The concept of personal branding presented at Innovation Talks.

Innovation Talks brought together dozens of members of the tech community in Cahul to discuss the importance of communication and personal branding. The speaker of the event was Steluța Andreeva, an expert in strategic and crisis communication, with 19 years of experience in communication for various state institutions, companies, international organisations, politicians, as well as businessmen from the Republic of Moldova and other countries. She offered the participants valuable tips to help them improve their communication skills.

One of the topics of the last edition of Innovation Talks was the importance of knowing the innovative presentation tools. The speaker of the event emphasized that, in the context of a fast-paced world anchored in technology, it is essential that professionals are able to communicate ideas and messages effectively. To achieve this, she encouraged attendees to familiarise themselves with the latest presentation tools and techniques that can help them stand out and leave a lasting impression on their audience.

Discussions also focused on the notion of personal branding. Here the focus was on how an image that reflects a person's values, skills and experiences can be built and maintained.

"There is no such thing as 'I don't need a personal image because I'm not a public figure' or 'I don't need goals, everything happens naturally.' When we leave the house or post something on social media, we already have a public image. From there, it's up to us how we build it so that it's in line with our future goals", said Steluța Andreeva.

Finally, the importance of building a positive public image was also addressed, as well as how mistakes that risk affecting the image can be avoided.

"Through the construction of your own image, you have the opportunity to show how different and special you are in your own way. This helps you gain your integrity and achieve your goals", said Tatiana Roșcan, a student at the Faculty of Economics, Engineering and Applied Sciences of the University "B.P. Hașdeu" from Cahul.

Innovation Talks is an initiative carried out by the Cahul State University "B.P. Hașdeu" within the EU4Moldova project: Startup City Cahul, financed by the European Union, supported by Sweden and implemented by ATIC.

EU supports Moldova to improve standards compliance through increased national capacities for residue monitoring

Moldova to increase national capacities for residue monitoring, thus enhancing national consumer safety and improving trade opportunities by providing a better business environment for SMEs with the support the European Union and UNIDO.

Cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) within the framework of the new EU-funded project “Improving the standards compliance through increased national capacities for residue monitoring”, will contribute to the closer integration with EU common market by strengthening national quality infrastructure and the standards compliance.

The project has a duration of 36 months, starting in early 2023 and running until 2026, with funding from the European Union and cofinancing of UNIDO, totalling in €1,540,000.

The implementation is planned through increased national capacities for residue monitoring, in close cooperation with National Food Safety Agency, and its reference laboratories – main partners and beneficiaries, as well as with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Health, and with farms, SMEs and veterinarians, and pharmacies. The expected results of the project implementation are better practices of competent authorities, good governance and enhanced legal and regulatory framework through capacity building, use of best practices, skills development, and implementation of management systems. The project also seeks to enhance national laboratories capacities through procurement of laboratory equipment, and accreditation and validation of methods to ensure quality and international recognition of their services with a focus on pesticide and veterinary drug residues. Finally, the project aims to improve SMEs and FBOs’ awareness and application of best practices in compliance with standards in the value chains of meat, poultry, and milk products.

Thus, these actions will help Moldova achieve the overall objective of the project, which is to enhance national consumer safety and access to safe, healthy and nutritious food and to improve trade opportunities, as well as create a conducive business environment for SMEs. This, in turn, will contribute to resilient, sustainable, and inclusive economic development and will pave the way to a fullyfledged Green Deal for the country.

After signing the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the European Union, Moldova has undertaken the mission to adapt its national food safety legislation to the requirements of relevant EU laws and regulations. To increase the access to and trade with the EU market, Moldova needs to achieve a higher level of compliance with EU technical requirements such as standards, technical regulations and product-related directives and needs to upgrade related controls.