The Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova was opened in the centre of Chisinau, in October 2005. The Delegation has the status of a diplomatic mission and officially represents the European Union in the Republic of Moldova. Delegations such as the one in Moldova exist all over the world. Altogether there are over 130. The Delegation’s mandate includes the following: to promote the political and economic relations between the countries of accreditation and the European Union by maintaining extensive relations with governmental institutions and by increasing awareness of the EU, its institutions and its programmes; to monitor the implementation of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreements (PCA) between the EU and Moldova; to inform the public of the development of the EU and to explain and defend individual EU policies; to participate in the implementation of the European Union’s external assistance programmes (mainly TACIS, FSP, ENPI), which focus on supporting democratic development and good governance, supporting regulatory reform and administrative capacity building, and supporting poverty reduction and economic growth.