Reshuffles
During its November 3 session, Government appointed Deputy Minister, Mariana Durlesteanu as Republic of Moldova Ambassador to Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Decisions
- On November 1 Government decided to provide subsidies to the farmers to compensate for the price hike on oil worth 500 Lei for each tone of diesel used for fall agricultural works. Subsidies shall be granted from a special fund, which according to official sources would amount to 15 million Lei.
- At the initiative of the President, on November 3 Government imposed a restriction on issuing foreign passports to minors whose parents are divorced. To get a passport both parents would have to provide their consent, which should be legalized at the notary. The move aims to fight trafficking in human beings.
- On November 10, Government approved draft National Strategy on fighting corruption and an Action Plan. The two documents were developed by the Commission set up in this respect via presidential decree on November 7, 2003. The Strategy and Action Plan were completed early this year and were presented for public debates on April 22, 2004. It is not known what was the result of public debates, however we do know that the two documents were submitted for the expertise of the Council of Europe. The Strategy has the following objectives:
- To ensure rule of law (identifying problem areas, conditions favouring corruption, preventing corruption, strengthening the system of measures detecting and preventing corruption);
- To ensure separation of branches of power and preventing corruption in each of them;
- To adjust domestic legal framework to international standards;
- To ensure transparency of public institutions, access to information, promoting ethnic standards;
- To mobilize civil society and business in preventing corruption and foster intolerance towards corruption.
To achieve those objective the following measures shall be undertaken as part of the Strategy:
- Improving legal framework;
- Ensuring transparency and responsibility in political activity;
- Increasing efficiency of the institutional system;
- Diminishing corruption effect on private sector;
- Boosting cooperation between public institutions and civil society;
- Increasing international cooperation.
Due to Parliament’s delay to approve the Strategy, on August 3, 2004 Governmental approved via a motion an Action Plan to increase the cooperation between law enforcement forces in fighting corruption. The plan included many of the Strategy provisions, but also further detailed some of them.
- One of the most important decisions passed by the Government in the aforesaid period referred to reorganisation of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare so as to optimize its activity. It provides for personnel cuts and transforming departments, as follows: Department on wage policy and cooperation with social partner; Family policy and equal opportunities Department; Reform and analysis Department; Economy, finance and booking keeping Department; Foreign relations Department; Social assistance Department; Social assistance Department; Social institutions Department; Legal Department, and HR Department.
- Government approved the Regulation on awarding the status of war veteran. Under the document, war veteran status may be awarded to military who fought in the soviet army or Romanian army during the WWII; in the military operations led by the URSS army; in the military operations defending territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova; persons who fought in partisan units or served in the URSS Ministry of Interior or Defence during the WWII.
- Under the Program of single obligatory medical insurance for 2005 that was approved by the Government on November 10, as of next year holders of medical insurance would additionally be entitled to certain services of the dentist, some emergence surgery and medical investigations. Those services don’t come cheap as the price of medical insurance for the next year went up by 50%, i.e. 441.23 Lei in 2004 and 664.40 Lei in 2005.