● MONDAY, September 10
Draft Government decision stipulates technical specifications for fuel
A draft government decision that was proposed for public consultations by the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure stipulates the technical specifications for gasoline and diesel fuel that will ensure compliance with the EU quality standards. The document bans the sale of gasoline with lead. There will be implemented a system for monitoring the quality of gasoline and diesel fuel in accordance with the commitments assumed by the Republic of Moldova through the Association Agreement. The Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure will be the responsible authority. The Ministry will work out the national plan for fuel sampling for determining the quality. The inspection bodies must possess insurance contracts with insurers that work officially in the Republic of Moldova and an insurance policy for repairing the damage that can be caused by their activity, within the total responsibility limit of at least 4,000 conventional units (a c.u. is equal to 50 lei). The decision will take effect in 12 months of its publication in the Official Gazette.
● TUESDAY, September 11
Moldovan products could get same status as Romanian ones in Romania
A number of Romanian MPs submitted to the Senate of Romania a bill to oblige the traders to provide different exhibition and selling areas for Moldovan products. The initiators of the bill said the legislative proposal is designed to ensure the economic integration of Romania and the Republic of Moldova, IPN reports, with reference to Mediafax. According to the bill, eight in ten inhabitants of the Republic of Moldova are of Romanian ethnicity, one third of the residents have dual nationality and the history of the Republic of Moldova is a constituent part of the Romanian history. Romania’s economy is four times more modern than Moldova’s economy. Romania’s policies should include the Moldovan component and should be aimed at the economic integration of the two states.
Partnerships for improving performance of trade corridors
The National Road Transport Agency (ANTA) set the goal of creating a sustainable and efficient road transport system that can lead to balanced development in accordance with the economic, social and environmental requirements by implementing the strategic development program for 2018-2020. The USAID-funded Moldova Structural Reform Program supports the ANTA strategy with a series of recommendations formulated after conducting a study to assess the trade corridors of Moldova. ANTA vice director Igor Guja said the strategic development program is the Agency’s key document that complements its strategic planning system. During the next three years, the Agency aims to improve the inspection process and human resources and to increase its efficiency by responsibility and transparency. To carry out the planned activities, ANTA needs technical and financial support assessed at about 500 million lei or 75% of the Agency’s planned budget.
Turkish company to build and repair over 37 km of roads in Moldova
Two contracts for the reconstruction of sections of the national road M3 Porumbrei-Cimișlia and the building of a road that will bypass Comrat town, with a total length of over 37 km, were signed by the State Road Administration and the Turkish company ONUR Taahhut Tasimacilik Insaat Ticaret Ve Sanayi on September 11. A sum of €59.4 million was allocated for the works. The works are to last for 36 months and the defect notification period will be of 12 months. The Turkish company already implemented contracts in Moldova, building 50 km of roads.
● WEDNESDAY, September 12
Premier seeks investigation into management of irrigation stations
The defective management of Moldova’s Water Agency and the deplorable situation in the public irrigation sector were harshly criticized by Prime Minister Pavel Filip. In a working meeting called in the evening of September 11, the Premier instructed to prepare an application to the Prosecutor General’s Office for this to take legal action and elucidate the circumstance and to punish those who are to blame for the disastrous situation in the public irrigation sector. According to the Government’s press service, a video about the disastrous situation at the Cărpineni Technical Irrigation Station was shown in the meeting. This has been nonfunctional since 2014. However, it employs 11 persons and the salary arrears exceed 154,000 lei. The other 11 Technological Irrigation Stations are in a similar situation. These have 521 employees and their annual salary fund is of over 18 million lei. The 11 enterprises managed by Moldova’s Water Agency in 2014-2017 sustained losses of 59 million lei as the water pumping tariffs didn’t cover the effective costs of the service. All the costs were covered with state budget funds.
Price of liquefied petroleum gas goes up
A number of gas stations posted higher prices for liquefied petroleum gas. The price rises range between 0.40 and 0.50 lei. At some of the gas stations, the liquefied petroleum gas costs almost 11 lei. Contacted by IPN, press officer of the National Agency for Energy Regulation Galina Sanduţa said the price of liquefied petroleum gas is set by oil companies independently, based on the wholesale and retail prices and retailing costs. At the start of August, the price of liquefied petroleum rose by about 2% to 10.50-10.55 lei per liter, from 10.25 lei earlier.
List of business entities that can extend VAT payment period prolonged
Three companies were included in the list of business entities that can extent the VAT and customs duty payment period. These are the plastic manufacturer MARCA ASSEMBLIES EST SRL, drinks retailer “Monistar” SRL and tea and coffee processing company TUCANO COFFEE SRL. The companies were chosen by an interdepartmental commission that consists of representatives of the central public authorities. Under the legislation, the business entities that do not have debts to the national public budget and whose goods production cycle does not exceed 180 days can benefit from the extension of the period for paying VAT and customs duties on goods intended for export. Currently, 29 business entities enjoy this concession.
● THURSDAY, September 13
First call for providing payments in advance to young farmers and female entrepreneurs closed
Twenty-three female entrepreneurs and 15 young farmers have submitted applications within the first call of the program to provide payments in advance for entrepreneurial projects that was closed on September 10. The examination of applications will start soon and the procedure for paying subsidies will be launched at end-September. The applicants asked for subsidies to the value of 19 million lei of the total 45 million lei allocated for the purpose from the National Agriculture and Rural Development Fund. Nicolae Ciubuc, director of the Agency for Intervention and Payments in Agriculture, told a news conference that 18 applicants intend to set up multiannual plantations, ten to renovate animal farms, seven to develop beekeeping businesses, while three to breed animals for production purposes. The second call of the program will be launched on September 17. Applications will be accepted by November 15. A sum of 26 million lei remained unclaimed during the first call.
