● MONDAY, November 26
Results summarized and new objectives set on Farmer’s Day
Results that confirm the development process goes on were achieved in the agricultural sector in the course of this year. The harvest of corn, stone fruit and vegetables increased and total production was by about 25% higher compared with last year. However, despite the rich harvest, this year wasn’t an easy one for a part of the farmers owing to a series of factors and the larger production was a burden for many of them, Minister of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment Nicolae Ciubuc stated in a festivity held to celebrate the Agriculture and Processing Industry Worker’s Day.
Healthcare expenditure in Moldova is lower than EU average, expert
The healthcare expenditure in Moldova in percentage of the Gross Domestic Product is 2.2 times lower than the average in the EU. In absolute terms, the costs per capita in Moldova are 9.5 times lower than the average in the EU, economist of the Institute for Development and Social Initiative “Viitorul” Veaceslav Ioniță noted in the publication Trend Hunter. According to the economist, in 2019 Moldova plans to allot 8.8 billion lei to healthcare. Of this sum, 7.5 billion lei is money accumulated and spent through the Health Protection Fund, while 1.3 billion lei is additional financing allocated from the state budget for different programs and investments. This way the healthcare expenditure in 2019 will represent 4.2% of the GDP, as opposed to 4.3% in 2018, which is the lowest amount in the last 14 years.
● TUESDAY, November 27
Bridge near Unguri and Bronnitsa to be opened to vehicles for trial period
The bridge across the Nistru River situate near Unguri and Bronnitsa localities on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border will be opened to international traffic for a trial period on November 28. Passenger and freight vehicles weighing at most 3.5 tonnes will be allowed to cross the bridge. According to the Government’s press service, Prime Minister Pavel Filip and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Groysman agreed to open the bridge to motor vetches for a trial period during a meeting held in Kiev on November 24. If the vehicles are allowed to cross the border through the Unguri customs post, the large flows at the Otaci customs post that is situated 8 km from the first will be dispersed. There is heavy traffic at the Otaci customs post also owing to the works to rehabilitate the Mogilev-Podolsk customs post in Ukraine.
Moldova Business Week 2018 underway in Chisinau
About 1,500 investors, backers, importers and exporters from Moldova and another 30 countries are taking part in the Moldova Business Week 2018 that is taking place in Chisinau during November 27-29. Organized by the Investment Agency under the Government’s aegis, the three-day event, which is at its fifth edition, will include lectures and sessions centering on the investment potential of the strategic branches of the national economy. Attending the opening of the event, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said the Business Week is a forum that comes to present new business and investment opportunities in the Republic of Moldova. A series of reforms were done to improve the business environment and they were done together with the business community, which is important. The approved fiscal policy ensures predictability in the business sector. The pressure exerted on the business sector by institutions with inspection duties, especially the police, was reduced, as was the number of such institutions.
Fruit and berry harvest grew and farmers face exporting challenges, experts
Moldova saw an increase in the fruit and berry harvest during the past few years, but the Moldovan farmers cannot export their products owing to the Russian ban and to the oversupply on traditional export markets. In a conference, experts spoke about the necessity of diversifying the export markets and of orienting to countries where the population is growing. Associate expert of the Farmers Federation of Moldova (FARM) Andrei Zbancă said the fruit growing sector develops swiftly, especially in the case of apples. The fruit production this year totaled about 530,000 tonnes. To facilitate the export of apples, the Government should sign free trade agreements not only with the EU and the CIS, but also with other states, such as India and the countries of Middle East where the population grows quickly. “Russia during the past few years increased domestic apple production and this tendency will be kept the next years. We should focus on the diversification of markets,” stated Andrei Zbancă.
We have solid and stable banks that can support investments, National Bank governor
After the banking fraud and the crisis that followed, the banning system was cleaned and the banks are now solid and stable and ready to support investors, while the citizens have confidence in the banking system, said the governor of the National Bank of Moldova Sergiu Cioclea. In the forum Moldova Business Week 2018, the governor stated the banks in Moldova possess about €1.5 billion that waits to be invested in projects or loans and this is a huge reserve that will lay at the basis of the future economic growth. “In 2018, we had three new investors in the Moldovan banking system. I expect one or two new investors will come next year. Changing the structure of bank shareholders is not a goal, but we want to attract more experienced investors that will know how to channel the savings accumulated in the form of deposits to valuable projects that would ensure the country’s growth and social wellbeing,” stated the governor.
● WEDNESDAY, November 28
Mobile application to provide information about state and accessibility of roads
Information about the state and accessibility of roads, including in winter, could be obtained through a mobile application. Minister of Economy and Infrastructure Kiril Gaburici said such an application could be created for smartphones. “We aim to design an application for smartphone users so that such information is accessible to each of us at any moment of the day or night,” Kiril Gaburici was quoted by IPN as saying in the talk show “Fabrika” on Publika TV channel. As regards the vehicles for cleaning roads in winter, the minister said those that are old are to be renewed. “We are prepared. We have the necessary equipment. A part of the vehicles are old and we will replace them. We stored antiskid material and purchase new quantities of sand, salt and everything that’s needed,” stated the official.
Central bank encourages businesswomen to apply for financial products from banks
The National Bank of Moldova encourages the businesswoman to more actively apply for the financial products they need from banks. The statement was made by the vice governor of the National Bank Cristina Harea at the conference “Innovations that Transform Business” in Chisinau on November 27. The event was organized by the EBRD Moldova Advisory Team for Small Businesses and other international partners within the Innovation Data for Businesswomen initiative, IPN reports, quoting the central bank. Cristina Harea spoke mainly about the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises and individual entrepreneurs and the use of innovations and new payment instruments, such as payments through the Internet and mobile phones. She noted the women usually are more reluctant to raise loans, but their payment discipline is better than in the case of men.
