Moldova is not properly encouraging business and freedom of press – Cezare de Montis

Compared with other countries with which EU has a neighbourhood policy, Moldova is behind as concerns the business climate, the Ambassador Cesare de Monstis, the Head of the European Commission to Moldova declared on December 4. At present, only a half of the implementation term of the Action Plan Moldova-EU has passed, therefore authorities must undertake all the necessary efforts in the future to encourage the business climate, implement the reforms related to the freedom of press, judicial system, fighting corruption etc. Speaking about the business climate, de Montis said that “there is no country that can develop without private investments, and regardless of the financial means provided by the international donors, they can not replace private investments”. In light of this situation, the European Commission calls on the Moldovan authorities to make the necessary efforts for the implementation of all the reforms, “because it is no sufficient only to adopt reforms, without efficiently implementing them”. At the same time, Cesare de Montis said that in one year and a half since the Action Plan is being implemented, Moldova advanced in several fields: the situation at the Ukrainian border, creation of the EU border assistance mission, negotiation of the asymmetric trade system and of the GSP+ preferences, renewing the financial programme with IMF, which determined other international bodies to aid Moldova. Cezare de Montis mentioned that the volume of the financial means provided to Moldova by EU, within the frameworks of the Good Neighbourhood Programme for 2007-20013 will be publicized within 10 days. The total budget of the programme planned for 16 neighbour countries of EU amounts to EUR 12 bln, by 32% more compared with the previous period. A part of this sum will be equally distributed to the EU neighbour countries and another one - depending on the financing projects each country proposes. According to Montis, the European Commission hopes that Moldova will obtain the second biggest sum after Palestine.