Meat vendors choose Presidential Palace to protest in front of

Chisinau meat vendors have paid heed to advice of some opposition parliamentarians and protested Thursday in front of the Presidency. Yet, they were not lucky enough to speak to President Vladimir Voronin. The chief of the petitions service has told them the President is busy. According to Nadejda Damian, the President is aware of the protesters' claims, but can do nothing, since it is the Government and the Economy and Trade Ministry who are responsible for the problem. The protesters ask the authorities to allow them to work on a patent basis and to sell fresh meat without packaging. They say they confused at the indifference displayed by the President and will protest daily until they get their problem solved in their favor, Info-Prim Neo reports. “On 80 sq. centimeters it is impossible to work according with the requirements of the law. We don't even sell meat every day. A single man collecting (animals), slaughtering and selling the meat cannot deal with the accountancy, too,” said a protester Lilia Ilva. The meat vendors say they are willing to install refrigerators in markets to protect the meat from high summer temperatures. After repeated protest the Parliament allowed the patent-based commerce till 2017, yet not for meat vendors who remain obliged to open “individual businesses”. In accordance with the new redaction of Law on entrepreneurship patent, only the meat producers are allowed to sell it on patent basis. The document is still to be promulgated by the President. The meat vendors started to protest on May 28, unhappy with being fined from 3,000 to 6,000 lei by fiscal inspectors, because of not obeying the law.