● TUESDAY, September 19
Vestmoldtransgaz designated gas transmission system operator nationwide
As of September 19, Vestmoldtransgaz will be responsible for the management and proper functioning of the natural gas infrastructure, while Moldovatransgaz will provide the necessary maintenance services. The National Agency for Energy Regulation (NAER) completed the procedure for designing Vestmoldtransgaz as gas transmission system operator nationwide.
Force of Farmers requests to ban import of sunflower seeds
Representatives of the public association “Force of Farmers” ask to ban the import of sunflower seeds into Moldova at least until December 31 or farmers’ protests will be inevitable, as they said.
The association informed that a working meeting with traders in grain and oil seeds was held on Monday under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry. The discussions centered on the prices of sunflower seeds which the past week fell by about 2 lei per kilogram and are by over 3 lei lower than the quotations on commodity exchanges.
Base rate on monetary policy operations maintained
The base rate on the main monetary policy operations remained unchanged, as the Executive Board of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) decided on September 19.
This way, the base rate on the main short-term monetary policy operations was kept at the level of 6% annually. The interest rates on overnight loans and deposits remained at the level of 8% and, respectively, 4% a year.
● WEDNESDAY, September 20
Inflation rate in August decreased to 9.7%
The annual inflation rate declined by 1.1 percentage points to 9.7% in August, being by 0.2 percentage points higher than the projected value. The National Bank of Moldova (NBM) said the deviation of effective inflation from the forecast one was primarily due to the higher than expected rise in fuel prices.
Angela Gramadă: If gas is not supplied to Transnistrian region, humanitarian consequences could be dramatic
An eventual halt in the supply of gas by Gazprom to the Transnistrian region will have dramatic consequences from humanitarian viewpoint, said the president of the Experts for Security and Global Affairs Association Angela Grămadă. According to her, if the gas supply to the Transnistrian region is stopped, Russia will have to additionally finance the Transnistrian region so as to keep it afloat.
Dwellers could set up photovoltaic installations on apartment buildings
The owners of apartments in multi-story buildings will be able to install renewable energy parks for own consumptions, including at another address than the consumption place, but both of the addresses must be within the area of responsibility of the same supplier. This is stipulated in a bill that was approved by the Cabinet.
Cabinet approves transition from net metering to net billing
A new mechanism for billing renewable energy will be applied as from January 1, 2024. A bill approved by the Cabinets allows for the transition from net metering to net billing.
The authorities said the transition from net metering to net billing is a step needed for making the current renewable energy system more balanced and orderly and nondiscriminatory, to which more citizens would have access.
USAID transfers US$76.8m to Government for electricity cost reimbursement
USAID provided US$76.8 million to the Government of the Republic of Moldova for the reimbursement of the record costs for electrical energy in the 2022-2023 winter season. The money was transferred through the agency of the World Bank and forms part of USAID’s commitment to offer $300 million to help Moldova strengthen its energy security.
Consumers can signal problems with their products within a year
The period during which consumers can signal problems with their products was extended from six months to a year. This refers to situations when the product does not meet the expectations, but are not strictly related to the state of compliance. This is stipulated in a bill to amend the law on consumer protection.
● THURSDAY, September 21
Victor Parlicov: We do not aim to unilaterally terminate contract with Gazprom
The Republic of Moldova does not aim to end the contract with Gazprom even if the Russian company doesn’t fulfill its contractual obligations and doesn’t deliver the necessary volumes of gas, said Minister of Energy Victor Parlicov. According to him, the authorities are expecting that the Russian side with terminate the contract unilaterally. If Gazprom stops supplying gas to the Transnistrian region, the official Chisinau will have to manage two crises concomitantly – high energy prices and a possible humanitarian crisis on the left side of the Nistru.
Minister Dumitru Alaiba presents new draft law on state inspections
Entrepreneurs will be able to challenge the state inspection decisions in court and to this way prevent unjustified losses of time and money. This is provided in a bill to amend a number of normative documents that regulate the control of entrepreneurial activities in Moldova. The draft law was presented by Deputy Prime Minister Dumitru Alaiba, Minister of Economic Development and Digitization, in a news conference.
Chisinau hosts largest international tax conference TAXCON
The largest international tax conference in Moldova is taking place in Chisinau. The fourth edition of “TAXCON'23” was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Moldova in partnership with the Ministry of Finance and the Romanian Chamber of Fiscal Consultants.
Moldovagaz presents own calculations of natural gas charges
The president of SA Moldovagaz Vadim Ceban said that following assertions about a possible reduction in natural gas charges, the supplier did its own calculations and these show that the charges can be adjusted next year and only if the purchase price per 1,000 cubic meters of gas is US$450.
EU Delegation expert makes optimistic economic forecasts for this year
In the European Union, there is a fiscal rule according to which the governments must control the deficits. Such fiscal norms are stipulated in the EU treaties. Even the famous figures that most of the people know - debt-to-GDP ratio of 60% and the deficit of 3% as a target – are specified in the EU treaties. Currently, in the process of coming closer to the EU as a candidate country, Moldova should develop its legislation to reflect these rules, Josip Juric, projects manager at the EU Delegation to Moldova, stated in the National Bank of Moldova’s podcast “Given Sense to Money”.
Economic inactivity affects two thirds of Moldova’s young people
The economic inactivity affects two thirds of the young people of Moldova, becoming a more pressing phenomena than unemployment. The lack of work experience and the precarious work conditions are an obstacle to the young people who want to become employed. Many of the young people are dependent on remittances from abroad. Simultaneously, the adolescents have very big expectations of the salaries they ask when they want to get a job and the working conditions they want to enjoy, Felicia Bechtoldt, secretary of state of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, stated in the launch of a study of the youth.
● FRIDAY, September 22
Leu appreciated by 1.3% against US dollar in August
The Moldova leu last month appreciated by 1.3% on average against the U.S. dollar to 17.7640 USD/MDL.
The National Bank of Moldova said the degree of covering the net foreign currency demand from business entities by the net foreign currency supply from private individuals in August was 82.5%, as opposed to 113.7% in July.
Tourism entrepreneurs could access up to 500,000 lei to develop businesses
The entrepreneurs working in tourism and related areas as from next week will be able to get up to 500,000 lei in grant funding to develop their businesses. The own contribution will be 30%. The program to support the development of tourism SMEs was launched today at a pension in Trebujeni.
Ministry of Finance to launch 10-year government bonds on domestic market
The Ministry of Finance on September 27 will launch the first ever 10-year government bonds on the internal market.
17 persons accused in pending cases related to bank fraud
As from 2020 until present, the prosecutors completed the investigation into 12 episodes of the bank fraud. In the criminal cases that were remitted to court, 17 persons have been charged, including the former president of the Democratic Party Vlad Plahotniuc and ex-MP Vladimir Andronachi. Details were provided by the administration of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office (APO) in a press club meeting.
● SATURDAY, September 23
Electric and hybrid cars increasingly popular in Moldova
The electric and hybrid cars have been increasingly popular in Moldova. Over the past two years, the number of these has grown considerably. According to the State Register of Transport, over 25,000 new cars were registered in 2023. Out of these, 611 were electric, while 4,471 were hybrid cars. In 2018, only 42 electric cars and 3,497 hybrid cars were registered.