Mobile phone services market declines
The volume of voice traffic on the mobile phone services market in the first nine months of this year decreased by 28.2 million minutes (-0.6%) compared with the corresponding period last year, to 4.6 billion minutes. According to the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology, the number of users fell by over 96,000 (-2.2%) on 2017, to 4.3 million. The average monthly volume of minutes spoken by an user in the period was 271 minutes. The revenues on this market declined by over 147 million lei (-5.8%) to 2.3 billion lei. The average monthly revenue per user was 72.9 lei
● THURSDAY, November 29
Audit carried out at National Anti-Doping Agency
The Court of Auditors hasn’t identified significant denaturing in the financial reports of the National Anti-Doping Agency. The reports provide a correct and reliable picture of the performance and financial position of the given authority on December 31, 2017, shows the report on the audit of the financial situations of the Agency that was presented in a public meeting of the Court of Auditors on November 28. According to the report, the financial resources used to ensure the functioning of the Agency consist of state budget funds. In 2017, the financial resources came to 1.301,2 million or 79.9% of the total budgetary allocations for 2017.
License tax for insurers increased
The tax for issuing licenses to insurance companies will rise form 13,000 lei at present to 20,000 lei, according to a bill to amend and supplement the relevant legislation that was adopted by Parliament after giving it a final reading. Under the bill, the tax for issuing authorized copies – for renewing the license and for issuing the duplicate of the license – will represent 10% of the license tax. The supervision authority will take a decision as to the issuing of the license within 30 working days of the receipt of all the documents required for issuing the license, while in the case of renewal of the license – within 14 working days of the day the statement for renewing the license is submitted.
● FRIDAY, November 30
Moldovan leu celebrates 25th anniversary of putting into circulation
The Moldovan leu is a solid currency and one of the strongest currencies in the region. The introduction of the national currency in the Republic of Moldova stimulated reforms in all the branches of the national economy. On the 25th anniversary of is putting into circulation, the Moldovan leu is a trusted currently. The opinions were stated in a news conference held to celebrate the anniversary. National Bank governor Sergiu Cioclea spoke about his term in office that lasted for almost three years. He said that measures to strengthen confidence in the Moldovan leu were taken after the financial and banking crisis. Owing to the steps taken in the period, the exchange rate of the Moldovan lei remained firm and the leu is a solid currency and is among the most solid ones in the region. The population’s trust in the baking system increased as did the deposits.
Pavel Filip: In 2-3 years we will ensure interconnection between electricity systems of Moldova and Romania
The interconnection between the electricity systems of Moldova and Romania will be realized in two-three years, Prime Minister Pavel Filip stated in the talk show “Emphasis on today” on TVR Moldova channel. “We aim to install a Back to Back station because our systems are different – synchronous and asynchronous. Therefore, we need this station that costs a lot. We speak about one interconnection – the Isaccea-Vulcănești-Chisinau project – and we already raised the money for the purpose from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank”, the Premier was quoted by IPN as saying.
Mobile 4G Internet usage grows
The number of 4G mobile Internet users in Moldova in the first nine months of this year rose by 42.2% compared with the end of 2017 to 984,200. The number of users of broadband Internet access services (through smartphones and dedicated access through modems/cards) increased by 20.9% to over 2.9 million lei. According to the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology, the volume of traffic in nine months grew by 29.8% to 61.3 million GB compared with the similar period last year. Sales in this sector rose by 17.3% to 779.3 million lei.
Audit report on financial situations of Supreme Council of Magistracy made public
The consolidated financial report of the Superior Council of Magistracy provides a correct and reliable picture that meets the financial reporting norms and generally does not contain significant distortions, says the audit report on the Council’s consolidated financial situations on December 31, 2017 that was examined by the Court of Auditors in a meeting on November 29. The Superior Council of Magistracy is an independent judiciary authority created to organize and ensure the functionality of the judicial system (Supreme Court of Justice, Court of Auditors and courts of law) and is the guarantor of the independence of the judiciary. The property managed by the Council and the courts of law is fully owned by the state. At the end of 2017, this property was valued at 351 million lei. Twenty courts of law remained after the optimization process.
Export of fruit grown in Cantemir and Ialoveni to Russia banned
The Russian Federation banned the import of fresh apricots, cherries, sour cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums and sloes from Cantemir and Ialoveni districts of Moldova owing to the infection of plums with the Monilinia fructicola pathogen. The National Food Safety Agency was informed about this by a letter by Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance. According to the Agency, an internal inquiry was opened to establish the traceability of plums and the documents and laboratory results will be analyzed. The results of the inquiry will be made public.
Anti-bribery management system at Clinical Hospital “Saint Archangel Mikhail”
An anti-bribery management system will be implemented at the Municipal Clinical Hospital “Saint Archangel Mikhail”. The plan for implementing the system, in accordance with the ISO 37001 international standard, was presented in a national conference held as part of a project that is financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania through the International Development Cooperation Agency RoAid. In the national conference, Artur Răducanu, first secretary of Romania’s Embassy in Chisinau, reiterated that the Government of Romania supports Moldova’s European integration efforts and is hopeful that Moldova’s direction will be European. By implementing European and international standards such as ISO 37001 – anti-bribery management systems – the hospitals contribute to this direction that was undertaken in 2009.
