Voronin sees investment boom for Moldova

Moldova is about to experience an investment boom. Over the past six months the quality and the essence of our investment offers have changed radically, Moldova’s President Vladimir Voronin told a news conference on Wednesday, Info-Prim Neo reports. The head of state said that Moldova has lately become a destination for large companies dealing in the energy sector, transport and road construction, as well as a range of foreign solid banks and high tech companies. Voronin explained that the situation is mainly due to a change in the relations with Russia and the CIS countries. Today the nature of these relations is not just pragmatic but evolved to a genuine partnership. In his words, while maintaining a free market approach, the issues related to VAT have been settled, a transparent and long-term gas supply contract has been signed, and agreements concerning the principles of Transnistria settlement have been reached. Vladimir Voronin highlighted the European modernisation of Moldova in terms of the Moldova-EU Action Plan, which has become an incentive and a key factor in implementing internal reforms, in particular, of democratic character. The President also remarked that over the last six years the government has promoted an extensive economic liberalisation, mentioning, particularly, the two regulatory guillotines, capital and fiscal amnesty, the limitation of powers and duties of the inspection bodies, the introduction of a zero-rate tax on corporate income, effective 1 Jan 2008, etc. “I can now say with confidence that we have done almost all the things that seemed so unreal a year ago. The country and our economy are open to the West and East alike. By enacting a zero-rate tax on income, Moldova will obtain exclusive conditions for the development of an economy oriented towards export and based on attraction of large investment flows. There are still problems related to the functioning of the judicial system and powers of the public officials, but these we can handle”, Vladimir Voronin concluded.