Activity of the Parliament on November 1–16, 2007

Appointments

Mrs. PAKNEHAD Ecaterina was appointed member of the Court of Auditors for a 5-year term.

Legal acts

Law on electronic communications. It establishes the main rules and conditions for electronic communications, the general policy and strategy framework, the general framework regulating the functioning of electronic communication networks and services, rights and commitments of the state, individuals and legal entities while building, administrating, using, and maintaining electronic communication networks. The law regulates the activity of all operators and providers of electronic communication services in the field of civil electronic communications. The law does not cover the special communication networks which ensure the needs of public authorities, defence, national security and protection of public order.

Law on mediation (re-examination). The enforcement and implementation of regulations on mediation of civil, family and criminal cases was postponed until July 1, 2008, at the insistence of Moldovan president, who fears that the Government will fail many actions needed for this purpose. The adoption and efficient enforcement of this law is a commitment assumed in the Moldova — European Union Action Plan (chapter 2.1, Article (2) — development of alternative ways to settle litigations, including mediation) and the law should be initially adopted by early 2006. As the law was not implemented so far, this commitment from the Action Plan was not accomplished and the legal and institutional implementation of the mediation mechanism was protracted.

Law on vegetal regnum. The law fits the EU acts in the area and establishes a specific legal framework on conservation, protection and use of the vegetal regnum objectives, as well as competences of public authorities of all levels and all competent scientific institutions maintained as culture to regenerate and preserve the genetic fund.

Law on modification of the law on integrated automatic information system of record of offences, criminal cases and offenders. It aims to prevent uncertainties related to establishing and implementing criteria for assessment of criminal investigation bodies. The law is a response to findings of controls held by Prosecutor’s Office bodies on implementation of this law by police departments in the Chisinau municipality, which revealed a series of breaches linked to record of offences, criminal cases and offenders, as well as groundless increase of labour indicators. The amendments aim to empower the prosecutor-general to approve instructions, kits, primary record acts, printed forms of generalised statistical reports on crime rate; to assess the work of criminal investigators on basis of a pluralism of criteria capable to ensure updated and true information, etc.

Laws on ratification of international acts:

The Council of Europe Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in relation to State Succession;
The Agreement between Moldovan Government and Cyprian Government concerning mutual promotion and protection of investments;
The Visa Facilitation Agreement between Moldova and European Union;
The Agreement between Moldova and European Union concerning of readmission of illegal migrants;
The amendment to the convention on access to information, justice and participation of the public in making decisions on environment.

Draft law on mandatory health insurance funds for 2008. The document approved in the first reading increases the cost of the health insurance policy up to 1,893.6 lei. Those who will buy the insurance policy in the first three months will pay only half of this price. Also, the draft increases the mandatory health insurance premium calculated in percent per salary from 5 percent up to 6 percent, so that the employer and the salary-earner will pay by 3 percent each. Opposition lawmakers have criticised this draft law, warning over expensive insurance policies, high useless expenditures, and non-transparent use of certain funds.

Parliamentary control. Statements

Hearings

The Ministry of Justice has reported the implementation of the law on victims of political repressions to the Parliament. According to deputy minister of justice, problems in this area rest with the functioning of special commissions created by local public authorities in territory, while the implementation of the governmental regulation (mechanism of repayment or compensation of the value of goods and mode of distribution of budget expenses) gave birth to many problems, so that changes and amendments aimed to remedy the existing barriers are being discussed. At the same time, there are conceptual problems generated by initial provisions of laws and they cannot be remedied: the presence of heir certificate, issuance of documents on owned goods, and others.

The Border Guard Service director-general has reported why a Romanian delegation coming to celebrate the Holiday of Chisinau was denied access. According to Colenov, the Romanian citizens were denied access to Moldova because they violated the crossing point rules, intending to cross the border through the checkpoint for diplomatic corps, while the driver of their vehicle did not have car insurance for Moldova. The responsible persons have been reprimanded for not presenting this report in the due term. Opposition lawmakers described the report as implausible, deviating from initial statements, and noted that the Border Guard Service chief should be dismissed.

Questions. Interpellations

Our Moldova Alliance Deputy Ion Plesca has asked the Prosecutor-General, the Ministry of Justice and the governmental agent to report all cases that Moldova has lost in front of the European Court of Human Rights, the list of all criminal investigation officers, prosecutors and judges who contributed to these cases.

Christian Democratic Deputy Ion Varta has demanded the executive to report the policies applied to reduce the exodus of highly qualified youths. Also, parliamentarian Varta asked the Government what stimulatory policies it applies to amplify the foreign investment inflow, demanded it to report the crediting via the Millennium Challenge Account, the promised EU credit worth over one billion dollars, the stage of implementation of these projects.

Deputy Zoia Jalba has asked the Government, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Centre for the Struggle against Economic Crimes and Corruption to provide information about Moldova’s patrimony in Ukraine, unconfirmed property which is abusively alienated by their managers and Ukrainian authorities.

Statements

Speaker Marian Lupu has told the roundtable on work of Moldovan NGOs and necessary legislative measures to improve it that the participation of civil society has become indispensable in the decision-making process. At the same time, the cooperation between Parliament and civil society is insufficient and it involves a limited number of NGOs, while the interest and participation of the competent nongovernmental sector is insufficiently active.

The Our Moldova Alliance faction has addressed the Parliament concerning:

“The lack of a youth policy in the Republic of Moldova”;
The draft law on mandatory health insurance funds for 2008;

The faction representing the Democratic Party of Moldova has released a statement regarding the campaign launched by communist authorities to libel doctors and teachers.

Former Christian Democratic deputy Ion Neagu and the leader of the Christian Democratic People’s Party (CDPP), Iurie Rosca, have exchanged statements regarding the disappearance and reappearance of Deputy Vlad Cubreacov, accusing each other of misinformation.

Deputy Vladimir Filat has tackled the functioning of the judiciary in Moldova, including in the light of recent sentences by ECHR, and recommended authorities to consider the possibility of creating a special parliamentary commission in order to study the legislation and the state of things in this area.

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