The Independent Analytical Center “Expert-Grup” said the Government’s top priorities in 2014 must include tax consolidation, regardless of the stage of the electoral process. In order to ensure the stability of public finances, reforms should be done to restructure the budget sector and to improve the fiscal administration mechanism, which would enable to increase budget revenues, IPN reports.
According to “Expert-Grup”, the signing of the memorandum with the International Monetary Fund can be an exceptional priority of the Government, which will enable to ensure protection against foreign shocks. It will also facilitate the disbursement of technical assistance from the donor community. The pressure exerted by Russia on Moldova may increase in 2014, given the expected signing of the Association Agreement with the EU, and the coming parliamentary elections.
Thus, the dependence on Russian gas will increase. The authorities should make effort to negotiate a long-term contract that would include a floating price, in accordance with the market oscillations. This would enable to ensure certain predictability in the relations with Russia in the energy sector and to adjust the price to the market trends that tend to decrease following the diversification of the alternative sources of energy.
Another policy priority, according to “Expert-Grup”, should be the rescheduling of the debt for gas of about US$4 billion owed by the Transnistrian region. On a long term, the required measures include the finishing of the construction of the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline and its subsequent interconnection with the European infrastructure and market. This will reduce the dependence on the Russian supplier.
The independent experts consider that the relations between the ruling parties will be tested next year. It will be harder to maintain calm and balance in the reciprocal relations between the components of the alliance with the legislative elections approaching. Therefore, some of the system reforms may be delayed or even suspended.
Another risk is the fueling of the separatist tendencies in the country’s regions. “Expert-Grup” considers that in order to diminish this risk, the authorities must efficiently communicate with the population, especially the people from rural areas and those who speak other languages than Romanian.
The experts recommend that the investment programs initiated by the authorities should cover all the regions of the country, regardless of the private electoral preferences and political interests. This will contribute to minimizing the risk of proliferation of possible social tensions or the reappearance and/or intensification of the separatist tendencies.
