● MONDAY, June 17
Responsible energy consumption projects to receive support through a new financing programme
For a three years period, fifteen start-ups that will promote responsible energy consumption will receive grants totalling 150 thousands Dollars, as part of the “Clean Technology Innovation Programme for SMEs and Start-ups in the Republic of Moldova”. The programme will be lauched in July and will also cover the implementation of three pilot projects. According to Nicolae Soloviov, Head of the Projects Implementation and Monitoring Department of the Energy Efficiency Agency, any small and medium company with a business idea will be able to participate in the program. The call for proposals will be launched in the next month. Awards are scheduled for November.
Central bank: International transfers are monitored with prudence
The National Bank of Moldova continues to prudently monitor the international transfers in the context of the reform agenda agreed with the development partners in 2016. Currently, the situation is stable and does not generate risks and concerns, the institution says in a press release. As a result of press reports about substantial withdrawals of funds from the accounts of companies with state-owned capital, the central bank said additional measures were taken as part of the regime to monitor international transfers. It uses informatics services of providers of financial delivery services that refer to particular categories of information that is obtained or processed by licensed banks. “These services cover the access to data about international transfers,” runs the press release.
● TUESDAY, June 18
Roman Chircă: Treasury situation is unprecedentedly good in Moldova
Market Economy Institute director Roman Chirca said the treasury situation in Moldova is now unprecedentedly good, the best in the country’s history. According to him, the transfer of power from the former government to the current one occurred without losses. “Judging by the statements made by ex-minister of finance Ion Chicu, we have about 3 billion lei in the treasury accounts. Things will actually continue this way if the same regime is maintained. Even without foreign financial assistance, the Sandu Government can further implement the provisions of the budget law,” Roman Chirca said. The expert noted that after the transfer of power in 2010, the state budget planned at 18 billion lei was ultimately implemented at the level of 13 billion lei, with a minus of 5 billion lei. The current transfer of power implied no losses and, if the same pace is kept, the budget will be successfully implemented.
● WEDNESDAY, June 19
Vadim Brînzan: Gas will start to be supplied through Ungheni-Chisinau pipeline next February
Even if the deadline for putting the Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline into operation is this yearend, the new Minister of Economy and Infrastructure Vadim Brînzan said the pipeline at the end of 2019 will be 90% ready. He said the gas will start to be supplied through this pipeline next February. “The financing was unfrozen and the project is being implemented. There are particular bureaucratic obstacles that can be solved rather swiftly. A number of problems related to the lands through which the pipeline goes and hindrances related to the calculation of VAT appeared, but these can be solved,” stated Vadim Brînzan.
Confiscated assets last year brought less money into state budget
The State Tax Service last year collected slightly over 7 million lei from the sale of confiscated assets, as opposed to 22 million in 2017. The State Tax Service’s director Sergey Puşcuţa said the discrepancy is due to the fact that foreign currency in considerable amounts was transferred under the management of the Service in 2017. The assets transmitted to the Service are confiscated through courts of law based on rulings. The collected amounts come mainly from the sale of currency, units of transport and industrial goods. There are also sold seized foodstuff, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products.
Walnut harvest this year expected to be larger than in 2018
The walnut harvest in 2019 is forecast to be by 10-15% higher than in 2018. But the forecast can be yet inaccurate as the harvest will be lower than expected if the summer months are excessively warm, president of the Association of Walnut Exporters of Moldova Dumitru Vicol stated. He said last year’s estimates were promising, but the August heat resulted in the blackening of a large number of walnuts. As regards sales, Dumitru Vicol stated 2% of the walnut kernel is consumed at domestic level, while the rest is exported. “Moldova is a very small market for walnut consumption. The domestic market is concentrated mainly in Chisinau as the people in districts have walnuts at home,” he said, noting 90% of the Moldovan walnut kernel is exported to the EU.
First outdoor grown tomatoes to appear at markets at end-June
The first national tomatoes cultivated in open air from plantlets will start to be sold at markets in Moldova at the end of June. The tomatoes grown from seeds will be put on sale at the end of July, tomato producer from Drochia district Tudor Darie has told. As to the quality, Tudor Darie said the quality of tomatoes where irrigation systems are used will be higher. The selling prices will be regulated by the supply-demand mechanism, but will also depend on the people’s purchasing power that is now low.
IMF mission to arrive in Moldova
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Ruben Atoyan will visit Chisinau during June 26 – July 10, 2019, Volodymyr Tulin, IMF Resident Representative in the Republic of Moldova, announced in a press statement. The mission will hold discussions with the authorities in the context of the review of Moldova’s IMF-supported program under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangements.
Central bank aims to encourage banks to do business in lei
The National Bank of Moldova wants to foster financial intermediations in currency and to encourage the banks to do business in the national currency, to attract deposits and release loans in lei. In a meeting of the Economic Press Club hosted by the central bank on June 19, National Bank governor Octavian Armașu said it was decided to raise the mandatory foreign exchange reserves attracted in freely convertible currency by 3 percentage points in the period of using the mandatory reserves in freely convertible currency – June 16 – August 15, 2019. In its June 19 meeting, the Executive Board of the National Bank of Moldova unanimously decided to increase the base rate on the main short-term monetary policy operations by 0.5 percentage points, to 7% a year. According to Octavian Armașu, the decision is determined by the inflationary pressures caused primarily by the rise in the salary fund and consumer loans and the expected positive fiscal impulse of 2019 and 2020 following the planned unblocking of foreign financing.
● THURSDAY, June 20
Duty-free establishments to be outlawed, PM Sandu
Duty-free shops, bars, restaurants and gas stations near the Moldovan border will be forbidden, announced prime minister Maia Sandu on Facebook. According to her, lawmakers will register a bill in this regard as soon as possible. Sandu argued that the duty-free establishments have made the government miss out millions in revenue, only to benefit “a toxic character involved in suspicious dealings, including the billion dollars’ theft”.
● SATURDAY, June 22
Diesel fuel prices go down
A number of gas stations in Moldova posted lower diesel fuel prices. A liter of diesel fuel now costs about 17 lei, by 0.5 lei less. The prices of the other types of fuels remained unchanged. Gasoline coded 95 costs about 19.50 lei per liter, while the liquefied petroleum gas – 10.70 lei.
Chisinau hosts Summer Berry Fair June 23
The agro-gastronomic fair of berry growers Summer Berry Fair will take place in Chisinau this Sunday. Starting at 9am until 3pm, 16 growers will exhibit their products at producer prices, comparable to the market prices, at 61- 63/1 Alecu Russo St in Ciocana district. Aneta Ganenco, president of Moldova’s Berries Association, said the novelty of this year’s fair is the presence of the Tayberry berry that is a hybrid obtained from raspberry and blackberry. The buyers could purchase cherries, sour cherries, strawberry, gooseberry, dogberries, etc. The producers will provide about 8 tonnes of fresh berries.
