Ministry of Transport and Road Management to be liquidated

The Moldovan Cabinet on Wednesday initiated the procedure to amend the Government Law in order to replace the Ministry of Transport and Road Management with a state agency for transport. The road management component is to be taken over by the Ministry of Construction and Territorial Development, Info-Prim Neo reports. Through a series of other amendments, the transport agency to be created will assume control of the air transport, which is now managed by the Civil Aviation Administration (ASAC). The explanatory note attached to the draft of the proposed amendments says the examination of the legal and institutional framework of ASAC from the perspective of the central administration reform has indicated the presence of a conflict of interest in ASAC's activity. Despite its status of governmental authority, ASAC has functions based on the principles of self-administration and self-financing as a state enterprise. Thus, air transport policies should be developed by the State Agency for Transport, while the functions of inspecting aircraft and monitoring compliance with aviation standards should be assumed by a special service, as ASAC will be liquidated. Another modification included in the draft annuls a previous amendment to the Government Law, which aimed to liquidate Moldova's Water Agency and transfer its duties to the Ministry of Construction and Territorial Development. The Cabinet explains that the amendments are proposed in the spirit of the central administration reform and with a view to strengthening the structure of the government and optimizing the number of civil servants.