Industrial parks to be set up in Moldova

Industrial parks will be created in Moldova in delimited areas where industrial activities will take place and services rendered. A draft law governing industrial parks passed first reading in Parliament at the end of last week. The draft law stipulates ensuring optimal conditions for developing business activities in the parks, with the central and local authorities charged to provide the adequate infrastructure. The industrial parks will be created on the basis of the assets withdrawn, according to the legislation, from the state-run enterprises, municipal companies, joint-stock companies in which the state or the local public administration owns at least 75% from the transferable securities, and from the plots of land, free from buildings, that are owned by the state or the local public administration. Also, the draft law provides that investors that will respect transparent criteria and requirements will be attracted in the industrial parks, the goal being to launch/expand export-oriented production activities and service rendering, import replaceable merchandise production, high-technologies using know-how transfer. The parks will constituted for a term of less than 50 years, but term extension will be possible. Some of the deputies criticised the draft law. MP Valeriu Cosarciuc stated that the legislation is being infringed because trough this bill the state takes the right to decide concerning the enterprises that are the property of the local public administration. According to the Government, the founding of the industrial parks has the purpose of creating additional opportunities for the investors to launch investments and to capitalise the existent potential, and to facilitate the access to cheap production agents.