Activity of the Parliament on April 16–30, 2008

Legal acts

Law on prevention and struggle against corruption. The document stipulates actions to prevent and combat the corruption, in order to ensure the protection of human rights and freedoms, public interests, national security and to remedy consequences of corruption. Although it has been worked out in a long period, the final draft is imperfect, with civil society experts signalling^[1] unclear responsibility; lack of concrete terms or presence of very short terms; inefficient regulations on protection of victims and persons holding corruption evidence; competition of the draft with provisions of the law in effect, etc.

Law on modification and completion of the Code of Civil Procedure. The draft law comes after findings of an ECHR decision against Moldova (Clionov vs. Moldova case.) and aims to prevent new sentences. It allows the Supreme Court of Justice to decide, at the demand of applicant concerning exemption, deferment and gradual payment of the state tax. Also, it allows the deferment or gradual payment of the state tax by legal entities and the right of the latter to appeal. According to draft developers, the implementation of this document shall ensure respect for Article 20 of Moldovan Constitution (right to an effective redress by competent law courts against actions violating rights, freedoms and interests) and Article 6 §1 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Law on ratification / signing of certain international acts:

The Convention between Government of the Republic of Moldova and Government of Cyprus concerning avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion on income taxes;
The Protocol on accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between European Communities and their Member States and the Republic of Moldova;
The Agreement between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Governments of other states participating in SEECP, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 concerning commitments of the host country on the Regional Cooperation Council Secretariat;
Amendments to Articles 8 and 18 of the Convention Establishing the Customs Cooperation Council;
Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material.

Law on modification of the law concerning state medals of the Republic of Moldova. It introduces the honor titles “Artist of the Nation”, “Emeritus Artist” and “Emeritus Artistic Group”. This is an initiative by Moldovan President, being the 6^th change promoted in 2001–2008.

Law on modification and completion of legal acts (implementation of the law on state-guaranteed legal assistance). A special attention is paid to provisions on ensuring the presence of a lawyer when this is required, regulating the mechanism of appointment of attorneys granting state-guaranteed legal assistance in criminal cases.

Draft law on social assistance. The document adopted in the first reading aims to optimise the social assistance system and direct this assistance to the poorest people by providing social aid established accordingly to the evaluation of the medium monthly overall revenue of family and need of social assistance. It regulates aspects such as:

The selection of beneficiaries of social assistance on the basis of the overall medium revenue of family;
The social assistance granting criteria;
The rate and payment of social assistance by indexing it;
The payment of social aid and control.

Parliamentary control. Statements

Hearings. Motions

The parliamentary majority has turned down initiatives:

By the Our Moldova Alliance faction seeking the establishing of an investigative commission to find out whether former heads of the Interior Ministry are involved in trafficking in drugs;
By National Liberal Party representatives, who demand the maintenance of the EU travel restrictions on Transnistrian leaders;
By Deputy Valentina Cusnir, who asked prime minister to report on considerable funds that the executive has allocated for works at the Giurgiulesti Oil Terminal and Port without Parliament’s consent.

The Interior Ministry has informed the Parliament regarding means of transport registered in the Transnistrian region, reporting actions taken to monitor the situation. Controls found that about 35 percent of motor vehicles are permanently used by citizens of Moldova who reside on the right bank of the Dniester, while the vehicle registration schemes are fraudulent: motor vehicles older than 7 years are imported. The Parliament will shortly receive a draft law on legalisation of vehicles with Transnistrian number plates.

The Ministry of Justice has reported the implementation of the law on victims of political repressions, noting that a governmental commission is periodically examining occurred problems and finds solutions to them, and then it notifies territorial commissions by letters. The commission and Government cannot take actions which do not correspond to the existing legal framework and, therefore, the problem of heritage evidence and prescription terms cannot be tackled selectively for cases of victims of repressions only.

Questions. Interpellations

OMA Deputy Gheorghe Susarenco has asked the Government to provide information regarding legality of an administrative act by the Fiscal Inspectorate, which obliges notaries to demand fees for notary services by using electronic cash registers, as such provisions of a previous Government decision have been outlawed (CC Decision # 13 from 29.05.2007).

Christian Democratic Deputy Ion Varta has asked the Ministry of Economy and Commerce to report on governmental strategies aimed to redirect remittances to national importance projects.

National Liberal Party leader Vitalia Pavlicenco has asked prime minister to provide information regarding state budget allocations for capital investments of the Government Chancellery, Parliament Apparatus and Presidency operated starting 2001, allocations for capital renovation, list of entrepreneurs with which work performing contracts have been signed and copies of these contracts. Also, all documents on contracts and volumes of work contracted with an economic agent who would be called Moldconstructmarket have been demanded.

Christian Democratic Deputy Iurie Rosca has asked the Ministry of Justice to report the number of definitive judicial decisions which the Chisinau City Hall and Chisinau Municipal Council did not execute.

Communist Deputy Anatolii Zagorodnii has asked the Prosecutor-General, Government and Centre for the Struggle Against Economic Crimes and Corruption to report the goal of the visit to abroad by Mr. Anatolie Postolache, deputy chairman of the Hincesti district, on August 14–16 and December 16–23, 2007.

Statements

The parliamentary faction representing the Our Moldova Alliance (OMA) has released statements:

Concerning the necessity of ceasing disputes and destructive confrontations in the democratic camp and strengthening democratic parties in the political battle against the regime of Vladimir Voronin;
Concerning situation of agriculture, which OMA describes as disastrous and capable to affect the food security of the country;
Concerning violation of constitutional provisions on freedom of the media.

Vitalia Pavlicenco has presented statements by the National Liberal Party:

Concerning instauration of an authoritarian political regime in the Republic of Moldova, which outlines the necessity of finding the optimal way to ensure the victory of national pro-West reforming forces at the 2009 parliamentary elections;
Concerning the offensive and abuse by the communist governance against the free media.

The leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (LDPM), Vladimir Filat, has released a statement concerning the groundless obstruction of the small border traffic agreement with Romania by Moldovan Government.

The chairman of the Christian Democratic People’s Party, Iurie Rosca, has presented a statement “concerning doubtful financial schemes and political corruption used by Filat group,” which accuses Vladimir Filat of fraudulently giving precious gifts to territorial LDPM leaders.

↑ See the CAPC expertise report.

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