● MONDAY, January 9
Over 90bn lei revenues collected into national public budget in 2022
The revenues gathered in the national public budget last year came to 91.5 billion lei, an increase of 14.1 billion lei on a year before. The expenditure totaled 99.7 billion lei, up 17.7 billion lei on 2021. The national public budget was executed with a deficit of 8.2 billion lei, while the balance in the accounts of the budget’s components was 6.5 billion lei. According to the Ministry of Finance, the state budget incomes in 2022 added up to 59.2 billion lei, an increase of 9.8 billion lei.
Official reserve assets over US$199m up
The official reserve assets of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) on December 30 were US$4.474,17 billion, an increase of US$199.72 million compared with November 30, 2022, when these added up to US$4.274,45 billion.
Moldovan leu remains stable against main reference currencies, economist
The Moldovan leu during at least five years has been stable against ten currencies of the main commercial partners of the Republic of Moldova, said expert of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul” Veaceslav Ioniță, who examined the evolution of the exchange rate in the first week of January over a number of years. According to him, the depreciation and then appreciator fluctuations of 2015-2018 have been followed by a period of stability, of five years already.
● TUESDAY, January 10
Viorel Badea: First tranche of €100m assistance will be transferred in first quarter of this year
Romania is increasingly present in the Republic of Moldova, said Romanian senator Viorel Badea. According to him, the Romanian Government is determined to further support the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. The first tranche of the €100 million in non-reimbursable assistance will reach Chisinau soon. The money is to be used to modernize rural infrastructure in Moldova.
„Moldova Fruct” director: We want a dialogue, but nobody excludes protests
The authorities diminished the 2023 subsidization fund by 250 million lei compared with last year and the agricultural producers this way cannot enjoy predictability, said the executive director of “Moldova Fruct” Fruit Producers and Exporters Association Iurie Fală. According to hum, the farmers do not want to mount protests, but they will have to resort to them if the Government does not treat agriculture as a priority sector.
Patent holders are not ready to renounce their work regime
The patent holders are dissatisfied with the fact that they will be able to work based on a patent until July 2023 only and that no other patents will be issued. They said the state pushes the traders towards the underground economy as they cannot do what this requires of them. The concerns were formulated in a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Economy. For their part, the authorities said it’s time for these traders to switch over to independent activity, with a modern cash register that ensures direct connection with the State Tax Service.
Lower prices outside lead to large imports of fruit and vegetables
The Republic of Moldova over the last three years imported about 3,000 tonnes of apples a year, while the local fruit growers have their cold storage facilities full, also due to the bans imposed by Russia as this is a market to which they are yet powerfully connected. Also, large quantities of other types of fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products are also imported into the country. Experts explain that such a situation is due to the lower prices of some of the imported produces and to the deplorable state reached by the national animal breeding sector.
● WEDNESDAY, January 11
NFSA reform to start. Vladimir Bolea: We have a surplus of directors in Moldova
The reform of the National Food Safety Agency (NFSA) is to begin. The district agencies lose the status of legal personalities and become local subdivisions of the NFSA Chisinau. Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vladimir Bolea said the restructuring will optimize the Agency’s work. Only the posts of director will be eliminated from local subdivisions, but no employee will lose the job.
Less natural gas was consumed last month than in December 2021
The natural gas consumption in December 2022 was 101.8 million cubic meters, which is by about 42.2% less than in the corresponding period a year before. Against November 2022, the volume is by 38.7 million cubic meters or about 61.3% higher.
NAER approves new water charges for ACC
The National Agency for Energy Regulation has approved new water supply, sewerage and wastewater treatment charges for SA “Apă-Canal Chișinău” (ACC). This way, the water supply charge for residential users will be 11.12 lei/m3, while for nonresidential users – 13.29 lei/m3. Also, the sewerage and wastewater treatment charge for residential users will be 4.18 lei/m3, while for nonresidential users – 11.17 lei/m3.
Moldova wins Energoalians case
The Court of Appeal of Paris ruled in favor of the Republic of Moldova in the case of the alleged debt for electrical energy supplied at the end of the 1990s. This is the so-called Energoalians case. This way, the state will not need to pay the claimed sum. The subject was discussed in the January 11 meeting of the Cabinet.
Bonuses to salaries of employees of educational institutions with financial self-management
The personnel of educational institutions with financial and economic self-management will get a monthly bonus to the salary in the fixed amount of 1,300 lei as from January. Also, the minimum salary will grow from 3,500 to 4,000 lei, as a Government decision approved today provides.
The executive also approved the norms for remunerating members of crews that take part in research and innovation projects financed with foreign funds.
ANSA to be reorganized
The National Agency for Food Safety ANSA will be reorganized. According to a project approved by the Government, ANSA will be left with 10 subdivisions, down from the current 23. As a result, the number of management positions will be reduced from 244 to 145.
● THURSDAY, January 12
Each fourth employed person gets salary unofficially and state fails to collect colossal sums as incomes, Expert Grup
Each fourth employed person in the Republic of Moldova works informally and the state fails to collect incomes totaling over 7% of the GDP, shows an analysis carried out by Stas Madan, director of the program “Business Environment and SMEs” of the Independent Think Tank “Expert-Grup”.
Plum exports to Germany grew considerably in several years
Moldova’s exports of plums to Germany increased significantly the last few years. Since 2017 until 2022, plum exports grew from 220 tonnes to about 5,500 tonnes. According to the Agricultural Market Information System of Germany, the Moldovan plums now represent 30-40% of the total quantity of plums imported by Germany.
● FRIDAY, January 13
Trade Union Confederation says registration tax infringes on right to join trade unions
Trade unionists oppose the application of the state registration tax for trade union organizations for obtaining the status of legal entity. The National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova said that this creates obstacles to the organizations and encroaches on the employees’ right to join trade unions. The state registration tax for trade union organizations is 1,149 lei. By imposing this, the work of the trade union is seriously affected as the goal of this, as in the case of other noncommercial organizations, is not commercial or economic, stated participants in a workshop staged by the Confederation.
Crises of 2022 had a greater impact on currency market than bank fraud
The year 2022 witnessed the most serious crises in Moldova’s history, primarily the energy crisis that followed the pandemic crisis and was fueled by the war in Ukraine. The three crises had a major impact on the currency market, which was even greater than the impact of the bank fraud of 2014, said expert of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives “Viitorul” Veaceslav Ioniță. He noted that the challenges were overcome due to foreign support and the National Bank’s monetary policy focused on the mandatory foreign exchange reserves. As a result, 2022 was passed in an encouraging way.
● SATURDAY, January 14
Swine fever detected in Drochia
Swine fever has been detected among the pigs of a household in Mândâc village, Drochia district. Lab tests confirmed the virus in the collected samples. The Drochia authorities convened the district’s Emergencies Committee after being notified of the detection, and an intervention plan has been approved as a result.
IMF helps Moldova address challenges and risks
Spillovers from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to weigh heavily on Moldova, with disruptions of energy supply putting additional pressure on the Moldovan economy, notes a press release issued by the IMF on the occasion of the second review under the 40-month Extended Credit Facility and the Extended Fund Facility (ECF/EFF) arrangements with Moldova.
