In rural Moldova , growing grapes in the front yard is commonplace. In fact, making one's own wine in Moldova is not just a hobby – it is something of a national pastime. Yet while Moldovan wines are well known in the former Soviet Union , the country's vintages do not yet have the full recognition they deserve on the wider international scene.
That may soon change. The Moldovan Government's Competitiveness Enhancement Project (CEP), co-financed by the World Bank and the Government of Japan, is helping local producers to get internationally recognized quality certificates, and to develop national standards compatible with EU norms. The objective is to boost the ability of Moldovan products to compete internationally, especially in the EU market. In parallel, the project aims to reduce regulatory barriers to business start up and development, so that would be entrepreneurs can more easily see their ideas flourish.