Moldovan prime minister’s speech at unveiling of activity report for first 100 days in office /28 April 2016, Chisinau/

Chisinau, 28 April /MOLDPRES/ - Good afternoon to everybody and thank you for being together at the first report, presented by the government before citizens, the report for the first 100 days of work. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

From the very beginning, I want to say that this report is an account before the citizens, not a triumphal presentation of results. I would like to cease the tradition of appreciative reports; the governors must report before the citizens, correctly and objectively, not boast. Therefore, in the first part, my presentation will be technical, on the principal directions and actions carried out on this period, and afterwards I will speak about future, and will also unveil several elements dealing with my vision as prime minister.   

The goal of a government is to act in such a way, so as to ensure a decent living for the people. In particular, our government must be concerned with the reformation of the state’s institutions and continuation of Moldova’s European way – key elements which can bring the well-being of the citizens.  

The cabinet is aware of the present challenges; it has been and remains resolute to carry out ambitious reforms, but not via plans and strategies, but through actions. As a result of these reforms, the people should feel that their lives are changing for the better, the administration works more efficiently, politics no longer defies the citizen, and the development partners regain their trust in us and continue backing  our country’s modernisation.   

In continuation, I will present a string of measures which highlight that our objective is to be the GOVERNMENT WHICH ACTS, a government of action.   

It is true that one cannot make miracles in 100 days: yet, one may put right a string of key things and set more processes on the correct road. For me, an engineer by profession, the job I do along with the team must look as follows: actions, concrete results and concrete figures, turned into concrete benefits for people.   

In the first 100 days of work, the government I am honoured to lead has approved 545 cabinet decisions, among which 83 draft laws. Seventy seven acts (government decisions and draft laws) out of the documents approved by the government on the   aforementioned period have been okayed in order to implement the Moldova- European Union Association Agreement. Out of 77 draft acts relevant for the European Union, 28 ones were drafts that had not been approved in time, and our determination is to recover, in the same pace, all the remained arrears.        

From the beginning of my mandate, I said that Moldova was going through a difficult economic situation and we cannot increase the people’s revenues as much as we would like to; this does not mean that we are not able to do certain things in order to make people’s living better by cutting costs and tariffs they are paying every day. We have started more actions to this end, the finality of which was the reduction of rates for important services. The people have less concern for the electric energy bills now: we have diminished the cost of the electric energy for citizens by ten per cent. The gas rates were also decreased by 10.9 per cent. Also, the situation of the vulnerable citizens has been a concern of the government: starting from 1 April, we indexed the pensions and other social benefits by about ten per cent; besides, as a measure prepared in the first 100 days of work, we increase the guaranteed minimum salary in the real sector from 1,900 to 2,100 lei beginning just from 1 May.    

One of the government’s obligations is to act to protect the people; therefore, on the next period, we will launch a comprehensive plan on the creation of new jobs, on which we already work. Also, a key priority for us is that decent salaries should be paid for decent work. The people must live better on the basis of their work and they will have a partner in this government, which is willing social justice, as well as respect for their labour.   

A subject which is on the forefront of the agenda of the government, as well as of the citizens is the one dealing with the health sector – a field in which we have already made certain changes, yet we have to boost our actions on the next period. We have approved an action plan in the medicines area: we earmarked by 50 per cent bigger funds for compensated medicines and we extended their list; this means that people have access to much wider category of free of charge medication; also, we promote increased access for quality medicines, as a result of the simplification of their authorization and placement on the market. The cabinet has already taken some firm measures also in terms of abuses by suppliers of medication, as well as of actions by profiteers in this field. We try to cease these abuses by regulations and administrative actions, and if this fact does not prompt them stop the speculation, we will turn them over to the inquiry bodies, may the law stop them.        

Also concerning the health sector, I want us to do everything to keep the physicians and the auxiliary medical staff in the country, to improve their working conditions step by step. Therefore, we prepared a 20-per cent increase in the salaries of the medical employees starting from 1 July 2016 – a draft for which the needed budgetary sources have been already planned. We need professional medical staff, in order to live in a healthy Moldova – a subject I am concerned about and in which I personally get involved.     

At the same time, we have launched the project on professional return of the Diaspora, within which grants are offered to professionals from the Diaspora, in order to encourage transfer of human capital and professional experience for academic, social and economic development of Moldova. We test the short-term professional return, yet we want it to have on medium and long terms.  

As a father of two big sons and as former manager, I know what means for a young person to see that he/she is appreciated, has chance to work in a decent place, to be employed in projects on construction, including of the state, on its modernisation. Therefore, we turn the government into a reliable partner for young people through implementation, starting from last February, of a programme of probations within the public and private institutions from Moldova; we want to give young people possibility to know how the public institutions and private companies of the country are working, to apply here the knowledge and skills got during studies. The probation, in more cases, is the first step towards employment: we watch to provide decent jobs, to fight unemployment; these are key elements on our agenda in the months to come and we will periodically report to the residents the concrete steps made to this end.    

