Government of Moldova wants to increase industry’s weight in GDP to 22% by 2015

Implementation of the new industrial policy has to ensure an annual growth pace of industrial production of 8-10% and the growth, by 2015, of industry’s weight in GDP to 20-22%. It is stipulated as well reduction of agriculture share in economy. Alexandru Muravschi, one of the authors of Industrial Policy of Moldova 2006-2015, made this statement on Thursday, 31 March, in Chisinau. According to him, the strategic goal of the state’s industrial policy is to create a modern and competitive industrial sector, according to European standards. In the same time, this strategy foresees the increase of the export volume of industrial production, first of all, in EU countries, satisfying to maximum the domestic market with native goods and increase the weight of employees in industry area. „Science and innovations development represent the core of industrial policy of the countries of the European Union. According to decision of the Council of Europe, investments in this field have to represent by 2010 not less than 3% of GDP. Moldova promotes, according to above mentioned, as one of basic priorities of its industrial policy the activity of research-development process and ensuring of favorable conditions for increasing science and innovations’ contribution to industrial production,” Alexandru Muravschi noted. Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev, present at the launching ceremony of the Strategy, highlighted that in case of an agrarian prevalence, as it is in Moldova, we cannot speak about a sustainable development. According to him, this does not mean that agriculture will not be sub vented further by the state, but it has to be found an industrialized solution of the country. In Prime Minister’s opinion, this document has certain gaps as well, but it has a correct direction and needs to be improved. Swedish expert in informational technologies field Hans Fald, who cooperates with specialists of Moldova for 5 years, said that economic growth in Moldova depends very much on remittances from abroad, that’s why it has to be identified the factors that would ensure a sustainable growth. The expert mentioned that in order to get certain achievements in industry’s development it is necessary that small and medium-sized enterprises of Moldova based on science and innovations, having at the ground a good intellectual infrastructure. In the same time, Hans Fald underlined that it has to be put the accent on entrepreneur’s qualification. „About 2,000 well prepared students study at the Technical University of Moldova, but if they do not implement their knowledge in practice, it will be a loss of time and money”. Other foreign experts, including American ones, accepted this document, mentioning that it is a deep analysis and future priorities are very well selected, but somewhere are too optimistic. In their opinion, it is a good start in order to organize certain serious discussions. Till 30 April 2006, there will be organized debates on above-mentioned document, where businessmen, non-governmental organizations, experts, including those of international financial organization take part as well etc. There will be collected, while discussions, opinions and suggestions regarding strategy’s improvement. Moldova’s industrial policy 2006-2015 was drafted by the Academy of Science of Moldova in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure, according to Government’s Activity Program 2005-2009 „Country’s modernizing – population’s welfare” and the measures directed to ensure qualitative economic growth and population’s welfare. Now the industry ensures 14.7% of GDP, and agriculture 18.2%. Industrial goods represent 78.4% of the total export volume. In industrial sector there are registered 15,767 businessmen, representing 12.3% of the total number on the country. The structure of industry in Moldova includes 97 types of activity. The biggest volume of industrial production is represented by central region (63.2%). Northern and Southern enterprises produce 25.8% and 11% of the whole of industrial production.