Moldovan Economics Ministry unveils priorities for 100 days of mandate

Chisinau, 25 January /MOLDPRES/-Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister, Economics Minister Octavian Calmic during a news conference today unveiled the Economics Ministry’s priorities for its first 100 days of activity.

According to Calmic, given the circumstances of an unprecedented political crisis, as well as the severe financial and economic constraints, the Economics Ministry wants to implement a set of actions and initiatives to stabilize the economic situation and ensure the necessary conditions for Moldova to make a positive growth comeback by late 2016.

Thus, the Economics Ministry will implement over 80 concrete actions in its subordinated fields by 30 April 2016. Its absolute and immediate priority is to resume negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to sign a new memorandum on economic and financial policies. It is a determinant action needed to unblock the financial and technical assistance the EU and development partners are going to offer Moldova. It will also help resume the financing of initiated investment projects.

The official said one of the ministry’s priorities is to fulfill the commitments provided in the association agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement all over Moldova, including its breakaway Transnistrian region. To this effect, all state institutions and the entire society shall be mobilized and involved. Thus, the Economics Ministry intends to fulfill 30 per cent of the above-mentioned commitments within 100 days.

Calmic also noted that the ministry would take great efforts to boost up the entrepreneurial activity all over the country. Thus, it intends to further offer financial support and grants to small and medium enterprises through current support programmes, like PARE 1+1, PNAET and the Loan Guarantee Fund. Another goal is to approve a new support programme to back women entrepreneurship.

Calmic said the Economics Ministry would create a council for the promotion of investment projects of national importance in order to draw foreign investments into already existent industrial platforms and enhance the business infrastructure. The council will facilitate foreign investors’ access to the Moldovan market.

As for boosting up exports on both traditional and new international markets, the Economics Ministry stated that it would maintain the strategic dialogue in the sector trade cooperation field between Moldova and the EU. “We will complete the ratification procedures of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) agreement on trade facilitation and Moldova’s free trade agreement with Turkey. At the same time, we will try to restore and boost up commercial ties with Russia in order to resume the export of Moldovan products on the Russian market. We will also try to enhance relations with Ukraine and organise joint Moldovan-Ukrainian intergovernmental commissions in the first quarter of 2016. Alongside, we will start negotiations with the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Oman, Turkey and Brazil, in order to sign investment promotion and protection agreements.

The Economics Ministry will also focus on the energy sector. To this effect, it will enforce the Third Legislative Energy Package, will implement interconnection projects in the energy sector and will promote energy efficiency. Moreover, the ministry will take efforts to sign new power supply contracts with favourable conditions starting with 1 April 2016.

“We will show maximum consistency during the implementation of the “Agenda-100” over our first 100 days of activity. We will maintain permanent contact with business associations and donors through all existent platforms, so that besides results, we succeed to gain the confidence of the business environment and citizens in our economic policies by the end of this period,” Deputy Prime Minister Octavian Calmic said.

(Reporter A. Mardare, Editor L. Alcaza)