Activity of the Parliament on June 16–30, 2007

Appointments. Dismissals

The Parliament has appointed 5 judges of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ), in particular, Ion Corolevschi, Svetlana Filincova, Nicolae Gordila, Mihail Macar, Ghenadie Nicolaev and Petru Ursache, at the initiative of the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM). SCM has also proposed Dina Rotarciuc, judge of the Court of Appeal, but the parliamentary majority turned down this candidacy, saying that the SCJ Criminal College rejects this candidate. Representatives of the parliamentary opposition described the interference of SCJ as abusive and feared that by accepting this meddling, the parliamentary majority makes “one more step towards political control on the judiciary.” However, Communist parliamentarians turned down the candidacy.

Mr. Nicanor Cojocaru was relieved from the post of judge of the Supreme Court of Justice, as he reached the accepted age limit. Cojocaru has served in the Moldovan judicial system for more than 30 years.

The legislature has declared a vacancy for the former membership of Victoria Musteata to the Board of Observers. The Parliament appointed Musteata in late 2006 for a 3-year term, but she has reportedly tendered resignation for “being busy”. Earlier, Veaceslav Ionita has tendered resignation as member of the Board of Observers, saying that the board was not working adequately and some remunerations paid for sittings could be described as “corruption of members”.

Legal acts

Law on savings and loan associations. It regulates the relations of association and building of savings and loan associations — non-commercial organisations with special status voluntarily created by individuals and legal entities associated on common principles, which accept savings from members, give them loans and provide other services (guarantees, deposits, consulting). These associations aim to support their members in order to improve their economic and sociation conditions.

Law on scientific-technological parks and innovation incubators. The law aims among others to create a legal basis to transform the results of scientitific researches and innovations into new or better products, services and processes, in order to enhance the competitiveness of goods and services, to help increase the labour productivity, reduce the production costs, boost the exports, attract investments, create new jobs for innovators and highly qualified scientists and scientific-didactic staff.

Law on modification of the Land Code. These modifications ban the sale and purchase of fields for social development of localities.

Laws on ratification of some international acts:

The Restructuring Agreement between Moldovan Government and Japanese Bank for International Cooperation. The agreement stipulates the restructuring (by 2013) of a loan (worth more than 15 million dollars);
The agreement between Moldovan and Russian Governments that regulates problems related to the internal state currency debt of the former USSR;
The convention on future measures aimed to ban and combat the illicit import, export and transfer of property on cultural goods.

Decision on modification of the 2006–09 Legislative Programme. Under this law, the elaboration and promotion of the draft Pharmaceutical Code was postponed till 2009. The need of postponing was motivated by “introduction of two new abilities of the Drug Agency: the elaboration and promotion of the automatic information system called State Nomenclature of Drugs and the organisation of centralised drug procurements” and impossibility of respecting the established elaboration term.

Draft law on the Border Guard Service. The document adopted in the first reading aims to regulate aspects on status, destination, general structure, management bases and activity principles of the Border Guard Service in charge with border protection and appropriate control. The promotion of this draft is a priority of the European Union — Moldova Action Plan and developers assure that it meets the E.U. standards and regulations and it was coordinated with the E.U. Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine, while its implementation “will not require additional expenses.”

Questions and Interpellations. Motions. Statements

Questions and Interpellations

Deputy Valentina Cusnir has asked the Government and the Central Electoral Commission to report the use of finances from the reserve fund of the executive for the electoral campaign. He invoked actions like distribution of “gifts” (TV sets, carpets, awards, etc.) by ministers, central and local functionaries.

Our Moldova Alliance Deputy Alexandru Oleinic has asked the Government to report the execution of legislation that regulates the “fiscal amnesty”. He noted that the enforcement of these regulations raises concerns of national and international organisations (IMF).

Our Moldova Alliance Deputy Veaceslav Untila has raised an interpellation to the Government, asking it to react in connection with automobiles with Transnistrian number plates. Untila fears that this is a fiscal evasion scheme used by those unwilling to pay legal taxes and duties to the state budget or those who cannot import cars younger than 7 years old.

Social Liberal Deputy Igor Clipii has asked the Ministry of Education and Youth to report the admission quotas for institutions of higher learning, legal principles and basis used to limit the right to own education on tuition fees.

Motions

A 15-strong group of parliamentarians (representing the Social Liberal Party, the National Liberal Party, the Democratic Party of Moldova, the Our Moldova Alliance, the Party of Socialist Democracy of Moldova and unaffilated lawmakers) have submitted a simple motion titled Freedom of Mass Media and Freedom of Expression Are Suppressed concerning the violation of freedom of mass media and expression by Government. The motion urges among others:

the prime minister: — to control the implementation of the law on access to information regarding the freedom of expression and freedom of mass media and control the implementation of the related chapter from the E.U.-Moldova Action Plan; to ensure the registration of brands Moldova Suverana and Nezavisimaya Moldova by AGEPI as property of closing state enterprises; to further grant these brands at a public auction; to control the respect for commitments on freedom of mass media and freedom of expression from the E.U.-Moldova Action Plan.
the Interior Ministry — to urgently settle and prevent assaults on journalists;
the Government — to stop the governmental economic-administrative meddling into development of media market: to award tax facilities, including VAT exemptions; to exclude mandatory subscription of subordinated institutions to some periodicals, etc.

Statements

The faction representing the Our Moldova Alliance has released a statement condemning the attempts of the Party of Communists to annul the results of elections in certain localities and to directly sabotage the creation of district and local public administration. It considers that the central government is openly conspiring this way against creation of local administration and invites all representatives of non-communist forces to strongly keep their stances towards any pressures and allurements of the Communists.

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