Activity of the Government on March 19 – April 1, 2007

Appointments. Reshuffles

The executive has dismissed Serghei Iatco from the post of director of the State Service for Religious Denominations. Although he was relived from office “at the demand,” many experts link the dismissal to a recent ECHR judgment that sentenced Moldova for not registering the religious denomination “True Orthodox Church of Moldova”. Competent representatives of the Service for Religious Denominations delayed the registration in spite of a final decision by the Supreme Court of Justice and it was supposed that the omission was linked to administrative influences from high-ranking officials.

The executive has appointed Vitalie Iurcu as director of the leading board of the National Agency for Energy Regulation, with a delay of several years. Iurcu has worked in private structures and USAID/Moldova.

Decisions

Decision on indexation of social insurance conscriptions and some state social conscriptions. The document establishes the coefficient of indexation of conscriptions in 2007 at the level of 20.7 percent, given the annual rise of Consumer Price Index by 12.7 percent and annual growth of the medium salary on country by 28.7 percent in 2006. Starting April 1, 2007, the minimum indexed pension will be 361 lei — retirement pension for workers in agriculture; 406 lei — retirement pension for other beneficiaries of pensions; 196, 278 and 288 lei — pension for invalidity (3rd, 2nd and 1st degrees). Military pensions and state social allocations for some categories of citizens will be indexed by 12.7 percent only.

Decision on transmission of some fields. The document stipulates the free transmission of five fields covering more than two hectares in diverse sectors of the Chisinau municipality to the National Housing Service, with the declared purpose “to create conditions for resolving the problem of building social residences in the Chisinau municipality.”

Decision on activity of the Agri-Industrial Agency Moldova-Vin in 2005–2006. The Government considers that the agency has taken some measures to accomplish the goals from governing programme and priority programmatic documents, ensuring the creation and improvement of the institutional framework needed to revitalise and develop the vine growing and winemaking complex. It notes the following accomplishments:

Elaboration of legislative and normative acts;
More seeding materials;
Planting of 9,700 hectares of vine in 2005–2006, with state subsidies worth over 170 million lei;
Improvement of the spirits quality control system, creation of a specialised centre.

Following are the shortcomings:

The existing technical-material base of vine growing nurseries cannot produce all necessary seeds;
The goal of annually extending the vineyards by at least 10,000 hectares fails;
The actions for the promotion of spirits and diversification of markets were inefficient;
The process of adjusting the normative documentation to the European Union’s standards must be speeded up;
The making of spirits has essentially declined because of Russia’s embargo (the making of wines decreased by 50 percent and of distilled spirits by 37 percent in 2006). The agency could not propose a strategy capable to reduce the negative effects.

Decision approving the Government’s activity plan for the 2nd quarter of 2007. The plan contains three general chapters: — concepts, strategies and programmes; — draft legal acts; — draft normative acts. Thirty-nine actions and elaborations are planned overall.

Decision on rise of scholarships. Under the document, scholarships for students of universities and colleges will grow by 35 percent, up to between 285 and 365 lei. Scolarships of students of vocational institutions will be increased from 120 lei up to 200 lei, at the initiative of prime minister.

Sittings. Decisions. Statements

Sitting on development of districts

A republican sitting with the participation of heads of ministries, districts and city halls has focussed on social-economic development, execution of budgets and development of taxable base, spring agricultural works, sanitation and arrangement of localities, etc. The prime minister outlined the need of fulfilling all budgetary plans for 2007, including through efficient development measures and enlargement of the taxable base, welcoming the trends of increasing own incomes in the districts of Dubasari, Ocnita, Anenii-Noi, Floresti, Briceni, Orhei, the Chisinau municipality and raising concern with the decline of own revenues in the districts of Edinet, Glodeni, Taraclia, Calarasi. According to a press release, Vasile Tarlev outlined the “necessity of applying the Tax Code efficiently and transparently, in order to prevent the blocking of activity of economic agents, to establish programmes on payment of owed taxes and to combat illicit financial-economic activities in cooperation with competent bodies.” The prime minister emphasised the efficient implementation of the national gasification programme, elaboration and implementation of the drinking water providing and sewerage strategy, ensuring with electricity, renovation of national and local roads, attraction of investments in territories among development priorities of districts.

Sitting of the National Commission for European Integration

The commission has evaluated the implementation of the Moldova-E.U. Action Plan, hearing a report on results of implementation of the plan in the first quarter of this year and priorities for the next period. The minister of foreign affairs and European integration described 2007 as a year of crucial importance for implementing the E.U.-Moldova Action Plan and gaining the quality of associated member of the E.U., indicating the existing shortcomings in this process. The signing of the visa facilitation agreement and gaining of autonomous trade preferences remain among basic goals of Moldova in 2007. The prime minister particularly noted the importance of a priority implementation of chapters of the Action Plan concerning respect for human rights and principles of the state based on the rule of law, reformation of the judicial system and struggle against corruption.

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