Lack of political consensus affects compilation of trade statistics, report

Moldova has been falling short of collecting and compiling statistics on trade lately and the lack of political consensus is to a great extent responsible for this, according to the quarterly report Euromonitor. The think-tanks Adept and Expert-Grup said in the report that the process started to stagnate in Q2 of 2011 and it is unlikely that the problems could be solved in a short period of time with the resources used until present. The reports notes that although some activities are done each quarter, like transmitting information to Eurostat, the EU's statistics agency, and ensuring that classifications are updated, no progress has been achieved in developing a general concept for collecting statistical data. The enduring conflict between the two sides of the Nistru is also an impediment in the statistics area and the cooperation between the relevant agencies alone is not sufficient. “A dialogue at a higher level is necessary”, say the experts. Euromonitor recommends the Government to address the Transnistrian issue at a higher level and enhance cooperation between the two sides of the Nistru. Another recommendation is to identify and analyze all existing sources of data on foreign trade for the Transnistrian region, such as the data of the Customs Service, the difference between data on Moldova's exports disaggregated by country and the imports reported by those countries. The 22nd issue of the quarterly report Euromonitor focuses on the reforms implemented in the context of Moldova's cooperation with the EU and the progress achieved during October-December 2011. The publication appears with the financial support of the Soros-Moldova Foundation.