Activity of the Parliament on November 17–30, 2007

Appointments

Sergiu Furdui was appointed deputy chairman of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) Criminal College for a four-year term;
Ion Arhiliuc was appointed SCJ judge.

Legal acts

State budget law for 2008. The parliamentary majority has voted the document in spite of protests of the opposition, with the latter blocking the stall and the presidium of the Parliament. The Our Moldova Alliance (OMA) faction demanded the living broadcasting of the plenary sitting, saying that the budget law is used for the interests of the ruling party while proposals by the opposition are unjustifiably turned down in a secret regime. Lawmakers representing the Democratic Party of Moldova and the Party of Social Democracy left the sitting hall as a sign of protests, saying that the budget expenses favour the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM). PCRM representatives noted that they have given green light to certain initiatives of some commissions, but the proposals seeking expenses in the amount of about 2.6 billion lei and possibilities to increase them have been studied in the context of general revenues and expenditures that the Parliament had adopted in the first and second readings.

Law on modification and completion of some legal acts (publishing in the state register of legal acts). It obliges the legal information centre to publish official acts on the website and preserve these documents. Also, it regulates the publishing of rectifications and changes in official acts on the website.

Law on modification and completion of some legal acts (advertising of judgments). The law is adopted to execute the action plan on implementation of the Preliminary Country Plan of the Republic of Moldova within the U.S. Millennium Challenge Account, in order to ensure the respect and advertising of judgments and rulings. It stipulates the publishing of final decisions on websites of law courts, reports on examination of cases and honouring of this commitment by every judge. The law will enter into force after the elaboration of additional regulations, opening of websites, allocation of necessary funds and materials.

Law on modification and completion of certain legal acts (declaration of incomes and estate by judges). It obliges judges to declare their incomes and estate and their declarations will be published; it aims to enhance the transparency of the Superior Council of Magistracy and regulates related aspects.

Law on modification and completion of the law on petitioning. It regulates the online petitioning procedure accordingly to the law on electronic document and digital signature.

Draft law on rectification of the 2007 state budget. The document adopted in the first reading increases the incomes by 919.9 million lei and expenses by 1,126,000,000 lei, while the budgetary deficit accounts for 207 million lei. The changes are linked to additional incomes and revenues expected until the end of this year, which will be particularly collected from income taxes, taxes on commodities and services, VAT, etc. More than 436 million lei of the additional revenues will be allocated for salaries and pensions, about 132 million lei for road repairing, 92 million lei will be spent to increase the statutory capital of the railway enterprise of Moldova CFM (in connection with the construction of the Cahul-Giurgiulesti railway), about 65 million lei will be allocated to remedy the consequences of the 2007 summer drought.

Parliamentary control. Statements

Questions. Interpellations

PCRM Deputy Anatolie Zagorodnii has asked the Intelligence and Security Service to report if the journalist of the Moldova Suverana newspaper, Mihai Contiu, has told the truth when he said that Romanian intelligence services had imposed him to spy upon persons from the entourage of Moldovan president and politicians, artists.

Parliamentarian Valentina Cusnir has demanded the Government to report the credits that it has taken from 2001 to present and changes made in the central public administration apparatus after April 2005.

Social Liberal Deputy Igor Klipii has asked the prime minister to report relations between Moldova and the European Union, perspective to sign an EU association agreement and reasons of non-execution of some provisions of the EU-Moldova Action Plan. In another interpellation, Klipii asked the minister of education and youth to provide ample information regarding trials lost by the ministry and non-execution of final judgments by minister. He noted that this minister is “a leader in not executing judgments” and this problem often fuels ECHR sentences.

Democratic Deputy Dumitru Diacov has appealed to the Central Electoral Commission and Prosecutor-General’s Office to investigate how bags with ballot papers from the Hancesti district elections are preserved, as there are speculations that one has access to them and could influence the recounting of the votes.

Statements

The OMA faction has released a statement concerning the draft state social insurance budget law for 2008. It fears that the budget has a declarative “social orientation” while the discriminatory trend of extorting revenues on shoulders of workers continues.

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