Political crisis could hinder achievement of economic objectives set for 2010

The perpetuation of the political crisis could be the most serious challenge next year, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Valeriu Lazar said during a debate meeting, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. According to Lazar, the non-election of the head of state and a possible new election campaign make the Moldovan society as well as the possible foreign backers feel uncertain. “Reforms are needed in order to take the country out of the crisis. But the reforms imply costs and we must be sure that the backers could cover these costs if need be,” he said. Lazar also said that the the inheritance left by the Communist government includes not only gaps in the budget and populist economic policies, but also the inefficient administrative system and weak businesses that are unprepared to work in conditions of crisis. “We tried to balance the budget and the public finances in the economic recovery and stabilization program for 2009-2011 and the state budget law for 2010 so as to safeguard the interests of the businesses and the groups of people that need social protection,” Lazar said. He expressed his optimism that the projected economic growth of at least 1.5% will be achieved in 2010. According to the information presented by the Deputy Minister, the exports during the last two months stabilized, as they neither decreased, nor increased. A number of industrial sectors have been revitalized. The remittances increased slightly, but consumption is still low. Valeriu Lazar also said that the shortcomings identified in the draft state budget law for 2010, by independent experts as well, will be removed by introducing amendments in January next year.