Moldovan PM meets IMF experts' team

Chisinau, 23 February /MOLDPRES/ - Prime Minister Pavel Filip today had a first meeting with a team of experts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), led by Ivanna Vladkova-Hollar, on a 23-29 February working visit to Chisinau, the government’s communication and media relations department has reported.   

The sides exchanged opinions on the recent economic developments and policies promoted by the authorities, to maintain the macroeconomic stability and ensure the good governance.

Prime Minister Pavel Filip highlighted the cabinet’s determination to implement structural reforms, which are essential for re-establishing a sustainable economic growth. “We are set to focus, first and foremost, on reforms in the justice system, fighting corruption, public administration, as well as the ones on edifying a functional market economy,” Pavel Filip said.    

The prime minister stressed the importance of the IMF mission’s visit to re-establish the trust of the foreign partners and unlock the foreign financing, necessary to carry out the complex reforms.

Filip informed the IMF team about the government’s actions aimed at improving the business climate, reducing the pressure on enterprises by establishing a moratorium on state controls, as well as about draft laws approved by the cabinet, including a package of laws on strengthening and enhancing the independence of the National Bank of Moldova (BNM) and the National Financial Market Commission, a set of draft laws on reform of the National Integrity Commission and a package of laws on reorganization of law courts. The prime minister expressed confidence that these laws would be backed by the parliamentary majority.  

Also, Pavel Filip emphasized, in particular, the government’s actions to liquidate the debts and implement the Moldova-EU Association Agreement and prepare the country for the Moldova-EU Association Council, due in next March.   

For her part, the head of the IMF experts’ mission, Ivanna Vladkova-Hollar, said the priorities set forth by the cabinet meet, in general, the ones identified by the Fund. The official specified that the mission’s goal was to take knowledge of the macroeconomic policies and forecasts promoted by the authorities, situation in the financial and banking system, as well as the budgetary and fiscal policies. 

On the days to come, the IMF mission will have technical meetings with competent public authorities, during which the sides will discuss in detail sectoral policies and problems able to influence the developments of the macroeconomic framework.

(Editor A. Raileanu)