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Briefness first and foremost – April 25, 2019 IPN digest


https://www.ipn.md/index.php/en/briefness-first-and-foremost-april-25-2019-ipn-digest-7978_1048449.html

An exhibition of photographs devoted to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the policy of reform and openness in China was mounted at the National Library in Chisinau on April 25. On this occasion, the Embassy of China in Chisinau donated to the National Library about 140 books in Romania, Russian and English written by famous Chinese authors. National Library director Elena Pintilei said it is a nice tradition already for the Embassy of China in Chisinau to donate books to the National Library, which now has a considerable collection of books in Chinese, English, Romanian and Russian.

The historian and journalist Gheorghe Cojocaru says the latest statements by the EU envoy to Chisinau make it crystal-clear that the European Union will not resume financial assistance for Moldova if the future government includes names named in the Kroll reports. Through Ambassador Peter Michalko’s message, Brussels shows that it is concerned by the lack of progress in the justice sector in particular, while also announcing what it expects in principle from the future government, Cojocaru told an interview with RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service. (EU Ambassador Peter Michalko told an interview with IPN on Tuesday that “the formation of a parliamentary majority that includes people named in the Kroll report could be a very significant obstacle to the cooperation between the European Union and Moldova”. According to him, “those responsible for the bank fraud must be jailed”. The diplomat added that “justice should be independent and not selective, and all institutions should be functional and independent”.)

In 2018, by almost 1,500 fewer children were born than in 2017, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. In a response to IPN, the NBS reveals that last year 32,606 were born, a 4.3% drop from the previous year. The birth rate was 9.2 live births per one thousand population. Of the live births, 51.7% were boys. In other words, for every 100 girls, there were 107 boys.

“Legal reforms enacted in the aftermath of the 2014 banking crisis and supported by the IMF have strengthened the NBM’s governance structure and autonomy. The existing governance framework rests on adequate mechanisms for dismissal procedures of the NBM management,”  stated Volodymyr Tulin, IMF Resident Representative in Moldova. In a statement, the official said it remains vital to protect the hard-earned progress and avoid any initiatives that would weaken existing safeguards.

The moves made recently in the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia to transfer the date of the Bashkan elections in the region and the attempts to amend the electoral legislation are aimed at preventing current Governor Irina Vlah from running in the upcoming elections. Political commentator Sergei Monastarly noted the moves were made for the purpose of removing Irina Vlah from the election campaign. There will be a serious confrontation over the initiative to dissolve the local Election Commission given that the control over the commission means control over the vote count results. The deputies of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia intentionally put off the Bashkan elections so as to hamper the electoral process due to the low voter turnout and to attack Irina Vlah if the PSRM and the PDM ultimately form a government coalition.

Socialist MP Bogdan Țîrdea said the PSRM didn’t come to the meeting proposed by ACUM because the bloc’s conditions didn’t change and ACUM continues to seek all the prerogatives and wants only their proposals to be adopted. They didn’t see openness on the part of the MPs of ACUM at least as regards the PSRM’s proposals that refer to the social sphere. Therefore, the Socialists decided they do not have what to discuss with ACUM at present.

The financial support provided to a farmer will rise from 3milion lei to 5 million lei a year, while the subsidies intended for groups of producers will increase by 50%. The new provisions are designed to ensure the more efficient use of the funds by directing these to areas with high value added. The augmentation of the support offered to a farmer or a group of producers will create preconditions for improving the postharvest infrastructure and will open up possibilities of entering new markets.

A new deadline has been announced for the rehabilitation of 80 kilometers of the national roads
Chisinau-Ungheni-Sculeni and Chisinau-Lăpușna, which was originally supposed to be completed in 2016. Minister Gaburici gave the Azerbaijani company Evrascon JSC until November 2019 to complete the repair. During the meeting, the contractor’s representatives presented the works already done and what steps need to be taken to fully complete the rehabilitation.

Details on IPN!