IMF team meets with Premier Filip
The Government of the Republic of Moldova continues to make effort to improve the state of affairs in the areas of country development and to implement the program with the International Monetary Fund, Prime Minister Pavel Filip assured the IMF team of experts led by Ruben Atoyan in a meeting. The team started its working visit in Moldova. According to the Government’s press service, Pavel Filip said the agreement with the IMF is very important for the executive. In 2016, when the Republic of Moldova faced a banking crisis, the program with the IMF was one of the main instruments that helped Moldova remedy the situation in this sector. According to him, in the course of 2018 the macroeconomic and budgetary indicators saw an upward trend. The Gross Domestic Product in the first quarter grew by 3.7%, while the budget revenues rose by 12.5%. The Government continues to promote structural and sector reforms. In the recent past it promoted packages of laws concerning the banking sector. These contain amendments to the 2018 state budget law and the budgetary-fiscal policy and a set of amendments to the legislation on the energy sector. This way the implementation of the provisions of the program with the IMF was ensured.
New runway of Chișinău International Airport inaugurated
he new runway of the Chișinău International Airport was officially opened. This is 2.4 km long and 45m wide and is outfitted with a modem lighting system and a bright balisage system that ensures airliners’ safety in conditions of poor visibility. It also has radio navigation equipment that enables to land from any angle and any direction, IPN reports. Petru Jardan, the director of Avia Invest company that manages the Chișinău International Airport, said such an infrastructure project hasn’t been implemented in Moldova for over 30 years. The new runway will allow operating flights from Chișinău round-the-clock. The new runway provides almost 30 parking places for planes. Flights on this started to be operated today at twelve noon. The project cost almost €17 million.
Sale of animal products to EU could increase exports by at least 15%
“The sale of meat, eggs and animal products on the EU market will ensure a rise of at least 15% in exports. In fact, the figure could be much higher and this means a positive economic growth for the country,” said Minister of Economy and Infrastructure Kiril Gaburici. In a meeting with producers working in the poultry breeding sector, the minister said he was glad to see today businessmen involved in the process of obtaining the right to export poultry and fowl eggs to the EU, noting last year over 65% of Moldova’s exports were directed to the EU, IPN reports, quoting a press release of the Ministry of Economy. The meeting centered on the progress made in implementing the roadmap for obtaining the right to export meat and fowl eggs of category B to the European Union. The interlocutors also discussed the modernization of the EU legislation on sanitary-veterinary aspects and food safety in the poultry breeding sector, the EU requirements and enterprises’ preparedness to export meat and fowl eggs to the EU.
Broadband Internet access services increasingly popular
The broadband Internet access services in the first half of this year continued to grow in volume. The total number of subscribers to such services rose by 2.4% in six months to over 598,000 users. The sales of such services increased by 6.3% to over 636.5 million lei. As a result, the monthly average revenue per user of such services grew by 1.4% to 180 lei. The analysis of the connections to the fixed broadband Internet depending on data transfer speeds used by subscribers shows the largest rise in the number of users in the first quarter of this year was seen in the connections that enable speeds of 30 Mbps to 100 Mbps. Thus, the number of such subscribers in six months rose by 13,500 to 308,800. The number of those who used speeds of over 100 Mbps grew by 9,200 to 49,200, while of those that navigated at speeds of 10 to 30 Mbps increased by 3,700 to 193,700.
● FRIDAY, September 14
China is ready to share its experience in economic development with Moldova, ambassador
China sincerely beelines that Moldova will achieve big results on its path of economic and social development and is ready to share its successful experience in this regard, the Ambassador of China to Moldova Zhang Yinghong stated in a reception held to mark the 40th anniversary of the initiation of China’s reform and opening-up policy and the fifth anniversary of the start of the Belt and Road Initiative. As to the Belt and Road Initiative, the ambassador said Moldova is an active participant in this. At the same time, the cooperation with Moldova in different areas during the last few years has seen positive results. This way, trade between the two states in 2017 amounted to US$ 524 million, rising by 30%. Moldova’s wine exports to China represent 12%. Also, the cooperation projects between the two sides develop successfully. The reform was aimed at building a powerful economy and this was done. In 2017, China’s GDP exceeded US$ 12.3 million, which is 33.5 times more than 40 years ago. The GDP per capita in 2017 was 22.8 times higher than in 1978. Compared with the same year, the number of poor people in China decreased from 770 million to 30.46 million in 2017, while the poverty level fell from 97.5% to 3.1%. China ranks first by the volume of produced grains, energy, meat, tea, etc.
Central bank makes clarification about virtual currency
The National Bank of Moldova warns that following the information disseminated recently by the press, the population is created a confused and incorrect perception that the use of virtual currencies takes place under the protection of a license issued by the central bank or with its permission. In a press release that is quoted by IPN, the Bank says it provided no authorization in this regard. It notes that its letters cannot be treated as permission to put into practice initiatives or investigation products related to the creation of a platform for trading in so-called virtual currency. The Bank reiterates the opinions stated earlier and informs that the virtual currency is a digital representation of value that is not issued or guaranteed by a central bank or a public authority. It is not mandatory attached to a fit currency, but is used by individuals or legal entities as an alternative means of payment. This may be transferred, stored or traded electronically. The virtual currencies and related exchange methods are not subject to regulation on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. Respectively, users’ funds are not protected.
