The practice of offering allowances to children of ambassadors is a widespread one in the diplomatic service of other states, including Romania, Georgia or Ukraine. In the case of the Republic of Moldova, it will concern only members of the staff of diplomatic missions or consular offices accompanied on missions abroad by children who are studying in a preschool, primary or secondary educational institution (compulsory education). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs came with clarification in this regard, IPN reports.
According to the MFA, the amount that is proposed to be refunded is €500 per month. It will benefit only children who do not exceed the age of 18 and who will have this need, based on justifying/confirmatory documents, under the conditions set down by the Cabinet.
“The children of diplomats cannot go to kindergartens or schools where the teaching language is not of international circulation, while alternative educational institutions are prohibitively expensive. In such circumstances, diplomats who have children cannot go on missions and, predominantly, diplomats without children go there. This phenomenon leads to the exodus of diplomats with children from the diplomatic system and the initiative to modernize the legal framework aims to change this state of affairs,” the Ministry noted.
Last week, Parliament gave a first reading to a draft law to amend the Law on Diplomatic Service. Among other things, the initiative provides that “members of the staff of the diplomatic mission or consular office accompanied on mission by children up to the age of 23 (unmarried and attending preschool, primary, general or vocational secondary education, specialized schools, universities) benefit from the refund of up to €700 month for each child for the period of placement in educational institutions, under the conditions set down by the Cabinet”. The Party of Socialists issued a statement in which it called cynical the initiative of the Party of Action and Solidarity to offer monthly allowances to the children of ambassadors.
