Activity of the Government on April 16–30, 2008

Appointments. Dismissals

Under governmental decisions:

Sergiu Sitnic, directorate chief in the Ministry of Information Development, was nominated director-general of the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology;
Ion Sturzu, former deputy chief of the Principal State Fiscal Inspectorate, was assigned deputy minister of finance;
Oleg Rotaru, deputy chief of the Government Apparatus, was appointed deputy minister of information development;
Galina Bulat was nominated deputy minister of education and youth;
Alexei Virlan, former deputy directorate chief in the Chisinau City Hall, was appointed deputy minister of transportation and road management;
Iurie Muntean, former director of the ARIA Centre, was nominated deputy minister of economy and commerce;
Anatolie Zapanovici was appointed deputy chief of the Government Apparatus and Natalia Catrinescu was nominated head of the policy coordination and foreign assistance directorate of the Government Apparatus.
Ivan Cilcic was assigned chief of the Comrat territorial directorate of the Ministry of Local Public Administration;
Ion Ceban was relieved from the post of deputy minister of education and youth and Vadim Smintina was relieved from the office of deputy director-general of the Sport Agency on the basis of their “demands”;
Oleg Chirisenco was appointed deputy chief of the State Protection and Guard Service.

Decisions

Decision on opening of the National Motor Transport Agency. The agency will take over the duties of organising and supervising the technological process of carriage of commodities and passengers in national and international transportation. It will also take over some functions of the state-run enterprise AMTAI, dissolved under the Government Decision # 153 from 14.02.2008, as well as some competences of the Ministry of Transportation and Road Management (supervision of motor stations, rationalisation and optimisation of regular passenger routes.

Decision concerning distribution of food wheat from state material reserves. In order to maintain bread prices, 7,000 tons of food wheat will be lent from the state reserve to bakery owners by September 30, 2008. The wheat will be supplied to economic agents on the basis of certain criteria: management of a bakery in the last 12 months, commitment to respect commercial addition rate for bread products, etc.

Decision concerning identity papers of beneficiaries of humanitarian protection. It approves models of identity cards and travel documents for beneficiaries of humanitarian protection which will be issued by the Interior Ministry.

Decision approving the structure of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce. The new flowchart stipulates three functions for deputy ministers and three new directorates: the directorate-general on energy security (it will take over the functions of elaboration and promotion of energy policies); the directorate-general on quality infrastructure (it will take over the tasks of the Standardisation and Metrology Service); the directorate-general on coordination of the real sector of economy. The ministerial personnel will comprise 220 employees and about 2.8 million lei will be spent on salaries and other maintenance charges till the end of this year.

Sittings. Decisions. Statements

New reorganisation of Government Apparatus

The new executive has approved the reorganisation of the Government Apparatus, with main changes envisaging:

The reduction of the number of employees (from 141 to 124 persons). The number of the Government Apparatus functionaries was recently increased from 136 up to 141 persons under the Government Decision # 108 from 06.02.2008;
The reduction of the number of advisors for prime minister (from 10 down to 2);
The transfer of some tasks of the Government Apparatus to ministries;
The opening of three new directorates (for the coordination of policies and foreign assistance; for staff policy and human development; for humanitarian aid);

Note by ADEPT: The Government Apparatus has been reorganised and underwent essential structural changes in 2001–2008, in spite of political and administrative stability, in particular: GD # 500 from 21.06.2001; # 919 from 12.07.2002; # 1315 from 26.11.2004; # 44 from 17.01.2005; # 637 from 29.06.2005; # 1059 from 14.09.2006 and # 1004 from 10.09.2007. Although Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii has promised that the new structure of the Government will be “revolutionary” and efficient, one may note that the Government Apparatus was essentially modified last time (in 2005) at the indication of chief of state, being built after the model of the Presidential Apparatus, with specialised directorates and sections being dissolved and advisors for prime ministers taking over their duties. Independent experts and former high-ranking governmental functionaries described this structure as unsuccessful, but the Tarlev Government Apparatus functioned on the basis of this structure several years. Now the new Government reintroduces the former structure, which is acceptable in majority of countries with a ruling system like that in Moldova. But this situation reveals again the irrelevance and lack of conceptual, strategic approach in reforming the central public administration within which the Government Apparatus namely was reserved an important place.

Facilitated meat imports

The pork and beef imports will be liberalised for a certain period, in order to cover the meat deficit on domestic market and stabilise prices in the near future. Thus, the maximum rate of 110 tons of meat per import transaction will be cancelled for a certain period. According to data of the National Bureau for Statistics, meat prices on domestic market have grown by 40–45 percent in the first trimester of this year, while the Ministry of Economy and Commerce is explaining higher prices with the essential reduction of meat production on domestic market after the 2007 drought.

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