The process of issuing the special transport authorizations in the regulated form is not centred on the needs of the economic operators, because it is not possible to get this permit in a short time span. It is also impossible to claim a refund of the amounts paid in case of non-use of the special transport permit, as well as an exemption from fees in the case of natural disasters. Another problem is the impossibility of paying the tariff through international bank transfers. These are some of the findings of a study on the conditions of the process of issuing the special transport authorization, carried out by the USAID Structural Reforms Program in Moldova and presented on Tuesday, October 22, in Chisinau, IPN reports.
The study noted the long examination span for the requests concerning special transport authorizations, which is five to eight days. As compared to other countries, for example, in Estonia this term is of three days in the standard formula, and eight hours in emergency regime, while in the UK, the authorization is issued right away.
Another issue is the amount of fees for special transport authorizations. The authors of the study believe it is necessary to revise these fees by applying a model based on the principle of proportionality, so that the fee is determined in relation to the place of the Republic of Moldova in the international road quality rankings. Also, it is necessary to change the existing model of fee calculation, strictly according to the distance travelled and to implement another model, based on route segments, validity periods of the authorization, etc.
Present at the event, Andrei Ciornîi, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, said that the participants in this event set out to evaluate the conditions and the process of issuing the special transport permit. "A complex evaluation of this process has been requested. We believe this working meeting is an opportunity to exchange views, to identify solutions, but also to debate all the identified gaps, " noted Andrei Ciornii.
Igor Guja, interim director of the National Agency for Road Transport, mentioned that this study would be used to optimize and harmonize national legislation with that of the European Union. According to him, there are notifications from operators using the special transport authorizations, and the objective is to improve the legal framework for issuing permits in the shortest time period, as well as for revising the tariffs.
Douglas Muir, Program Director at USAID Structural Reform Program in Moldova, said he highly appreciated ANTA's efforts. "We are now entering a very intense and at the same time very interesting stage of work. And this meeting today is the starting point for the review and restructuring phase of the payment and regulation framework of related structures, "noted Douglas Muir.
During the four-year implementation period - September 2017-September 2021, the USAID-funded Structural Reform Program in Moldova will support the Government of the Republic of Moldova in the process of integrating the country into regional and global trade systems. The program will contribute to Moldova's fulfilment of the commitments undertaken under the Association Agreement with the EU, which includes the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, as well as those provided by the new Trade Facilitation Agreement with the World Trade Organization.
