Activity of the President on July 16 – August 1, 2008

Decrees

Under a presidential decree, Angela Colatchi was appointed Deputy Director of the Academy of Public Administration advising the president of Moldova.

The Labour Glory Order was awarded to Vasile Vrancean, deputy rector of the State Agrarian University of Moldova, and the Civil Merit medal was awarded to Deputy Minister of Health

Boris Golovin and Chairman of Soroca district Mircea Martiniuc.

Vasile Ursu, incumbent Minister of Transport and Road Management, was awarded the honorific title Man of Honor.

Following recent amendments to legislation which empowered the chief of state to award honorific titles to artists, Vladimir Voronin awarded titles of Artist of People and Honoured Artist on July 19.

The chief of state has signed a decree awarding state medals to a group of participants in the construction of the railway Cahul-Giurgiulesti. He awarded the Order of Honour, the Labour Glory order, the Civic Merit medal.

Sittings. Decisions. Statements

Sitting of the National Commission for European Integration (NCEI)

On July 17 Moldova’s president chaired a NCEI sitting which heard a report by Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration concerning the July 7–8, 2008 informal consultations with the European Commission. Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii reported the implementation of the priority plan and the chief of state told the timetable of Moldovan authorities within further dialogue with the European Union regarding the new agreement, stressing that Moldova’s goal is to speed up this process, so that the mandate for negotiations to be approved before parliamentary elections. The president was very discontent and criticised the dialogue between Moldovan authorities and the French EU Presidency. Voronin estimated that no special events are planned at this stage and the time will be used at maximum to do all “homework” accordingly to the priority plan. At the same time, the chief of state indicated special issues in the dialogue with European partners: freedom of the media, politicised dissemination of public funds. He instructed competent authorities to present written counterarguments under the shape of clear and concrete answers based on statistics. As “many assess the situation on the basis of rumours, believe old stereotypes, get informed from the opposition media only,” Vladimir Voronin demanded “communications” on so-called sensitive problems (mass media, public broadcasting, electoral system, new law on dual citizenship; liberal economic and financial initiatives; anti-corruption actions; investment climate; privatisation plans). The information will be published on the website of the National Commission for European Integration. For the next sitting set for late September the MFAEI shall work out an in-depth plan of all activities, visits, conferences and other actions which will take place on the Moldova-EU dimensions in 2008.

Note by ADEPT: According to the latest issue of Euromonitor, which covered the evolution of reforms in March-June 2008, a progress was made in most of key areas, but there are also serious problems and even certain regresses in key areas, in particular, functioning of democratic institutions; freedom of opinion and expression; anti-corruption fight; redress of business climate, etc.

Supreme Security Council discusses demographic security

A sitting of the Supreme Security Council has heard governmental reports on birth rate, death rate, other demographic phenomena and factors encouraging them. It was noted that Moldova is facing a series of problems related to demographic security, in particular, decreasing birth and fertility rates; ageing of people; degradation of family; migration, etc. Authorities have taken actions to improve the demographic situation such as the rise of the single birth indemnity (1,200–1,500 lei); monthly child care indemnities; medical assistance to enhance the birth rate. The president of Moldova demanded the amalgamation of all aspects related to the demographic security and ways to remedy existing problems in this area into a single national document by November 1, 2008. The Supreme Security Council asked the Government to increase the number of family health and planning centres and to enhance their efficiency; to take adequate actions to prevent women from giving birth to their babies at home or in other inappropriate places; to empower maternities to register new-borns free of charge; to study modern experience of other countries in planning and strengthening demographic security; to modernise the statistical demographic system and consolidate the bilateral legal framework on migration. Vladimir Voronin has also reiterated the priority of modernising the regional infrastructure in order to keep youths in villages and pleaded against any attempts to cease the work of schools and kindergartens under the pretext of not using all capacities or other reasons.

News conference on July 23, 2008

In an introduction and answers given at a news conference on July 23 the president of Moldova tackled a series of issues linked to interior and foreign policy:

Forecasts about investment boom, growth of foreign investments (the rise of investments in 2008 exceeded two-fold the indicators for 2005) are becoming true, and noted that the EU was unsatisfied with the business climate in Moldova because of “some misunderstanding” with UNION FENOSA Company and “nothing else”;
Now enterprises are privatised after being freed of debts (through fiscal amnesty), the privatisation process is transparent, the state focuses on best financial offers while selling enterprises (241 million lei went to the budget in 2007–2008 after the privatisation of 73 enterprises);
Indicators of execution of budget and budgetary policy are positive, the national budget was executed 118 percent and local budgets 115 percent;
The medium salary has grown by 27 percent (10 percent in real terms), compared with the same period of 2007; the pension was increased by 21 percent (4.7 percent in real terms);
Elections in Moldova have been held under conditions of a 6-percent electoral threshold in the last 10 years and this threshold aims to consolidate parties, particularly the opposition;
The situation in Gagauzia will be remedied accordingly to legislation;
The best and unprecedented conjuncture was created in the Transnistrian settlement process;
Political relations between Moldova and Romania are at a positive stage due to recent constructive negotiations on basic and border treaties;
Cooperation with certain opposition parties, especially with CDPP leader, will be possible after the 2009 parliamentary elections, too, etc.

