Activity of the Government on March 29 – April 11, 2004

Reshuffles

Aleksandr Bannikov, former Deputy Mayor of the Chisinau Municipality was appointed on March 31 as General Director of the Privatisation Department. Noteworthy, the position has been vacant for more than a year now, when Deputy Director Mihail Cibotaru served as interim. On March 31 Government accepted the latter’s resignation.

Decisions

Government endorsed President Voronin’s initiative to amend the Penal Code excluding thus, Article 170 that provided for a sentence of up to five years in jail for libel. The move came in response to calls coming from foreign and domestic media organisations alike that the provision ran counter to the European standards in the field. Once Moldovan authorities reiterated on numerous occasions their commitment towards European integration, indeed they would have to revise the legislation, thereby exclude provisions that infringe on freedom of speech. Likewise, it would be appropriate to establish in the Civil Code a ceiling of damages that might be demanded from media outlets, to provide support to independent and local media, to abolish censorship in press, to provide fiscal incentives, ensure access to information of public interest, etc.
By making one step forward in terms of media, Government made two steps back by endorsing on April 7 another draft law prohibiting professors and pupils to take part in authorised or unauthorised protest rallies. If approved by the Parliament, the draft law would breach on one of the fundamental rights — freedom of reunions (provided in Article 40 of the Constitution, other international acts Moldova is part of, and political criteria for joining EU).
The law is a follow-up to the 2002 protest rallies so as to discourage professors and students from undertaking similar actions in future. Now, however, they have the more reasons to do so as Ministry of Education approved on April 8 the membership of a commission entrusted to develop curricula for a courses on integrated history.
Government also adopted the National Programme to fight unemployment among youth in 2004–2006. The program envisages boosting enterprises that would hire young specialists, establishing favourable economic and other organisational conditions for youth employment, supporting young entrepreneurs, providing equal chances for employment, organising course for unskilled youth, etc.
Government endorsed on March 31 a draft law on amending the Law on Privatisation thereby the state does not guarantee the right on property over assets in Transdnistria privatised without prior approval of Chisinau. Government pledged to develop within a month a privatisation procedure for Transdnistria. The annex to the draft law reads that Tiraspol sold 14 enterprises only in 2003, whereas another 75 are due to be privatised this year. Russian, Italian, and Liechtenstein companies privatised in 2003 Cuciurgan Power Station, fixed telephony operator, “Buket Moldavii” winery, “Moldavkabeli” plant, “Danastr” shoe factory, Grigoriopol poultry farm, Ribnita Metallurgic Plant. The revenues from privatisation amounted 71 million Transdnistrian Rubbles, i.e. 11.6 millions USD.
In the eyes of many experts, beginning the privatisation in Transdnistria would only help Russia grab a bigger share in the total of investments. Therefore, this would tie Moldova even further to Russia economically and financially. In a related note, Tiraspol leader Igor Smirnov told Tiraspol media that the privatisation process was quite successful and that he saluted the participation of foreign capital (especially from Russia) as well as domestic one in the privatisation process.
The decision of the Chisinau authorities was called by representatives of the Tiraspol administration as interference in the regional privatisation process and lacking any legal binding. Whatever legislative acts the Moldovan authorities pass, the foreign investors have worked and will continue to work according to Transnistrian laws, because a state cannot own assets over which it cannot ensure the rights of property or of disposal.
According to the Head of the Transnistrian Justice Department Victor Balala, the Transnistrian authorities have already received a number of bids for the privatisation of some of the 75 objects put up for privatisation this year.
On its April 1 session Government approved a draft law on the single tax in agriculture, thereby income tax, VAT, land tax, road tax and local taxes are to be replaced by a single tax. This would represent 2.1 Lei for each hectare and 150 Lei for plots not having cadastral indicators. The draft is to be approved by the Parliament before being enforced.

e-democracy.md

Activity of the Government on March 29 – April 11, 2004

Reshuffles

Decisions

Archive