“Currently, Moldova is perceived at the global level as a supplier of raw material and talents, where the economic growth should not exceed 3-4% or it will become a possible competitor. Moldova itself can correct this attitude to it by modifying its place in the world,” said businessman Veaceslav Kunev, president of the Association of IT Companies ATIC.
In IPN’s public debate “Why does modernization of the economy stall?”, he noted that after the Moldova - EU Association Agreement was signed, no attempt was made to understand the role and place of Moldovan economy. “We didn’t have a government that would have really wanted to work out strategic plans and to implement them consistently. All the strategies were thought up to show that work was done, but these were later put on shelves and forgotten,” stated Veaceslav Kunev.
“We continue to have a dialogue with developed countries based on outdated conceptions: here is what we can sell to you; here is what you can buy… This is a primitive approach that definitely does not produce results. With Germany, for example, we should negotiate based on the industrial strategy 4.0 and they will then perceive us as a potential partner that knows what it is all about.”
The businessman said the idea of a bridge between the East and the West is ineffective. “Such a bridge is actually needed only when it can generate value added,” said Veaceslav Kunev.
According to him, in Moldova they do so as if we intentionally do not want to develop. “The Association Agreement is an opportunity to launch an economy for development in Moldova, by which the country can go on, no matter who comes to power. But the governments act like the firefighters. The functionaries do not have time, do not know and often do not want to think about strategies. That’s why this task should be delegated to the expert centers and institutions, as in the developed states,” noted the president of the Association of IT Companies ATIC.
The public debate “Why does modernization of the economy stall?” forms part of the series “Overcoming European integration stereotypes through communication” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
