● MONDAY, November 24
Association Agreement with EU brought palpable results in agrifood sector in two months
During two months of its provisional coming into force, the Association Agreement with the EU brought palpable results in the agrifood sector. An impressive growth was recorded in the exports of wine, apples, plums and grains in September – October. The econometric forecasts of the think tank “Expert-Grup” show that the implementation of this document in the long run will ensure an economic growth of about 5%-6%, fuelled manly by the about 11% rise in exports. In a news conference,“Expert-Grup” director Adrian Lupusor said that in September the economic entities analyzed the new export procedures, but in October already increased the number of transactions and, respectively, the volume of exports.
● TUESDAY, November 25
Millions of euros saved owing to elimination of tariff barriers in EU
The farmers will be able to save over €11 million owing to the elimination of the tariff barriers in the EU, said economist of the independent think tank “Expert Grup” Tatiana Savva. This money could be reinvested in the development and modernization of agribusinesses. In a news conferenceTatiana Savva said that before the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU, the Moldovan farmers could not export goods to the EU owing to the customs duties and non-tariff barriers, especially the sanitary and phytosanitary measures. The farmers exported mainly to the eastern market as they didn’t have products that they could sell on the European market. The signing of the Association Agreement offers access to a market with over 500 million consumers with a purchasing power that is five times higher than of the consumers from the traditional markets of the CIS states, especially Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
Italian Culture Days celebrated at Chisinau International Airport
SRL “Avia Invest” stages the Italian Culture Days at the Chisinau International Airport, given that Italy is a very popular destination among the Moldovan passengers. In the period between November 25 and 27, the passengers will be able to taste traditional Italian dishes provided by “Casa Rinaldi” and to take pictures with a living statues on an Italian background in the waiting area, after passing the brooder control. The opening ceremony was attended by such guests as the Italian Ambassador to Moldova Enrico Nunziata and other embassy representatives, representatives of the Moldovan-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, “EXIMBANK - Gruppo Veneto Banca” (the general partner of the event), “Casa Rinaldi”, Brio Sonores Group and others.
● WEDNESDAY, November 26
Premier instructs working out conception of Consolidated Report
Prime Minister Iurie Leanca requested the competent institutions to formulate the conception of Consolidated Report that is submitted by economic entities simultaneously to a number of state authorities. By doing such a reform, the national reporting system will be simplified. The doubling of data in different repots and the doubling of reports presented to different institutions will be excluded. Currently, both the state and the economic entities sustain separately costs for collecting, processing and storing information of the same type at different public institutions in paralleled. Thus, the collected information is often doubled, while the reporting system is so difficult that the beginning entrepreneurs encounter difficulties in correctly compiling the necessary reports. Thus, they have to invest substantial financial resources for hiring additional personnel.
● THURSDAY, November 27
Lab for detecting genetically modified organisms to be created in Moldova
Moldova will have a molecular biology lab for detecting genetically modified organisms. Israel will allocate €300,000 for setting up the law, the memorandum of understanding being already signed. Viorica Gara, senior specialist at the Agriculture Ministry’s Marketing and International Relations Division, has told that €250,000 will be spent on purchasing the equipment, while €50,000 will be used to train the Moldovan specialists who will work at the new lab. The training will take place in Israel.
New economic adviser at Embassy of China in Moldova
The Embassy of China in Moldova has a new economic and commercial adviser. Xuejun Song took over from Tongai Xu, who had held the post for five years. In a meeting with representatives of the Embassy of China, Deputy Minister of Economy Valeriu Triboi highlighted the good relations between the two countries and thanked the Embassy for the assistance provided in developing the commercial and economic relations between Moldova and China. The official welcomed Xuejun Song. “I’m convinced that we will continue to have productive cooperation relations and together we will develop new projects to strengthen the economic relations between our countries,” stated Valeriu Triboi.
United States and Moldova sign agreement to share tax information
U.S. Ambassador to Moldova William H. Moser and Minister of Finance Anatol Arapu signed an intergovernmental agreement to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) to promote transparency between the two nations on tax matters. This agreement underscores growing international cooperation to end tax evasion everywhere, quoting a press release of the U.S. Embassy. “When taxpayers overseas avoid paying what they owe, other taxpayers have to bear a disproportionate share of the tax burden. The FATCA intergovernmental agreement is an important part of the U.S. government’s effort to address that issue,” said Ambassador Moser.
● FRIDAY, November 28
Trade unionists from construction sector demand creating Labor Tribunal
The Federation of Trade Unions from Construction and Building Materials Industry
“Sindicons” insists on the necessity of creating the Labor Tribunal in Moldova, which would deal with labor disputes and conflicts. In a seminar centering on the issue, the Federation’s president Victor Talmaci said such tribunals exist in many states. “Such institutions in the European countries have worked for many years. We want the lawsuits in Moldova to be as professional and efficient so that the applicants do not need to go to another court,” stated Victor Talmaci, quoted by the National Confederation of Trade Unions of Moldova.
More users and higher incomes on mobile Internet access market
The mobile Internet access market in the first nine months of 2014 continued to see a rise in the number of users and in the incomes obtained from the sale of such services. The number of subscribers rose by 9% to over 266,700, while the sales of these services increased by 28.3 million lei. The average volume of traffic a month generated by a mobile Internet user rose to 8.3 GB. In the period, all the providers of mobile communications networks reported higher revenues from the sale of mobile Internet services. The sales of Moldtelecom rose by 31.1%, of Moldcell – by 19.9%, while of Orange Moldova – by 1.9%. The average monthly revenue per user decreased by 14.3%.
Winemaking research center opened at Technical University
The Oenology Department of the Technical University of Moldova was outfitted with last-generation equipment that will allow improving the training of the future winemakers. The labs where the students will be taught were renovated. Attending the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca said a developed wine industry cannot exist without educational basis. “The winemaking and winegrowing sector is a strategic one for our country and we will continue to support it. We speak about an important sector of the national economy, which employs over 200,000 people directly or indirectly. The wine products represent about one fourth of our exports. These figures oblige us to increase the quality of the wines, to apply modern methods in the technological process and to train specialists who can develop the industry,” stated the Premier.
