Economical Growth of Moldova Insufficient for Signing an Association Agreement with EU

The pace of the economic growth of 6-7% per year is insufficient in order to have the possibility to sign an association agreement with the European Union after several years, declared on Saturday, April 20, the Minister of Economy and Commerce, Valeriu Lazar at a round table regarding the acceleration of the economic growth through ensuring the quality of life. In this context, Valeriu Lazar said that in the last year the GDP per capita constituted 860 USD in Moldova, comparing to 2700 USD in Albania that is included, as Moldova, in the Stability Pact of the South-Eastern Europe group of countries and which competed in the past with Moldova for the “most poor country from Europe”. Even if maintaining the same economical growth rhythms, the Republic of Moldova will never approach to the level of the countries that signed association agreements with EU. Because long-term economical development can be obtain as a result of qualitative development, Lazar stated that at present Moldova can base on “two locomotives”: industry development and export support. “We must be very attentive, sufficiently intelligent and competent to get up with the development tendencies of the regional markets in order to find our domain on these markets” said the Minister. He declared that there are many “incontrollable” external factors that influence entirely various economic areas. The present state with the wine exports is a good lesson in this context. The Minister of Economy mentioned that although the industry registers constant economic growth, it exceeded the medium economical growth. For straightening out the situation, the minister counts on the strategic industrial areas, inclusively on the fact that soon four development strategies will be approved: industrial, agro industrial, investment and export growth. “We must develop and invest in the long-term perspective areas and to find the extern market, only in this case we will have serious investments”, said the minister. He welcomes the growth level of the investments as against the economical growth. He added that the amount of investments in fixed capital, reported to GDP for the future years must constitute minimum 25% in comparison with the present 18%. “If we follow the example of the economically developed countries, that created in similar situations their long-term economic development ground, the amount of investments constituted nearly 30% and this is an indicator towards which we must tend to”.