Sitting on fight against trafficking in persons

A report on the fight against trafficking in human beings was presented at a presidential sitting, and it signals the following problems in this area:

The lack of cogent statistics and professional analytical actions;
The need to improve the mechanism of storage and evaluation of data on illegal migrants;
Incomplete and unclear data provided by tourism agencies, which prove the eventual participation of some travel agencies in trafficking in persons;
Insufficient protection of victims of trafficking in human beings, inefficient actions to repatriate this category of persons;
Lack of efficient and constructive cooperation between local and international competent state bodies and nongovernmental organisations;
Inefficient work of the Interior Ministry’s Centre for Combating Trafficking in Persons (CCTP), Border Guard Service.

Finally, the chief of state has demanded the setting up of a single automatic information system to record the circulation of citizens to other countries and their comeback; the elaboration of mechanisms to strictly monitor the illegal migration; the establishing of a working group to consider the opportunity to improve the national legislation; to speed up the reorganisation of the Interior Ministry’s CCTP; the Supreme Court of Justice and Superior Council of Magistracy will focus on a right qualification of offences related to trafficking in persons, fair penalties and legal activity of judges; the strict monitoring of travel agencies and presentation of monthly reports to the Supreme Security Council regarding prevention and combat of trafficking in human beings.

Building industrial parks

Vladimir Voronin has chaired a working sitting on process of building industrial parks in regions of the country. According to available information, actions are taken to open three industrial parks in cities of Cainari, Floresti and Ungheni as part of nine projects of industrial parks established by Government, and the feasibility study for the other six parks will be finished in 2 months. All projects on building industrial parks were based on four key criteria: available fields and necessary infrastructure or its immediate neighbourhood; readiness of local public administration to support these projects; interest of investors and available workforce in the region. The chief of state told the governmental administration that the 2009 budget shall fund actions to ensure the infrastructure for at least one industrial park, while another two will be built on the basis of public-private partnership. At the same time, Voronin noted that building industrial parks is the end of the process of creating framework conditions in Moldova to attract investments.

Agro-food security

The chief of state convoked a sitting on July 28, 2008 to discuss the world food crisis and actions to reduce its impact on Moldova. According to studies held by presidential administration, key problems faced by CIS member states and countries in the region are related to dear food products compared with living standards of people, costly fuels, natural gas and other wide-consumption goods, rather than to the deficit of foodstuffs. Given the risks for Moldova, the Government was instructed to work out a programme on ensuring the agro-food security of the country, which shall stipulate basic policies concerning crops needed by country; protection of farm land against hailstone and ensuring them with dripping irrigation systems; use of arable land; enhancing soil fertility and efficiency; use of agricultural fields accordingly to destination, etc.

Sitting on water supply and enlargement of irrigated fields

On July 17 2008, Vladimir Voronin convoked a working sitting on ensuring localities with water providing and sewerage services, enlargement of irrigated fields, implementation of the water providing and sewerage strategy. The chief of state insisted on approaching altogether the objectives of enlarging irrigable fields and providing people with quality drinkable water.

Note by ADEPT: The sitting did not tackle aspects related to ensuring the security of big water tanks, anti-flood protection and examination of existing problems in the area.

President’s involvement in managing flood crisis

The chief of state has convoked a sitting on remedying consequences of floods that hit the Republic of Moldova and thanked all participants in combating the disaster, remarking the responsibility and professionalism they prove in this complicated period. The president has recommended a programme of operative and future actions to get through the difficult situation faced by many flooded localities. The Government is due to make a decision on future actions, terms and executors, while a working group will be in charge with temporarily accommodating victims, permanently provide them with drinkable water, food, and other first-need products. The sitting also discussed the housing of people whose homes have been flooded. Flooded educational institutions shall be renovated before the new academic year. Apele Moldovei Agency jointly with planning institutions from Moldova will make an inventory of protection constructions on water basins and will revise norms and regulations on water evacuation.

At sitting held on August 1 with members of the government and representatives of business community, the president appreciated efforts made by authorities in charge with preventing and remedying consequences of floods, inviting businessmen to help shelter victims of floods before the cold season.

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