[- Do the electoral contenders address the issue of migration in their programs?] - Migration in Moldova is a sensitive and controversial subject. The political parties, regardless of their political orientation, do not have a very clear common view on the issue of migration. During the last few years, the number of Moldovans that went abroad to wok has increased. About 600,000 Moldovans were abroad in the first quarter of this year. Out of these, 340,000 have their families in Moldova. The Moldovans working abroad make up about one fourth of the national labor force. The remittances are a major source of income for the families of those that went abroad and for the national economy in general. Last year, remittances totaled US$1.8 billion, making up 30% of the GDP. They helped reduce poverty, teach the children and contributed to a higher consumption-led economic growth. Each third household in Moldova receives remittances from abroad. For each second of these households, the money sent from abroad represents more than 50% of their total incomes. The negative consequences of migration include the mass exodus of brains and skilled labor force, which affects the public and private sectors and leads to child abandonment and destroyed families. In some of the cases, the attempts to emigrate result in serious exploitation cases that are usually treated as trafficking cases. As the political parties do not fully realize the complexity of this problem, they did not manage to prepare and promote comprehensive solutions to migration in their electoral discourses. Though some politicians defend the rights of the migrants, while others deny the symptomatic character of this problem for the country’s development, the political parties do not broadly tackle the issue of migration. They think of the migrants especially during the electoral campaigns. As migration is a very complex social phenomenon connected with the socioeconomic development of the country, the possible solutions must take into account the necessity of creating new workplaces, improving the infrastructure, especially the rural one, healthcare and education, providing dwellings for the young people, increasing salaries, etc. If these problems are not solved, the impact of the separate sectoral efforts will be limited and short-lived. [- What would you recommend to the governors and election runners?] - There should be worked out a comprehensive strategy on migration that would aim to maximize the advantages of migration and reduce its social costs. The role of the state commission on migration management could be decisive in this respect. In order to overcome the economic crisis, there should be offered possibilities of earning long-term incomes in the country and increased the investments in infrastructure, as a basis for the public employment policies. The disproportional effects of the crisis on rural poverty can be solved by increasing employment opportunities and opportunities to earn money in rural economy. The legal employment opportunities for the Moldovans working abroad must be extended, especially by circular migration schemes and temporary work programs. The quality of the social assistance and the sustainability of the efforts in this sector can be ensured by formulating quality standards and increasing gradually the Government’s involvement. The mechanisms and capacity of the social players should be improved so as to identify and provide social assistance to the children that remained without parental care. The families that look after the migrants’ children, especially the grandparents and other caregivers, should be supported. It is necessary to improve the quality and the accessibility of the socioeconomic reintegration services for the migrants that come back home, to increase the number of professional qualification (requalification) and vocational training offers, to provide constancy on employment and offer grants for starting small businesses. So as to better manage migration, more ties should be established between the society and the Moldovan communities and offered assistance to the migrants that are in difficulty in the host country by providing better consular services. The investment of remittances in Moldova should be promoted in compliance with the State Program for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises approved by the Government in February 2009. There should be identified methods for harmonizing the social insurance and fiscal systems in Moldova and the host countries. The International Organization for Migration, UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank and the UK Department for International Development welcome the future MPs’ intentions to take steps to improve the quality of education and healthcare services, socially protect the most vulnerable families and minimize the negative effects of migration on children and families. The given organizations use the present electoral context to share their common views on the measures that must be taken by the new Parliament in the abovementioned fields in order to improve the living conditions. There were prepared a number of informative notes on the mentioned subjects, including a note on migration-related issues. [- What developments will migration see in the near future?] - Though the emigration wave and the volume of remittances started to decrease even before the crisis, the migration continues to see upward trends. More than a half of the migrants that have recently returned to the country intend to go back. Owing to the significant difference between the salaries in the country and those paid abroad, the motivation to go abroad is very strong. Migration continues to be an attractive opportunity, while the remittances will probably remain an average-term support for the Moldovan economy. Therefore, efforts continue to be made to strengthen the migrants’ development potential in the native country and overcoming the social consequences of migration remains a major objective.