● MONDAY, January 22
Volume of cash releases from banks’ cash offices decreased insignificantly
The volume of cash releases from banks’ cash offices last year declined by 0.1% compared to the previous year and amounted to 174.458,5 billion lei.
According to the National Bank of Moldova, the volume of cumulative cash releases from banks’ cash offices exceeded by 4.102,0 billion lei the volume of cumulative cash receipts in the banking system. The volume of cumulative cash receipts in banks’ cash offices came to 170.356,5 billion lei.
Funding calls for initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
The Embassy of Germany had announced the opening of the call for projects within the international climate financing program for promoting sectoral decarbonization Mitigation Action Facility. The focus will be on the sectors with the highest greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
Young people can apply to paid internship program in energy sector
The Ministry of Energy, in partnership with USAID Moldova, through the Energy Security Project of the Republic of Moldova, invites young people to participate in ROUND II of the Powering Moldova's Future – Young Professional Internship Program. It is a paid traineeship that will run from April to September 2024. The deadline for submissions is February 11.
Over 70% of Transnistrian entrepreneurs’ exports in 2023 went to EU
The exports of economic agents from the Transnistrian region to the countries of the European Union last year accounted for 70.48% of all exports, a record figure since the signing of the Association Agreement with the Republic of Moldova. According to the Bureau for Reintegration Policies, this is an increase of over 20.58% compared to 2019, when the figure stood at 49.9%.
TUESDAY, January 23
Sergiu Stefanco: Government does not want to understand gravity of situation in agriculture
Farmers are unable to pay their debts to commercial banks and many of them risk going bankrupt, said Sergiu Stefanco, a farmer from Căușeni district, one of the leaders of the protests mounted in December 2023. The farmer called on the government to restrict the transit of Ukrainian grain through Moldova. He also demanded to impose a moratorium on the payment of loans that farmers had raised from commercial banks.
Sergiu Stefanco: Government does not want to understand gravity of situation in agriculture
Farmers are unable to pay their debts to commercial banks and many of them risk going bankrupt, said Sergiu Stefanco, a farmer from Căușeni district, one of the leaders of the protests mounted in December 2023. The farmer called on the government to restrict the transit of Ukrainian grain through Moldova. He also demanded to impose a moratorium on the payment of loans that farmers had raised from commercial banks.
Center for Personal Data Protection does not ensure transparency of procurement, audit
The National Center for Personal Data Protection for five years has not carried out any public procurement procedure through the Automated Information System “State Register of Public Procurement” / MTender. Under these circumstances, transparency, efficiency and digitalization of public procurement have not been ensured in a regular manner. This is one of the findings of the Court of Auditors, which presented the Compliance Audit Report on the formation, management and use of public financial resources and public heritage by the Center in 2018-2022.
Joining of vertical gas corridor will help Moldova diversify its sources
Moldova, Ukraine and Slovakia joined the vertical gas corridor, combining with Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. According to authorities, the move will help Moldova diversify its gas supply sources and reduce its dependence on the Russian company Gazprom.
Fuel prices grew by 3-4% so far this year
Since the beginning of this year, fuel prices have witnessed an increase of 3-4%, which the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) considers moderate. On Wednesday, the price of gasoline COR 95 will grow by a further 0.11 lei/liter, while the price of diesel fuel by 0.12 lei/liter.
● WEDNESDAY, January 24
Japan offers €1.9 million for providing farmers with fertilizers
Moldova will benefit from non-reimbursable support in the form of grant funding to the value of €1.9 million from Japan. On Wednesday, the Cabinet approved a bill to ratify the grant agreement concluded in the form of an exchange of notes between the Moldovan and Japanese governments for the implementation of the project “Providing Farmers with Fertilizers”, which was signed in Chisinau on December 6, 2023.
EBRD provides €600,000 for Moldova Solid Waste Project
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will offer €600,000 in technical assistance for the implementation of the Moldova Solid Waste Project. The Cabinet approved the ratification of the grant agreement between the Ministry of Environment and the EBRD on the financing of technical assistance, which was signed in Chisinau on December 20, 2023.
Citizens of 20 more states could work in Moldova without permit
The Cabinet approved a list of 20 states whose citizens will be able to work in Moldova for up to 90 days without a work permit, only on the basis of visa, right of stay or right of temporary residence.
The 20 states are: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, the Swiss Confederation, Georgia, Iceland, Japan, Montenegro, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Kingdom of Norway, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Korea, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, the United States of America, Ukraine, and Australia.
Earlier, the Moldovan authorities lifted the same restrictions for citizens of European Union member states.
● THURSDAY, January 25
Energocom chief: Gas storage in Ukraine is risky, but is cheapest in region
The decision to store volumes of natural gas in Ukraine is a risky one, but it implies the lowest storage and transportation price in the region, said the director of Energocom Victor Bînzari. He noted that the facility where Moldova’s gas is stored is located in a relatively quiet area of Ukraine. Possible shelling will affect only ground infrastructure, not yet the stored volumes of gas.
List of entrepreneurs who will use cash registers connected to ESM extended
The list of economic agents that will use cash and control equipment connected to the Automated Information System ”Electronic Sales Monitoring” (ESM) will be extended. The decision covers pawnshops and also enterprises and companies in which the state owns a majority shareholding.
● FRIDAY, January 26
Experts: Energy efficiency is a necessity, not a fad
The phenomenon of energy efficiency is no longer an abstract goal, but is a reality we live in, said the director of the Alliance for Energy Efficiency and Renewables (AEER) Irina Plis. According to the energy expert, the crisis of 2022, generated by the war in Ukraine, made Moldova’s population and economic agents to change their paradigm in terms of energy consumption and invest in equipment for producing energy from renewable sources.
Household consumers could pay 16 lei for cubic meter of gas
Moldovagaz requested the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) to revise the natural gas charge for final consumers for 2024. According to draft calculations, household consumers will pay about 16 lei for one cubic meter of gas, compared to 18 lei at present.
Nonbank lending organizations obliged to cancel payments or return about 114m lei
The National Commission for Financial Markets (CNPF) last year ordered that nonbank lending organizations should return or cancel payments related to loan agreements to the value of 113.8 million lei in the case of about 12,400 loan agreements. Also, significant amounts were prescribed to be returned by creditors as a result of the Commission’s intervention in the process of examining complaints.
Moldovan leu needs slight depreciation, expert
Remittances from abroad have lost their economic impact, reaching the lowest level in the last 25 years. Even so, in 2023 the foreign exchange market was strongly influenced by the large supply of currency, including with the contribution of Ukrainian citizens who sold large volumes of currency, said Veaceslav Ioniță, economic policies expert of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul”. According to him, in 2024 the foreign exchange market most likely will not be pressured so much by the appreciation of the leu and the leu needs depreciation.
Central banks of Moldova and Romania strengthening partnership
The central banks of Moldova and Romania are strengthening their partnership in the contect of Moldova’s EU accession efforts. During a visit to Bucharest, the governors of the two banks, Anca Dragu and Mugur Isărescu, expressed their determination to strengthen bilateral cooperation and to carry out a number of joint projects in carrying out the necessary reforms for the continuation of the European path of the Republic of Moldova.
● SATURDAY, January 27
Execution of 2023 state budget ended with a deficit of 16.1bn lei
The total revenues of the state budget in 2023 were over 64.6 billion lei, up 9% compared to 2022. The expenditure amounted to 80.7 billion lei, by about 17.7% higher on 2022 According to the Ministry of Finance, the execution of the 2023 state budget ended with a deficit of 16.1 billion lei, being financed from internal sources, external sources and the modification of the balance of funds.
