On February 13, Prime Minister Pavel Filip paid a one-day visit to Kyiv, where he met with the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman. Among the main subjects for discussion were the bilateral economic relations, protection of the environment on the Nistru River and the Transnistrian conflict.
The National Food Safety Agency on February 13 announced that Moldova imposed restrictions on the import of poultry from a number of regions of Ukraine, Poland, the Russian Federation and Germany, where avian influenza was reported. The bans announced by the National Food Safety Agency apply both to business entities and private individuals who cross the state border. The virus does not affect humans, but these can be carriers.
The IMF team will be in Moldova on an assessment mission during February 14-28. The representatives of the International Monetary Fund met with Prime Minister Pavel Filip and members of the Government.
Civil society on February 14 demanded that the draft law No. 161, known as the Big Brother law, should be transmitted to the authors for improvement. The law, which offers the state instruments for fighting cybercrime and child pornography, should be drafted with the participation of civil society, the mass media and ICT companies. According to SCOs, in the proposed variant, the bill does not envision guarantees for ensuring the right to private life and the freedom of expression.
On February 15, the Parliament’s commission on economy, budget and finance will propose candidate for the post of director of the National Agency for Energy Regulation Tudor Copaci to the legislature for confirmation or rejection. The candidate was chosen at a contest whose results were challenged by a number of energy experts.
The Constitutional Court on February 16 ruled that the provision concerning the collection of mandatory payment for textbooks from fifth-ninth graders is unconstitutional and runs counter to the Constitution’s Article 35 “Right to education”.
The Constitutional Court president Alexandru Tanase, in a debate staged by the Central Election Commission on February 16, underlined the necessity of improving the electoral legislation and of adopting a new Election Code that would contain separate provisions for each type of elections.
The Government of Romania on February 16 approved the second tranche of the Romanian loan of €150 million. The €50 million will be disbursed on February 27. The first tranche of €60 million was transferred to Moldova last August. The loan is repayable in five years, at an interest rate of 1.5%.
On February 17, a man killed and two were injured as a result of an incident with gunfire at a car parts shop in Stauceni commune of Chisinau municipality on February 17. The fire was opened by the shop owner. When a group of people entered the shop and started to use violence against shop assistants, the owner, together with another two persons, barricaded themselves in an office on the second floor. When the individuals broke the window and entered the office, the owner fired from his pistol that he owns legally. Three of the men who attacked the shop assistants were hurt. One of them was found dead later at a gas station nearby. The shop owner was questioned and is investigated outside prison.
Selection by Dan Caranfil, IPN
