Activity of the President on January 1–31, 2007

Decrees

Prosecutor-General Valeriu Balaban was appointed as adviser for Moldovan president for special missions and coordination of foreign assistance. Under another decree issued the same day (939-IV from 15.01.2007), the structure of the Apparatus of Moldovan president was modified (the post of V.Balaban was introduced in the structure, but without assistants and advisors. Under the law on Prosecutor’s Office, the prosecutor-general is appointed by Parliament and proposed by speaker for a 5-year term. Under another presidential decree, Balaban was awarded the 3rd-class Homeland Faith Order.

The chief of state has confirmed Governor of Gagauzia Mihail Formuzal as member of the Government.

Under presidential decrees:

Miron Gagauz was revoked from the post of Minister of Transportation and Road Management and Vasile Ursu, ad-interim mayor-general of the Chisinau municipality, succeeded him;
Communist Deputy Galina Balmos was appointed as Minister of Social Protection, Family and Child;
Valerian Cristea, former deputy premier, was assigned ambassador of Moldova to the Czech Republic.

Sittings. Decisions. Statements

Monitoring of financial assistance

Moldova’s president has chaired a sitting on monitoring of financial assistance in the amount of 1.2 billion dollars, which Moldova will receive under a decision by foreign financiers made in late 2006. The money will be used to continue the implementation of the regulatory reform, improve public administration, develop infrastructure, ensure economic growth and reduce poverty. A monitoring council was created to administrate the money and it also includes foreign experts. The chief of state warned over the need of an efficient and right use of the allocated finances and proposed that Valeriu Balaban, adviser for special missions and coordination of foreign assistance, be part of the monitoring council. Vladimir Voronin considers that the experience gained by Balaban when he was prosecutor-general will be useful to monitor the management of the money and prevent corruption in the process of implementation of projects. The chief of state noted that works within these investment projects must be mainly implemented by attracting domestic labour force or foreign competent specialists, if not possible.

Meeting with Mihail Formuzal

Mihail Formuzal was sworn as member of the Government in presence of Moldova president, prime minister and presidential advisers. The swear-in ceremony was preceded by a meeting between Formuzal and Moldovan president, with the participation of head of the Gagauz People’s Assembly. They discussed the social-political situation in Gagauzia, process of constitution of the new executive body of the territorial unit and main directions of activity of the new Gagauz administration. Voronin underlined the interest of Moldovan leadership for continuing an efficient cooperation with authorities of the administrative territorial unit, inclusively in implementing national programmes and some investment projects. Formuzal was invited for a plenary participation in Government’s activity and contribution to implementation of the programme of the cabinet of ministers.

Sitting of the Interior Ministry College

The chief of state has invited the Interior Ministry at a broadened sitting to focus on prevention of crimes and a more active attraction of people’s guards in these actions. Vladimir Voronin recommended the Interior Ministry’s administration to work out an action plan aimed at adjusting the ministry’s activity to standards of the European community in the field, and the ministry will clearly establish its role in the European integration process. The president also tackled the problem of high staff fluctuation among policemen, recommending the revision of the mechanism of stimulation of police on basis of the principle of estimation of individual contribution.

Sitting of the broadened college of Prosecutor’s Office

Hearing a report presented at the sitting, the chief of state estimated that the Prosecutor’s Office honours its tasks stipulated by law, but demanded more exigency in ensuring the protection of human rights, preventing and combating corruption, respecting legal terms for examination of appeals of citizens and cases.

College of the Ministry of Education and Youth

Moldova’s president has told a sitting that the draft Education Code, an initiative of the chief of state that covers all law relations in the field of education (primary, secondary, higher, post-graduation), will be finished soon, with the draft being tabled for public debates. President Voronin noted that the education must become the field of some growing investments from state and private companies, as this ideological concept is of principle for the acting Government. The president noted among other priorities the establishing of primordial goals of state education and fields that should receive budgetary funds, resolution of the problem of pedagogical-didactic potential, which is degrading very much. According to the chief of state, the situation must change so that departments to have educated, competent persons, patriots of own country, not patriots of another state the next 5–10 years.

Permanent concerns with situation in vine growing and winemaking sector

On January 3, Vladimir Voronin chaired a sitting on fulfilment of budgetary tasks and implementation of the spirits quality information system. The spirits control and identification system was launched on January 2, 2007 and it must give sure guarantees to foreign and local consumers. The chief of state indicated the need of informing all foreign partners of Moldova in the area of sale of wine products about implementation of the new system for record and control of conformity and quality of Moldovan spirits. Also, the president raised some proposals regarding the process of control and certification of quality of products aimed to make it fairer and to prevent corruption.

On January 23, President Voronin convoked a sitting on situation in viticulture and winemaking sector and existing problems related to organisation of export and import of spirits, reiterating the obligation of a strict respect for established requirements concerning organisation of Moldovan wine exports and importation of spirits via the one-stop-shop, with the Agency Moldova-Vin being the only institution in charge with issuing the trademark of Moldova and quality certificates for wine production. Voronin was unsatisfied with delayed resumption of Moldovan wine exports to the Russian Federation, noting that the lobbyism in selecting wine exporting enterprises is inadmissible. Also, he raised concern with some violations related to importation of spirits. At the same time, Moldova-Vin was asked to intensify efforts in order to plant the planned vineyards this year.

On January 24, President Voronin chaired a sitting on building of the Wine City, which examined the general plan of this complex. The chief of state reiterated the importance of building the complex and invited the persons participating in implementation of this project to demonstrate more responsibility in their activity. He also stressed the need of speeding up the conduct of an auction to sell fields to future residents, accordingly to the General City Development Plan, and building the infrastructure of the complex by the state-owned enterprise Wine City. The chief of state was also unsatisfied with delayed construction of the Vine Monument, ordering the opening of the Wine City at the 2008 Wine Holiday.

Revision of stance regarding law on remuneration of budgetary employees

The chief of state has convoked a sitting on implementation of the law on remuneration of budgetary employees after some provisions of this law were suspended in late 2006 due to the lack of funds. It was noted that the events that took place in late 2006 and in the first month of this year have essentially clarified the situation, while the state budget is executed faster than planned. Positive factors created premises for resumption of talks on accelerated implementation of the second stage of the law on pay in budgetary sector, with the chief of state recommending the Government to take necessary measures. It should be noted that the parliamentary opposition has bitterly criticised the suspension of the rises planned for January 1, 2007 and budgetary employees had a negative reaction to this decision. At that stage, many experts said that the decision would be revised very soon, especially due to the forthcoming general local elections (earlier, rises of salaries and pensions often coincided with the pre-electoral period).

Dissatisfactions with implementation of SALT programme

Vladimir Voronin considers that the presidential programme Salt (Jump) is implemented too slowly, while the results of the implementation process are unsatisfactory. It was said at a presidency-hosted sitting that drawbacks and shortcomings rest with creation of a single system to direct the information system, lack of funds to purchase computers, acquisition of used equipment, low Internet connection rate, inefficient activity of the National Centre of Information and Communication Technologies.

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