The current government, if it is not a reform one, is definitely an anti-crisis one. Taking into account the capacities of institutions, the government led by Natalia Gavrilița adopted an appropriate management strategy for dealing with the avalanche of crisis experienced by the Republic of Moldova in 2022. This is one of the conclusions of the State of the Nation Report that was presented by the Independent Think Tank “Expert Grup” in Chisinau today, IPN reports.
The report authors said that what could happen worse in the country was already witnessed as the Republic of Moldova experienced a number of exgogenous shocks and the government coped rather well. Moreover, the mechanisms implemented to manage the crises can be an example for other countries of the region.
“Crisis management was appropriate if we take into consideration the avalanche of crises and the capacities of institutions. This government, if it is not a reform one, is definitely an anti-crisis one. The mechanisms created this year enable the state to spend the money in a more targeted way. What is important is that these instruments in the future could be used again in times of crisis. We should note a historic achievement for the Republic of Moldova and also for the countries of the region. Other countries are analyzing our example regarding the provision of this targeted support,” said “Expert-Grup” executive director Adrian Lupușor.
He noted that even if initially the government came with pro-reform slogans, promising to do reforms swiftly, these are implemented rather slowly.
“We speak about the functionality of the democratic system. We had a peaceful replacement of the government, but this new government was confronted by the systemic realities, by the fact that the system didn’t adjust to these democratic changes and, as a result, we have very sluggish reforms,” said the expert.
Adrian Lupușor noted that the people’s vote and the major trust put by the foreign partners resulted in the granting of the EU candidate status and augmentation of the foreign assistance. On the other hand, the system’s resistance hampered the reforms and the results in part are below expectations.
“This dissonance between the mechanisms of democracy and the poor functioning of the system caused political volatility and political uncertainty in an environment that a priori should have definitely been political as we have a majority government that should ensure the implementation of reforms,” stated Adrian Lupușor.
The expert said the foreign assistance is the main factor that stimulates the reformation process, while the capacities and will at domestic level are insufficient.
“When we speak about external pressure, we refer to negative pressure. For example, the global energy crisis make the government, for the first time since the declaring of Independence, to implement a real program to ensure energy security and to take clear, firm actions towards building energy security. We also speak about positive external pressure. For example, the memorandum with the International Monetary Fund, which stipulates clear conditions that need to be fulfilled, or the agreement with the European Commission following the granting of the EU candidate status are also a form of positive pressure that serves as motivation for the government to do reforms. The external pressure is fundamental in advancing reforms,” said the expert.
The State of the Nation Report was produced by the Independent Think Tank “Expert Grup” and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Moldova.
