The Association Agreement is the most important document that the Republic of Moldova ever signed and there are no areas of public life, either economic, social or of another kind, that would not be covered by this document. High-ranking European officials repeatedly said the Association Agreement with the EU is based on values and Moldova, by signing this document, agreed to abide by these values, the standing expert of IPN’s project Igor Boțan said in a public debate entitled “Year 2018: accomplishments, failures and challenges in Moldova’s European integration” that was staged by IPN News Agency and Radio Moldova.
The expert said it is not right to sacrifice democratic freedoms and to rank justice among the so-called successes for the sake of relative socioeconomic achievements. This compromises the whole European integration process.
In the same debate, Mihai Popșoi, vice president of the Party “Action and Solidarity”, said in the Republic of Moldova, there is no economic and financial stability as, if there had been such stability, Moldova’s Parliament wouldn’t have risked to adopt such laws as the citizenship by investment law and the law on voluntary declaration and fiscal stimulation.
According to him, the given laws point to the government’s despair as the emptiness left by the lack of European funds should be somehow covered, by stratagems, at a time when neither Turkey nor Russia hurry to offer Moldova money for free. Even if they offered this money, this would be given in conditions that are unacceptable for a democratic state.
The Government should set a minimum salary closer to the level of the living wage, both in the real sector and in the budgetary sector of the national economy. According to a study presented by platzforma.md and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Moldova, in partnership with the Clean Clothes Campaign, the minimum living salary in urban areas is 12,306.8 lei, while in rural areas is 11,359.6 lei.
The budget of Chisinau municipality was for the first time audited in accordance with financial audit standards. Audit samples were collected at the Chisinau City Hall and over 40 municipal entities. “The audit team could not get sufficient and appropriate proofs that would confirm the plenitude and accuracy of the data presented in the financial report. According to indirect estimates, the distortions amount to 32.5 billion lei,” stated Rima Schastlivyi, senior state inspector of the Court of Auditors.
The leader of the initiative group for creating the Political Party “For People, Nature and Animals” (PONA) Ion Dron said the freedom of political association is restricted in Moldova. Some of the democratic processes, such as the registration of parties, are blocked and the relevant requirements imposed by law cannot be met.
“The system of forming political parties in the Republic of Moldova is now the privilege of those who have sacks of stolen money. The system of forming parties now in the Republic of Moldova does not foster the civic activism of honest, young people. It is hard to collect now 4,000 signatures in villages that are empty given that by 100 people daily leave Moldova. Where should I currently find 100 politically active people in the villages and districts of the Republic of Moldova?” asked Ion Dron.
In 2019, the strategy that will be used by the Republic of Moldova at the Transnistrian conflict settlement talks in the 5+2 format will include the concomitant addressing of problems from all the three “baskets” agreed with the members of the format, including the political one.
According to Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Cristina Lesnic, the criticism disseminated in the public sphere so far referred mainly to the fact that the negations made headway primarily on the first and second baskets concerning socioeconomic problems and less on the third basket that refers to security and defense. It happened so because the previous formula envisioned that the third basket will be reached based on the results achieved on the first two baskets. “The insistence of Chisinau was powerful and was supported by particular players in the 5+2 format,” stated the official.
In the series ”2018: how it was and how it wasn’t!?”, IPN News Agency presents the opinions of officials and civil society on Health, labor and social protection. The content includes: Year with many good things, but also with challenges; Reform declared at start of year failed; Government should promote decent work agenda.
An album of 200 photographs from the national archives of Romania, which show the road covered by Romania since 1916 until 1920, were included in an album. This is entitled “1918 when Greater Romania for formed” and is a creation of Romanian journalist and historian George Damian.
According to linguist Vlad Pohilă, George Damian knows very well the realities in Moldova and the history of the nation. “Such an album was acutely needed as many still believe the Soviet falsifications that it was an act of inequity and that Romania occupied us abusively, even if a lot is written and said about this. The album is admirable. It contains unique epoch photographs, document and map reproductions that can be used to convincingly present a historical truth,” stated Vlad Pohilă.
The hearing in the case of ex-president of the Administration Board of Banca de Economii Ilan Shor, the mayor of Orhei, which was scheduled to take place at the Cahul Appeals Court, was put off until January 21.
Ilan Shor was sentenced to seven years and a half in jail for causing considerable damage to the state by swindle and abuse of trust. The day the sentence was passed, he was released from house arrest and will be under judicial control until a definitive sentence is given to him. The sentence of the first court was appealed by the prosecution and the defense and by the representative of SA Banca de Economii. The case reached the Chisinau Appeals Court in only six months and in February was transferred to the Cahul Appeals Court.
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