ECO-BUS WEEKLY DIGEST October 7-13. Most important Economy & Business news by IPN

● MONDAY, October 7

Over 50 cattle perish in Orhei barn fire

Over 50 cattle perished in a barn blaze that occurred in Step-Soci village, Orhei district, last Saturday. According to the General Inspectorate for Emergencies, the fire spread through the barn’s roof, destroying 60% of it. Four fire engines were dispatched to the scene to put out the blaze.

Public consultations will be held on new Land Code bill

Public consultations on the new Land Code bill will continue until the end of this month. The project is published on the government platform particip.gov.md. The project aims to decentralize roles in the field of land relations. The information from the Land Cadastre, currently kept on paper, is proposed to be introduced in an automated information system. The executive branch has yet to approve the concept. The land registry will interact with other registers and will be updated every four years.

● TUESDAY, October 8

All fields in Moldova involve off-shore schemes, opinion

All fields in the Republic of Moldova involve off-shore schemes. Due to these practices, the state budget collects less revenue than it should. The opinion was expressed by the political and economic commentator Victor Ciobanu at the Jurnal TV program "Ora expertizei". "Therefore, this bill should be greatly expanded. Concessions and privatization are important, public procurement already is a good area of interest, however, I would like to go further. (...) I can tell you that all our oilmen are using off-shore schemes, while ANRE can only examine the price at the border. We talked about it for years", said Victor Ciobanu.

● WEDNESDAY, October 9

Government: Decent conditions for passengers come first, tariff adjustment comes second

The executive believes that passengers must be provided with decent travel conditions and with minibuses and buses that are exclusively intended for passenger transport. Only after the passenger transport operators fulfill these conditions, the government is willing to negotiate the fare increase.In a press release, the government disapproves of the strike organised by transport operators, which suspended 600 races today, October 9. The operators claim that the strike was triggered by the refusal of the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure to increase the tariffs on national transport services.

 IMF mission concludes visit to Chisinau

A staff team of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed its visit to Moldova after being in Chisinau during October 2–8. According to the mission’s head Ruben Atoyan, during the past week, there were constructive discussions on recent economic developments and policies to maintain macroeconomic and fiscal stability. “We commend the authorities for taking decisive actions to bring the IMF-supported program back on track and advancing reforms,” stated the IMF official.

Chisinau residents to be informed about benefits of centralized heating system

The advantages and benefits of the centralized heating system, a service provided in Chisinau by the company Termoelectrica, were brought to notice within a communication campaign, which was presented on Wednesday. Veaceslav Eni, the general manager of the company, said that from January 1, information leaflets will be distributed, meetings with residents will be organized and radio and TV spots will be broadcast for 6 months. Veaceslav Eni mentioned that over the past four years, the company has been in a constant modernization process in order to meet people’s needs. According to the director, the communication campaign is part of the Development of the Efficiency of the Centralized Power Supply System project (SACET), financed by the World Bank. It was designed to inform consumers about the safest and most efficient heating solutions and their impact on people, the environment and the energy security of the country.

Transport operators ask for tariff increase in PMAN

About 250 minibuses and buses from intercity routes were parked in the Great National Assembly Square. The carriers are calling for increase of tariffs and say that, if authorities do not comply, they will expand the protest by suspending from regular activity a larger number of transport units. The chairman of the Auto Transport Association of Employers, Oleg Alexa, said that the authorities do not take into account that there is a 3 thousand worker deficit in the transport sector, most of them drivers. People no longer work as electricians, motorists, locksmiths or welders at transport companies. "I want to point out that over 400 people have left our industry since June 8, 2019", Oleg Alexa said.

● THURSDAY, October 10

Igor Munteanu: Filip government orchestrated the reorganization of the walnut market

The collapse of prices, high unofficial taxes for exporters and intimidation of walnut production and export companies were orchestrated by the Filip government. Since 2016, the Moldovan walnut market has shrunk. The statements were made by the chairman of the Committee for economy, budget and finance, Igor Munteanu, at a press conference. "Between 2015 and 2016, five large companies were operating on the market. In December 2016, certain members of the Filip government claimed a larger share of the market”, said Igor Munteanu. The MP pointed out that the Filip government created a task group, which implemented a series of measures under the pretext of identifying unjustified VAT refunds, smuggling, tax evasion and forgeries in procurement documents.

● FRIDAY, October 11

European Fund for Southeast Europe to lend 25 million lei to 3 banks in Moldova

Three banks from Moldova are set to receive funding of 25 million lei from the European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE) as a way of encouraging national currency lending. Valeriu Munteanu, first deputy governor of the NBM, who attended the conference “The power of the local currency”, organized within a regional campaign aiming to facilitate access to national currency financing for entrepreneurs, stated that EFSE will finance banks and non-bank credit organizations having small businesses and low-income households as final beneficiaries. The campaign has a duration of three years with a potential extension. “The financing of the licensed banks of Moldova is pending approval. It aims to grant 25 million lei to three partner banks in the next six months,” according to a BNM the press release.

● SATURDAY, October 12

Moldova to borrow 100 million euros for solid waste management

Moldova has initiated the borrowing procedure from the European Investment Bank of 100 million euros for the implementation of the "Solid waste in the Republic of Moldova" project. According to a government decision, subject to public debate on particip.gov.md, the loan will be disbursed in several installments, the first tranche being 25 million euros. The first installment is designated for the construction of new sanitary warehouses and facilities for composting, material recovery, anaerobic digestion and mechanical biological treatment. Additionally, the project aims to install containers and to use vehicles for mixed and separate collection of waste.