Activity of the Government on April 12–28, 2006

Reshuffles

The Government has appointed Ruslan Flocea as chief state adviser for first Deputy Premier Zinaida Grecianii.

Tudor Potirniche was assigned deputy director of the agency for material reserves, public acquisitions and humanitarian aids, while Victor Gincu was appointed administrator of the Free Economic Zone Otaci-Business.

Victor Feofanov was relieved from the post of deputy director of the State Archive Service at his demand.

Decisions

Decision for the approval of the land cadastre on November 1, 2005. The document contains information about legal status of fields, their quantity and quality parameters. According to available data, the agricultural fields count for 1.95 million hectares, about 58 percent of the total surface of the republic. Under the land cadastre, 1,300 limited societies and 378,000 farms and 147 production cooperatives work in agriculture (every production cooperative administrates about 900 hectares on average). The surface of agricultural fields was reduced by about 2,000 hectares; the surface of orchards has dropped by about 3,000 hectares after the land reform, while the surface of non-worked fields has grown by about 2,000 hectares.

Decision on single plans on admission of students in institutions of higher learning (cycle I), secondary specialised and vocational institutions in 2006. According to the document, institutions of higher education in Moldova will admit by 20 percent fewer students in 2006 (27,685 students and 20,000 of them will pay education tuitions) compared with 2005, but the number of students of institutions of secondary professional education will grow by 15 percent (90 percent of them will be financed by state). The plan for a series of specialties — social sciences, law, and economics — was reduced, in order to avoid a surplus of staff on labour market and with the purpose to educate staff for the real sector.

Decision for the approval of the regulation on sale of public shares at the Stock Exchange. Following will be the modalities to sell the public shares: organisation and conduct of Dutch auctions or introduction on sale through a limit-order (introduction of limit-orders for sale in the Automatic Integrated Transaction System (SAIT) of the Stock Exchange, in compliance with Rules of the Stock Exchange. The document defines a series of notions in the area and procedures of organisation and conduct of sales, selection of brokers, etc.

Decision approving the Code of Ethics and Conduct of police. The document includes the basic principles, objectives of activity of police, rights and limits of intervention of workers. It comprises provisions on control on activity of police by civil society. The code was drafted with the participation of experts of the Council of Europe, with the purpose to improve the conduct of policemen.

Decision on allocation of financial means for evaluation of the Savings Bank. The executive allocated 70,000 lei to organise a contest for the selection of an auditing company to evaluate the assets of the bank, in which the state owns 56 percent of shares. Certain experts consider that the assessment is a first step to prepare the privatisation of the only financial institution with major state capital.

Decision for the approval of some draft laws. The Government has approved and tabled to the Parliament draft laws on system of forced execution; on gambling; on denunciation of the Agreement on the status of the Economic Tribunal of the Commonwealth of Independent States (the authorities consider that this structure of CIS is inefficient and they have already recalled Moldova’s representatives to the Tribunal).

Sittings. Decisions. Declarations

Concerns with optimisation of tariff policy

The prime minister has convoked a sitting with decision makers from Government, social partners and nongovernmental organisations working in business sector and discussed the promotion of a flexible tariff policy. Two working groups were created; the first one will elaborate proposals on modification of customs tariffs applied in Moldova, which will be established at a minimum level for importation of raw material and at a maximum level for goods made in the country. The second working group headed by representatives of trade unions will monitor the quality of products sold on market, including by organising mobile teams of control in every district of the country.

TV conference on situation of agriculture

The prime minister has held a TV conference with central and local public administration authorities on situation of agriculture, being informed that about 300,000 hectares have been seeded for the 2006 crop, while the low air temperatures last January have affected some of them (about 18,000 hectares). Heads of districts reported that the VAT reimbursement procedure implemented earlier this year develops efficiently and beneficiaries did not raise any objections until now.

Rise of scholarships

The cabinet of ministers decided on 26 April 2006 to increase the scholarships of students from institutions of higher and professional education by 20 percent. In addition, the executive established the size of three special scholarships: the scholarship of the President (470 lei), the scholarship of the Government (430 lei), the Gaudeamus scholarship (360 lei).

Economic activities without electronic cash register

The Government has approved a list of economic activities that may be practiced without electronic cash registers: trading of own agricultural products; sale of religious objects, periodicals and lottery tickets; urban transportation services; services based on entrepreneurial patent.

Declaration on restricted importation of Moldovan wines in the Russian Federation

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration has released a declaration delivered by Moldova’s delegation participating in an ordinary sitting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers. According to the declaration, “the actions of the Russian side have led to the suspension of importation and trading of wine production made in Moldova by the Russian Federation, taken unilaterally, without a preliminary notification.” According to the Moldovan side, “such an evolution of events does not comply with the traditional reciprocal respect, with friendship relations, mutual understanding and reciprocally advantageous cooperation built throughout history between our states. The Moldovan side describes these measures of the Russian Federation as unfriendly over Moldova and very harmful for makers, importers and exporters of wine production, common vine growers, Moldovan economy in general, and finally for the traditional commercial-economic relations between the two states. The public statements on low quality wine production made in Moldova harm and undermine the authority of our country as producer of high quality wines, champagne and other alcohol production.”

Moldova’s offers for Gazprom

Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev has told a TV programme that Moldova had proposed the joint stock society Gazprom to participate in the construction of the gas pipe Drochia-Ungheni-Iasi, through which Moldova could additionally import 1.7 billion cubic metres of natural gas. The overall cost of the project is estimated at 50 million dollars. Tarlev also assured that Moldova does not intend to transmit the high tension lines to Gazprom in exchange for a long-term contract on natural gas deliveries.

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