Moldovan experts find out modest progress in implementing recommendations of business environment

Chisinau, 29 March /MOLDPRES/ - The report on monitoring the conditions for doing business in Moldova, worked out within the National Business Agenda (ANB), in order to assess progress in implementing the priorities and solutions proposed by the Business Associations, was unveiled by the Viitorul Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS Viitorul) today. The progress made in implementing the recommendations of the business environment is modest, experts said.    

The report shows that a single priority of intervention, formulated by the business environment, has been fulfilled: removing the threshold of 100,000 lei at the voluntary registration of enterprises as payers of value added tax (VAT). The report’s authors said that certain progress had been found only in terms of five out of 24 recommendations set forth within the three public hearings organised by IDIS Viitorul/ANB (fiscal fines and penalties, single desk, education system).   

“The business environment continues to be subjected to an excessive control on behalf of the state; this triggers additional costs in the process of reporting; there are groundless pressures at different stages of doing business, which discourages the latter. Thus, we ascertain, based on the monitored indicators, that the situation of the business environment has not improved significantly and the real state of things of the economy does not contradict the scores fixed by Doing Business and other reports,” IDIS Viitorul director Igor Munteanu said.      

“The progress is modest, and with this tempo, Moldova is doomed to stagnation, not to economic growth; political will is needed to be displayed, and not only appeals to writing new programmes and strategies. Probably, it is necessary to exert more pressure on the state through the business environment, through actions of the civil society, in order to enhance the accountability and positive impact of regulations,” an IDIS expert, Ion Tornea, said.    

Attending the event, representatives of the Economics and Finance Ministries, as well as of the Customs Service showed openness for dialogue, noting that they would attentively study the recommendations proposed by the business environment.

“This report is an independent one and shows the situation of the business environment. We want the laws to work. We want the law on decision-making transparency work. We need a deep reformation of the public service and central public authorities. The business environment will not work without efficient civil servants,” a senior coordinator at ANB, Tatiana Lariusin, said.   

The National Business Agenda represents a joint platform of more than 30 of the most representative business associations and chambers of commerce and industry from Moldova, brought together within the network in order to influence. ANB was launched by IDIS Viitorul in November 2008. Within the latest report, the monitoring was made in the period September 2014 – March 2016.    

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor M. Jantovan)