Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev says they the “criminal groups” and “persons interested in destabilising the situation” by exacerbating the patent-related problem should be punished. At Wednesday’s meeting of the Government, Tarlev instructed the Ministry of Interior and the Centre for Combating Corruption and Economic Crime to take the necessary measures. According to him, the Government received a number of letters in which patentees that legalised their businesses are intimidated by certain “criminal groups” and “persons interested in destabilisation”. The Premier asked the Ministry of Economy and Trade, the Ministry of Finance and the Main State Fiscal Inspectorate to regularly organise meetings in the country’s squares and carry out a permanent dialogue with the patent holders in order to improve the conditions of activity. He said he would not tolerate situations when the patents are bought in large quantities at low prices by one or more persons with a turnover of 2 billion lei or more that pay nothing to the budget, undermining thus the national economy and laughing at the employees and entrepreneurs that work legally. The Premier said that the cancellation of the entrepreneurial activities under patent is an international requirement and the Government wants to legalise this kind of activity so as to ensure full transparency. The Small Business Association and other organisations and political parties staged about 100 protests countrywide in 2007, demanding that the law that bans the commercial activity under patent be cancelled. A number or protests have been organised this year in several towns. The patentees said they are determined to take more drastic action. On July 7, 2006 the Parliament introduced amendments to the law on patent-based entrepreneurial activity. Under the amendments, the number of activities allowed under patent will be gradually reduced. The trade in goods subjected to excise duties and in electronic and domestic appliances, the freight transportation services and transportation of up to seven passengers, the cultivation and sale of flowers, the sale of building materials and furniture is not allowed from January 1, 2006 The trade in kiosks and other rooms that do not exceed 12 square meters and in food products under patent was banned from January 1, 2008. The sale of all the types of products from stalls, booths and vehicles in authorised markets will be banned from January 1, 2009.