Activity of the Parliament on February 15–28, 2011

Events of major importance

Discussions about excessive salaries of “public managers”

At its sitting held on 17 February, the Parliament approved the budget of the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) for the year 2011. The budget approved for ANRE will exceed 18.917 million lei, the bulk of it being the wages for employees. During the parliamentary debates, Victor Parlicov, Director of ANRE Board, announced that his monthly income is over 44 thousand lei (without specifying the income of the other four ANRE directors, who hold similar positions and should be paid similarly). Parlicov’s statements have generated controversial debates in Parliament, and later at the governmental level as well, in mass media, in professional and social groups. The issue of remuneration for leaders of agencies, institutions and monopolist state companies was discussed in terms of the need to observe the criteria of professionalism, depolitization of appointments and ensuring transparency of recruitment competitions, and the top government officials pointed out the deficiencies in the field and raised the need to amend legislation, to cap the revenue of “public managers”.

Statements of income and assets of officials

Iurie Tap, PLDM MP, requested the Central Commission on controlling the statements of assets and income of officials to make public the list of those who failed to submit statements in time (by 31 January 2011). Iurie Tap has also requested to ensure the application of proper legislation to ensure compliance with legal rules designed to prevent and combat corruption, as well as the unjust unreasonable enrichment of civil servants (officials).

Appointments. Dismissals

There have been some changes in the composition of parliamentary committees:

Chiril Lucinschi (PLDM) is elected Chairman of the Committee on culture, education, research, youth, sports and media;
Plesca Nae-Simon (PLDM) is elected Deputy Chairman of the Committee on environment and climate change;
Stella Jantuan (PDM) is elected Deputy Chair of the Committee on human rights and interethnic relations.

Parliament appointed three members to the Central Commission on controlling the statements of income and assets:

Oxana Domenti — PCRM;
Veaceslav Ionita — PLDM;
Vadim Cojocaru — PL.

Legislative acts

Law on amending Article 53 of the Law on ensuring pensions for militaries and for leadership and troops of the internal affairs bodies. From the law were excluded the provisions that stipulate that persons who have been re-employed and whose time in military or special service have been extended beyond the age established by law the pension shall be paid in amount of only 50 percent out of the due amount, and people who have not reached the age limit of stay in the military service by contract and have been re-employed in military or special service the pension payments shall cease starting with the day of re-employment. These restrictive rules have been introduced by a law passed back in 2008, but in 2009 the Constitutional Court has declared them as being in conflict with the Supreme Law.

Law on amending the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Moldova. The amendments attribute to the competence of the National Commission of Financial Market to examine the violations in insurance.

Laws ratifying some international acts:

Agreement between the Government of Moldova and the Government of Estonia on mutual promotion and protection of investments;
Convention on the settlement of relative investment disputes between states and nationals of other states;
Statute of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA);
Additional Protocol to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine regarding genetic testing for medical purposes.

Parliamentary control. Statements

Questions. Inquiries

Valeriu Guma (PDM MP) has requested the Government to provide information on compliance by legal personalities with restrictions on smoking in public places and the sanctions applied. According to Guma MP, the law does not work practically at all.
Sergiu Stati (PCRM MP) has requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to report on the situation on border delimitation with Ukraine, including the situation in Palanca, Giurgiulesti and Novodnestrovsk.
Valeriu Munteanu (PL MP) requested the Health Minister to inform about and explain the data of the World Health Organization (WHO) according to which Republic of Moldova is ranked first worldwide in terms of volume of alcohol consumed annually per capita. According to Munteanu, in the Republic of Moldova there are no official data in this regard and there are doubts on the statistical data that WHO was based on.
Valentina Stratan (PDM MP) requested the Minister for Health and the Public Procurement Agency to inform on disturbance of medical institutions’ work because the procurement is regulated by a huge number of acts and it is becoming more and more bureaucratic and difficult.
Serghei Sirbu (PCRM MP) requests the Government to inform on measures taken for the enforcement of the Constitutional Court ruling, which declared as unconstitutional the decree condemning the totalitarian communist regime and about the measures taken by Government to eliminate the commemorative stone in the Great National Assembly Square.

Statements

Ala Miron (PCRM MP) has read a statement of the Council of Veterans of the Republic of Moldova, expressing concern about the deterioration of socio-economic situation of the citizens of retirement age.

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