As their terms in office near an end, not all the ministers have presented a report of activity. IPN decided to offer the outgoing officials the chance to tell about their accomplishments and failures at the helm of their ministries.
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Andrian Candu, Deputy Prime Minister and also Minister of Economy, was appointed on July 3, 2014. “At the end of my term in office, I can certainly say that it has been a short one, but with lots of challenges. In less than half a year, together with the specialists at the Ministry, we have managed to achieve all the immediate goals set when I was appointed Deputy PM and Minister of Economy”, said Candu.
He told IPN that on the day when he took the oath, he was fully aware of his responsibility and task to finish several projects that were far from their final stage and start new ones. Candu remarked that his greatest challenge was to assure energy security. When he stepped into office, the Russian gas delivery contract was about to expire. Candu immediately started negotiations with Gazprom, talks that he labeled “serious and tense”.
Negotiations with Gazprom
On one hand, the Ministry staff was pessimistic about obtaining some advantages for Moldova, on the other hand, they were under continuous pressure by speculators guided only by personal interest. Some claimed we would freeze this winter, others that the price of gas would go up and that there will be no contract at all. Back then, with a war near our border, such statements gained credibility and the people really worried.
Today, Candu admits that such speculation motivated him to have a more constructive dialogue with Gazprom and to come up with demands and requests. The Ministry's managed to push down the price by 42 dollars and agreed to negotiate a new gas supply contract after the winter holidays. “I'll be even more happy when the responsible bodies fulfill their duties and the consumers' bills will reflect the lower prices”, said the official.
Reaction to the embargoes
Andrian Candu said he was really worried because of the Russian embargo on Moldovan fruits and that is why he traveled to Germany and USA to negotiate a niche on these markets for Moldovan products. He also pleaded for the exchange of experience and for attracting foreign investors in the country. This was his message for the ambassadors and representatives of European countries with whom he met.
Meanwhile, the Ministry finished the negotiations and signed an agreement with the World Bank regarding the improvement of the municipal efficient heating system. An agreement was signed with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development regarding Moldova's participation to the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P). Moldova also attended the annual meeting of the World Bank and of the International Monetary Fund, where the basic principles and the format for the new country program were agreed. The program itself is to be negotiated in early 2015.
“It's important to highlight the hard work thanks to which we overcame political and economic barriers and achieved significant economic growth. According to my estimations, it's above 3%”, he said.
Energy security
Another accomplishment Candu takes pride in is the fact that vulnerable families won't freeze this winter. Thanks to constructive talks with the Romanian government, the Ministry signed a memorandum that provided 2 million euros for buying coal. As regards energy security, the Minister highlighted the finalization of works on the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipe, which will be functional from January 1, 2015. The good news is that the Romanian gas will come at a price of 1010 Romanian lei, which is a reasonable one compared to other offers.
“My 5 month tenure taught me that even with limited time and uncertain conditions, success is guaranteed if you pull your socks up and gather professional and dedicated people around you”, said the official.
Reform priorities
Candu admits that it's hard to make changes with immediate effect in half a year and that both the Ministry of Economy and the government are behind schedule with reforms. Adjusting domestic structures to European principles remains the most important task at the moment. The official thinks that stability can be achieved through major and radical interventions in vital areas and it is only then when people will feel the change.
The reformation of the system should have a single goal: to stimulate the economic growth potential and to reduce vulnerabilities. However, Candu says that these are medium and long term goals and can be achieved only during a full 4 year term.
For the upcoming period, the tasks will be to reset the reform agenda and stimulate the implementation of the projects included in the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA), which will boost economic growth and competitiveness, diversify exports and establish sound rules for exporters.
Work to be done
Candu says that a lot of work has be done to help the development of small and medium businesses, to improve financing procedures for them, to encourage entrepreneurial spirit, to raise competitiveness and to promote entrepreneurial education.
The Minister thinks that Moldova's key to success is the notion of “modern economy”, which implies smart investments and technological innovation. The country's digital agenda is to allow natural or legal persons to interact with authorities via modern technologies like e-commerce, e-reports, e-authorizations or e-licenses and so on. This would speed up procedures and make them friendlier, while also eliminating corruption risks.
Candu concluded that a lot of effort is required to build the multilaterally developed state in Moldova, but the most important thing is that there is a vision on how to do it and the EU provides both consulting and financial support.
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Note: As part of this series we have already published the report of Minister of Transports Vasile Botnari.
Mariana Galben, IPN
