Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos sent a letter to his Moldovan counterpart Pavel Filip, by which he reasserts Romania’s support for Moldova and its people and calls for a civic dialogue between the authorities and representatives of civil society. The letter details key aspects by which the Moldovan authorities will confirm their wish to reform the state so as to have access to the loan provided by Romania, IPN reports, referring to the letter of the Romanian official, which was made public by the Government of Romania.
In his letter, Dacian Ciolos assures that Romania is and will continue to be near the Republic of Moldova. “We realize the seriousness of the economic situation and its implications for the stability in the Republic of Moldova and the welfare of its people. We are equally convinced that the solving of the topical problems can lead to a constructive dialogue between the political forces and solid, sustainable and credible implementation of the reforms assumed by the Republic of Moldova on its path of European integration. These reforms represent not only the implementation of the Association Agreement with the European Union, but are also the best guarantor of stability and prosperity for the people of the Republic of Moldova,” reads the letter.
To create the conditions needed to transfer the first tranche of €60 million of the €150 million loan, Bucharest recommends clearly prioritizing the implementation of the EU-Moldova Association Agenda. The Romanian side also asks for a transparent and credible process that will lead to the non-delayed appointment of the governor of the National Bank, by respecting the criteria of professionalism and integrity, as this will contribute to restoring the central bank’s image of independent and responsible institution able to ensure prudent banking policies. “Special attention should be devoted to the auditing of the important banks of the Republic of Moldova,” wrote Dacian Ciolos.
Bucharest notes that the invitation for an IMF mission to come to Chisinau was an important step, but now it is essential to work out a roadmap for striking an agreement with the IMF as soon as possible. Romania insists on the initiation of a legislative package for improving the business environment, based on a process of transparent consultation of civil society and representatives of the business sector, and on an analysis of the vulnerabilities in the banking system and drawing up of a legislative calendar for removing them.
The official Bucharest also recommends presenting a plan for adjusting and implementing the justice sector reform strategy and the national anticorruption strategy and assessing the performance of the prosecution service and the National Anticorruption Center. The Romanian official underlines the importance of consulting and cooperating with representatives of Moldova’s civil society, in particular over the mentioned aspects.
“We consider that these recommendations, which were also presented in the January 26 discussions in Bucharest, will ensure the preconditions needed for strengthening Moldova’s stability and transferring the financial support of Romania. They will also ensure the preconditions for reestablishing Moldova’s partnerships with other international and financial partners,” said Dacian Ciolos.
He also says that until then, the Government of Romania will take measures to shape emergency (humanitarian) assistance for the Republic of Moldova, to intensify the sector cooperation and to launch strategic projects.
