The Republic of Moldova still could not benefit from new generalized system of preferences GSP+

The ministry of Economy and Commerce, Valeriu Lazar, declared that until now the Republic of Moldova could not benefit from Generalized System of Preferences GSP+, granted by the European Union, because there was no offer and no developed system that could assure quality. According to the minister, the fact that the state managed to sign deals of free exchange with markets with approximately 300 million consumers, with a great and continuously increasing buying potential, is just a premise and nothing more. „Except several cases, we did not find a product or service in which the state or private sector would combine the 4 sets of policies: preferential regime, offer, promotion and certification”, Lazar stated. He also mentioned that, at present, the promotion would be inefficient, as there are no competitive products even on the internal market. The solution offered by the minister is investments, as the existence of competitive products is impossible with companies that have both morally and technologically worn-out equipment. According to the minister, another chapter in which the Republic of Moldova has to improve is the inability to properly certify competitive and quality products. “Our biggest mistake was that the necessity for radical reforms in the quality control infrastructure was brought to light too late, and we started to implement a new concept of the quality control infrastructure that respects the European and World Trade Organization standards only this year”, Lazar mentioned. The ministry of Economy believes that with a very small advertising budget, and without a well organized promotion process it is very hard to profit from certain advantages, as the competition on the regional markets is fierce. The Republic of Moldova has 35 signed agreements regarding promotion and mutual investment protection, 38 agreements of trade and economic collaboration, 16 agreements of free exchange with CIS countries and the Stability in South Eastern Europe Pact. The Generalized System of Preferences GSP+ is offered by the European Union since January 1 2006. According to the system, 7200 groups of products (87.77% from exports) are granted free access, without customs taxes, to the EU market.