The economic and investment opportunities of Moldova were discussed in a roundtable meeting in Washington. Hosted by the American-Central European Business Association, the event brought together representatives of American federal and government trade agencies, companies, development partners and of international financial institutions, IPN reports, with reference to the Government’s press service.
Attending the event, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said the Moldovan Government’s participation in the complex reform process is designed to ensure a stable and attractive investment climate for foreign investors. “We are a pro-business Government and want to attract larger foreign investment so as to be able to make social investment. The first reforms done by the executive were focused namely on the improvement of the business climate,” he stated.
The Premier invited the American companies to take part in the privatization of state-owned companies, such as SA “Moldtelecom”, SA “Air Moldova” and two power distribution networks, and to invest in the financial-banking sector. The American companies can also start businesses in the seven free economic zones and in the first IT park of Moldova, where the common tax of 7% for resident companies is very attractive. The IT industry in Moldova develops swiftly and creates a high value added.
According to Pavel Filip, the reforms promoted by the Government produced results, ensuring an economic growth of 4% in 2016 and of 4.5% in 2017. Last year alone, there were created about 60,000 jobs. The amounts collected into the state budget this year are by 30% higher. The government program is based on the Association Agreement and the Free Trade Agreement with the EU. Moldova also has a Free Trade Agreement with the CIS. The goods from Moldova can be exported duty-free to the West and to the East.
The representatives of the American companies expressed their interest in Moldova’s economic potential, saying they will consider possibilities of investing here.
There are now over 400 companies with American capital in Moldova. By the value of the invested capital, the U.S. ranks sixth among Moldova’s partner states.
The American-Central European Business Association (ACEBA) is a non-profit organization aimed at creating a one-stop platform for dialogue between American corporate executives and government leaders from 14 Central European countries, namely Moldova, Romania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. ACEBA provides American-based companies broad government relations coverage of these emerging markets.
