Government approves new organizational chart for Economy & Trade Ministry

The new organizational chart of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) will include 3 deputy ministers and 3 new divisions after it had taken over the functions of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure and the Standardization and Metrology Service, which were liquidated, as well as some of the powers of the Government’s Office (economic issues). First Deputy Prime-Minister Igor Dodon, Minister of Economy and Commerce, said that the MEC staff will comprise 220 employees. Compared to the overall staff of the central authorities which transferred their functions to MEC, the number of public officials will reduce by 80. Thus, the Deputy Minister of Economy and Commerce Tudor Copaci, recently appointed in this office, will coordinate the issues related to working out structural, financial and budgetary policies, attracting investments, industry, energetic security, those related to small and medium sized enterprises (SME), as well as the cooperation with the countries of the world. 5 structures, which operate separately, will be subordinated to Copaci – the Agency of Public Property, Moldova Export Promotion Organization, SMI Development Organisation, National Agency for Energy Conservation and the State Energetic Inspectorate. Deputy Minister Sergiu Sainciuc will still be in charge of the development of human resources, wage policies and social partnerships, labor relations, migration policies. He will also coordinate the activity of the National Employment Agency, Labor Inspectorate, the Institute of Economy and Finances. The third deputy ministers, whose office is currently vacant, but will presumably be occupied by Iurie Muntean, executive director the ARIA Productivity and Competitiveness Center (and former lawyer with MEC), will be in charge of the issues related to standardization and working out technical regulations, relations with the WTO, internal trade and services, the circulation of goods with double destination, as well as the consumers protection. The following bodies will be subordinated to the new deputy minister: First State Inspectorate for Technical Supervision of Dangerous Industrial Objects, the ARIA Productivity and Competitiveness Center, Center of Accreditation in the Field of Products Conformity Assessment, State Inspectorate for Market Supervision, Metrology and Consumer Protection. Minister Dodon will be in charge of the direct coordination of the issues related to the real sector of the economy, policy evaluation, macroeconomic analysis and prognosis and the personnel. At its latest meeting, the Government also decided that the commission that issues authorizations for imports of meat is also to be subordinated to the MEC. Minister Dodon has been appointed as co-president on behalf of the Government of the Tripartite Commission for Consultations and Negotiations – Government – Trade Unions – Employers, a position previously occupied by the incumbent Prime Minister. Thus, MEC becomes a mega-ministry given the numerous economic fields it coordinates as well as its role in working out economic policies.