We need more investments and investors demand, with good reason, an efficient management, a clean business environment and especially a fair and efficient justice.  

This government is aware that the people are discontented because of corruption and abuses committed in the country over the last 25 years, as well as by the recent thefts from the banking system and not only; the guilty persons must be identified and punished by justice; I think this is right, I have this and repeat. I assure you that we are connected to the reality of life, we also want equitableness and fair justice: at the same time, according to democratic and institutional rules, the government cannot intervene in the work of prosecutors and judges, each has his/her responsibility and this is as normal, each is accountable for the results in his/her activity sector. This does not mean, however, that we do not care and that we do not take measures: just because we care, we ruled to make a string of concrete steps, due to help the law-enforcement institutions to do their job.    

To optimize the anti-corruption activities, as well as to ensure the independence of judges, prosecutors, as well as employees of anti-corruption bodies, we have adopted a string of draft legislative acts, processed with the support of Moldova’s development partners, civil society, national and international experts. I would like to highlight the adoption, jointly with colleagues from parliament, of a new normative framework which regulates the work of the Prosecution, which provides the setting up and work of two specialized prosecutor offices, according to the model of DNA (National Anticorruption Directorate) and DIICOT (Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism) from Romania – institutions which have proved efficiency in the anticorruption fight and combating organised crime.      

It is important that, after the law enters into force, the interference of politics in the procedure of appointing the prosecutor general will be excluded; at the same time, the functional independence of the prosecutors will be ensured. In parallel, amendments were passed at the government, which remove the influence of politics in the appointment of judges of the Supreme Court of Justice. The drafts meant to strengthen the capacities of the National Integrity Commission, the so-called package on integrity, are to be adopted by parliament in the final reading. We need integrity in Moldova, the integrity of the state’s civil servant is a priority of the government, just as the transparency.     

Also, for efficiency, we have clearly delimited the competences of investigation of big corruption and small corruption. The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office, set up and organised according to DNA’s model, will deal with big corrupts. New provisions on responsibility for the frauds committed while managing foreign funds were introduced in the Criminal Code from the commitments assumed before the country’s development partners, including the ones coming from the Moldova-EU Association Agreement. These amendments will make possible the interaction between the law-enforcement bodies of Moldova and the European ones, OLAF (European Anti-fraud Office) and the European Court of Auditors.    

At the same time, while taking over the best practices, we will launch the mechanism of recovery of the assets coming from offences, including corruption acts committed by high-ranking officials, assets both of Moldova and from abroad.  

Ladies and Gentlemen,   

An issue that concerns us everybody is the finding of the persons guilty for the bank fraud and strengthening the banking system. The justice must do its job, no matter who are those who embezzled country and the people’s savings! I observe the separation of the state powers and their independence, I was not set to intervene in their work in any way, but monitor as attentively as possible what is happening in the inquiry dealing with the fraud at Banca de Economii (Savings Bank, BEM), as well as in the process of recovery of the embezzled money.     

What happened in our banking system must not ever repeat! To implement the recommendations of IMF and World Bank for consolidating the financial stability and improving the banks’ corporate governance, bank supervising, managing of crises and improving the system of guaranteeing deposits, the National Bank worked out a strategy of intervention with the elaboration of proposals on amending the legislation, submitted to IMF and WB for consultation. The government adopted these important documents, which will help strengthen the banking system, and will further closely cooperate with BNM and other institutions to achieve this vital objective for the country’s economic stability.     

Ladies and Gentlemen,  

For too much time in our history, the state has been abusive, and not a true partner for the citizens. The government assumed the goal of starting a comprehensive process of removing abuses by state authorities on citizens and companies. Therefore, we have ruled to support the people in vital issues: to create friendly conditions for the business environment and, to exclude eventual abuses on behalf of control bodies, we enforced a moratorium on state controls, and on the next period, we will come up with new procedures of control, that are to be fair, to impede possible abuses.   

The state should be an accelerator for the business environment, not a hindrance. The message the government is conveying to investors, local and foreign, is that we are resolute to strongly reduce bureaucracy, eliminate abuses and create a sound business environment. We started this process, it is a long-term one, yet, it is important for us to be consistent: we have managed to reduce the list of permissive documents by 114 positions, i.e. by more than a quarter out of those 416 ones discovered in a recent study of the World Bank. I know that some institutions which issue permissive acts strongly defend their interests and want no changes. Yet, we will carry out the reform, we must modernize ourselves, and who does not join us in this process, will leave, and we will bring people who want and are able to participate in this process of modernisation.    

Ladies and Gentlemen,  

Agriculture is a key sector of our economy. Just last week, I had a constructive discussion with the country’s associations of farmers: we set up a working group which will make reports on problems of this sector and will make proposals for their settlement, in close communication with farmers’ representatives.   

We updated the Land Code and the draft law on principles of subsidization in agriculture and rural development is to be given the final touches. The law will include also an innovating aspect: creation of a Fund for Development of Agriculture and Rural Environment, which is made up of annual state budget allocations for the agricultural and rural development field, as well as from other sources, including of European Commission’s programmes.    

