moldova’s National Statistical System and its accession-related priorities.

International conference on integrating geospatial information into official statistics

On 24 September, Ms Kotzeva will take part in the international Conference “Harnessing Geospatial Information for Enhanced Statistical Production and Dissemination to Support EU Integration”, organised by the NBS with Eurostat’s support. At this event, Ms Kotzeva will deliver a keynote address on integrating geospatial and statistical information for more relevant and effective European statistics.

The Conference will bring together national statistical offices, geospatial authorities, Eurostat and international organisations to discuss the integration of statistical and spatial information in order to improve the relevance, coherence and accessibility of the data, including the integrated data frameworks, harmonised geospatial standards, addressing the challenges of affordable housing and preparations for the 2030 Population and Housing Census round.

Moldova's statistical integration into the European Statistical System

Discussions with the NBS will address progress under Chapter 18 and future cooperation priorities. Recent developments include work to align the Moldovan legal framework and statistical classifications with EU requirements, expanded data collections in line with the EU acquis, and transmission of datasets to Eurostat through EDAMIS platform, used for data transmission from EU member states, and advances in specific statistical domains.

The visit will also provide an opportunity to discuss the findings of the peer review of Moldova's National Statistical System conducted in February 2026, as well as the priorities for further strengthening statistical quality, institutional capacities and compliance with the European Statistics Code of Practice.

The visit of Ms Kotzeva and the international statistical events hosted in Chișinău provide also an opportunity to strengthen institutional partnerships, exchange experience and identify further areas of cooperation between Eurostat, the NBS and other institutions of Moldova's National Statistical System.

Through continued cooperation with Eurostat and European statistical institutions, the NBS will continue its efforts to strengthen the quality, accessibility and comparability of official statistics, advance the implementation of the EU statistical acquis, and support Moldova's European integration process.