It was a difficult year when miracles couldn’t have been worked, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said, referring to the first year of work of the Cabinet invested on January 20, 2016. According to him, 2016 witnessed both accomplishments and failures and the latter ones need to be dealt with, IPN reports.
“It was yet a year when we achieved two important results that are more valuable than the reports. First of all, we restored the credibility of the Republic of Moldova in the world. Today the development partners look at us again with confidence. This means real money that started to come again to the country. I think the second important thing is the fact that we managed to make this people hopeful that there are chances of living better here, as in the countries to which we continue to export labor force,” stated the Premier.
Pavel Filip said the Government initiated profound reforms in 2016, increased the salaries and pensions. The prices of about 160 types of drugs were cut by 40%, while the allocations for compensated medicines were increased by 50% and the list of such medicines was supplemented by 67 names. “I know that these measures are not enough when the poverty level is still high, but we tried to solve the most pressing problems of the people, in parallel with the unblocking of large projects that will have much more consistent effects for each citizen the next few years,” he stated.
According to the Prime Minister, the about €500 million in foreign assistance intended for Moldova were unlocked in 2016. Another €350 million will be provided during the next few years. The economic grow was forecast at about 3.5% of the GDP, while the rate of inflation at 2.4%, which is the second lowest rate during the 25 years of independence. All these led to a better relationship with the foreign partners.
The banking system last year was strengthened, including by measures aimed at ensuring the independence of the National Bank of Moldova. The justice sector reform was done and the overdue subsidies for the previous years were paid. The 2017 state budget was adopted by Parliament on time, in the middle of December. “For the first time in the last three years, Moldova entered the new year with an adopted budget, as any serious and responsible state. We also commenced the reform in fiscal and customs administration and the results are evident: 1 billion lei collected additionally by the Tax Service and over 1,6 billion lei collected additionally by the Customs Service,” stated Pavel Filip.
As to the Transnistrian issue, the Premier said last summer, after a hiatus of two years, the discussions in the 5+2 format were resumed. The national defense strategy was drafted and proposed for public defense. A NATO Liaison Office starts work in Chisinau this March. This will contribute to a dialogue and cooperation that will be useful for modernizing the national army.
Among the drawbacks, Pavel Filip mentioned the way the administration reform and the Government reform are implemented and the relations and dialogue with civil society.
He noted that 2017 will be a hard one for the Government, which aims to fight corruption, to eliminate useless costs, to increase the amounts collected into the budget by a simpler, direct relationship of the state institutions with the people and the business sector, to increase investors’ confidence in Moldova, to reform the central administration, including the State Chancellery, and public procurement, to ensure budget transparency, to ensure the efficient management of external financial assistance, to reform state inspections and local administration, to ensure energy security and to do the pension system reform, hospital reform, primary medical assistance and other reforms.
