● MONDAY, April 8
Civil aviation switches to summer program
The aviation industry started to use the summer timetable and regular flights to Nice, France, as of April 26, are among the novelties of this summer. The flights will be operated until October 25 three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, by Air Moldova. The same airline and also Fly One will operate regular flights to Turkey’s Izmir on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from May 18 until October 5. Wizz Air extended its flight area and will operate flights to several new destinations such as Dortmund, Germany, as of March 31 until October 23, on Wednesday and Sunday, one regular flight, on Tuesday and Saturdays, to Germany’s Memmingen from April 2 to September 14 and then during October 1-26, and also a regular flight to Copenhagen, Denmark, between April 2 and June 11, on Tuesday and Saturday. Turkish Airlines will operate a flight to Dalaman, Turkley, during May 25 – October 15, and another one to Friedrichshafen, Germany, between September 17 and 28.
Kiosks further banned from selling cigarettes near schools and hospitals
The retail outlets with an area smaller than 20 square meters remain with the ban on selling tobacco products and related products if they are located at a distance shorter than 200 meters from an education or a medical institution. The Constitutional Court rejected the application of former MP Simion Grishchuk, who challenged this article, invoking unfair competition. The Court reached the conclusion that the temporary retail outlets have sufficient elements that balance the disadvantage invoked by the author of the challenge. Simion Grishchuk wasn’t present at the meeting and didn’t send a representative.
● TUESDAY, April 9
Demand for milk is 78% satisfied with domestic production
The demand for milk in Moldova is 78% satisfied with domestic production. The raw material domestically is supplied by farms and by the individual sector through milk collection points. The milk collected from people represents almost 95% of the milk processed at enterprises (485 tonnes a year). In a response to an inquiry made by IPN News Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment said 206 cattle farms in Moldova possess sanitary-veterinary authorizations. Most of these have by up to 20 cows. The milk collected from people is of a lower quality, especially as regards the bacteriological composition. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the domestic households in 2017 kept 102,000 dairy cows, while the farms over 10,000 cows, which is 10% of the total number of dairy cows.
Central bank extends period for selling shares in two banks
The Executive Board of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) decided to extend the period for selling shares in Energbank SA and Banca de Finanțe și Comerț SA for three months. The decision refers to the shareholders on which the National Bank earlier imposed penalties for non-observance of the requirements concerning bank shareholders, IPN reports, quoting a press release of the central bank. By a decision of January 11, the NBM established that a group of shareholders work in concert in relation to Banca de Finanțe și Comerț SA. These bought and owned a considerable holding in the bank’s share capital, of 36.15%, without the prior written consent of the central bank. This way, provisions of the law on the activity of banks were violated. Consequently, the given shareholders were banned from exercising particular rights and are to sell the owned shares.
● WEDNESDAY, April 10
21 projects to be funded in advance from Agriculture Development Fund
Twenty-one projects will be financed from the National Agriculture Development Fund, to a total 12 million lei, with the money paid upfront. The Agricultural Subsidies Agency (AIPA) announces that on April 8 it has closed the third call for applications for upfront subventions offered to young people and women willing to start an agricultural business. Most applications, 13, came from women, and 8 others came from young farmers. Nine projects involve creation of vineyards or orchards, eight are in the livestock sector, and four will deal with bee-keeping. The 21 applications will now be thoroughly examined by AIPA’s evaluation commission.
Government negotiates Chinese loan to repair two roads
The roads R13 (Bălți-Florești) and M5 (Bălți-Criva) could be rehabilitated with funding from the Bank of China, as the Moldovan Government started negotiations for a 190 million euros loan. Apects of the deal were discussed today by Minister of Economy and Infrastructure Chiril Gaburici and Yang Shi Xin, representative of Bank of China’s Financial Department, the MoEI said in a press release. Chiril Gaburici said that the rehabilitation works on the two roads are expected to be launched this year. “This project, which we hope to implement together, ties together several strategic points in the country,” the official said.
● THURSDAY, April 11
Changes made to procedure for declaring goods by Transnistrian entrepreneurs
The process of implementing the customs policies applying to business entities from the eastern districts of the country will be standardized. The Cabinet on April 11 approved changes to a Government decision concerning the declaration of goods by business entities from the eastern districts of Moldova. According to the Government’s press service, the move will contribute to standardizing the process of implementing customs policies referring to all the business entities from the eastern districts of Moldova that registered with the Public Services Agency. Under the decision, the payments levied in accordance with the Government decision on the declaring of goods by business entities from the eastern districts of Moldova and those collected before the coming into force of the decision are not refunded.
Moldovan companies interact with potential U.S. business partners visiting Chisinau
Moldova is ready to carefully analyze any investment project from the American business community and the Government will provide all the necessary support and assistance. This was stated by Economy Minister Chiril Gaburici in his welcoming remarks to participants in a two-day Moldova-U.S. Forum, taking place in Chisinau. Minister Gaburici said he believes that during these two days, both the American business community and the Moldovan entrepreneurs will be able to establish partnerships, share experience and draw inspiration from success stories. On the first day of the Forum, relevant Moldovan authorities have presented the most important sectors where American entrepreneurs can invest. The 16 U.S. companies participating in the event are interested in establishing partnerships with Moldovan companies in areas such as infrastructure, industry, energy, ICT, tourism, agro-business, etc. On Friday, on the second day of the event, a B2B session will take place, where local companies will be able to establish direct contacts with US partners. In Moldova there are 398 companies with U.S. capital amounting to the 517 million lei, which makes the United States the 7th trade partner of Moldova.
● FRIDAY, April 12
Moldova’s Fenosa electric utilities bought out by London-based firm
The Spanish natural gas and electric utility group Naturgy has signed a €141M deal to sell its entire stakes in its Moldovan subsidiaries, Red Union Fenosa and Gas Natural Fenosa Furnizare Energie. The new owner, Duet Private Equity Limited, is expected to take control over the utilities once the transaction is completed by the end of June 2019. The transaction is part of Naturgy’s efforts to focus on its strategic regions and businesses, Naturgy said in a statement. “The change of ownership will not affect the licensed ordinary activity of the electricity distribution and provision companies from Moldova. They will keep their managing and technical staff to ensure the continuity of service provision operations”, Gas Natural Fenosa said in a press release. The new owner is a London-based private equity and venture capital firm specializing in early-stage investment, emerging growth, turnaround and buyouts, among other.
Moldexpo hosts “Imobil Moldova” residential fair
A vast offer for all kinds of home-buyers is on display at the “Imobil Moldova” residential fair, taking place at Moldexpo during April 11-14. Those who find the right home can sign the contract right away. The real estate and construction company Sprint-Mega proposes apartments in a residential complex located on Testemitanu Street. The casing of the monolithic block is made of reinforced concrete, the facade is thermally insulated with polystyrene boards. Each apartment has autonomous heating, double glazing windows, individual gas meters and other utilities. At the fair, contracts can also be signed with qualified designers for finishing apartment interiors. Businesspeople or people with some extra savings seeking to invest in the real estate market can buy apartments and homes in countries like Cyprus and Russia. Representatives of intermediate companies are present at the exhibition stands. For those who buy apartments in Cyprus, the company offers a warranty for renting the space purchased for a period of 10 years.