I would like to speak, briefly, also about a sector which I like very much, the one of technology. We can transform Moldova, a country with quite gifted people, into a standard country for creativity and for information. Therefore, we extended the fiscal facilities for the companies from the IT industry, including last week we adopted a draft close to my soul, the one on creation of IT virtual parks. This is an important step for the IT sector, and we will not stop here, we want a modern Moldova.   

In continuation, I would like to speak about culture, education, mentality. The protection of the national heritage is a priority! We also approved a law to this end  in the first 100 days. The innovative education is an objective as well, through implementation of new technologies for an Intelligent Moldova, with well-trained and motivated teachers, well-defined contents and responsible managers.   

One of the basic tasks of the government I lead is to ensure public order and the citizens’ security. We adopted the strategy on development of the police for 2016-2020 and the law on civil servant with special status of the Interior Ministry (MAI). We want a firm policeman, merciless towards offenders, but more respectful towards citizens.   

Ladies and Gentlemen,  

We should not avoid speaking openly about our mentality, about the need to modernize it, about some delicate problems of the society. A modern Moldova means a common sense and mutual respect relation between men and women. In this respect, we have approved the law which legitimates wider political and economic rights for women, including the 40-per cent share of representation. This government means, therefore, concrete achievements, as well as symbolical victories: we want to give the women of Moldova the place they deserve in the society, in full equality with the man. This means normality and we will be firm against any abuses against women: the government approved the law on fighting the family violence in this respect. This is a subject I will return to on the next period, as it regards also the acts of violence against children.      

Ladies and Gentlemen,  

Over the last years, much has been spoken about reforms, many times in general terms; the subject of reforms was rather in vogue in speeches of all politicians, when, in fact, they should have pointed out concrete underway actions. Everybody knows how the others must do the reforms, but nobody seems to act. This because we must start the reform, first of all, with us, those in charge of this process, with the reformation of the institutions we work at first. As prime minister, I am aware that the first proof of our capacity of reform, both mine and the one of the government colleagues, as well as of the colleagues of the parliamentary majority, is to prove that we are able to reform the government, to optimize the processes which take place here.         

Ladies and Gentlemen,  

We will start the deep reform just with us, with the government in which we work. On the next period, we will begin a comprehensive process of the government’s re-organisation: we will liquidate more than one third of the present ministries and agencies, which will represent the deepest and the most ambitious reform of the central public administration ever carried out in Moldova, as well as the most complicated one.   

The sectors, the ministries and agencies we are going to liquidate are in charge of, will switch to the responsibility of the remaining ones, according to a clear-cut logic, which regards, on the one hand, their optimization, a better institutional communication in the area of similar fields in terms of responsibility, a reduction of the bureaucracy, a modernisation of the government. In these 100 days, we have worked intensely on this draft along with specialists and colleagues of the cabinet, as well as with foreign experts, we analyzed the best formulas, so as to get to a true optimization of the government, its sound reformation. On the next period, we will give final touches to the re-organisation plan and we will soon start enforcing it, after we complete consultations also with colleagues from the parliamentary majority, on whose political support I rely in this important project on re-organisation. This will be a long-lasting process, carried out in stages, as we speak about complex institutional transformations, yet, I hope that we will complete it till next autumn.    

This is a complex reform, for the better, our goal is not the reduction of the staff,  good people will remain to work, I say this quite clearly, so as not to allow speculations on this subject. The goal of this reform is optimization of the work; therefore, we have involved also foreign experts, who are to help in terms of technology. Once this entire reform project completed, I will give a news conference specially dedicated to this subject, during which I will announce all details.     

Ladies and Gentlemen,  

I know that, if we work intensely in the areas unveiled in this report, the effect will be a real improvement of the citizens’ living standards on the next period. I have lately visited areas each week; I saw that this is also the priority of the people. The meetings with people in the territory are true lessons, very useful for governors, an exercise of realism which I will try to do as often as possible. I have recently been at Limbenii Noi, Glodeni district, I got to know special people there: I saw how parents and teachers mobilized to repair the school following a local tragedy, and regained confidence in kindness, including in crisis moments. I want to thank all those whom I met in the last months, for discussions we had and the useful advice received, for the partnership we start edifying.   

Ladies and Gentlemen,  

The partnership is a word guiding my work as prime minister; I am a man of the constructive dialogue. Therefore, I would like to tell about the idea of partnership, both internal and external. Our internal partners are, first of all, the citizens. I deem as partner every citizen of Moldova, who honestly does his/her job day by day, helping the country function, go forward. We want to govern with these people and for them, we want to regain their trust in the state institutions, but not in advance and through empty words, but through actions and results, just as we have done in these 100 days, when I did not make promises, I kept working without speaking too much and without staying in TV studious, as I do not believe it is time for this, I think time is ripe for work, for results.  ‎ 

Another important partnership is the external one. We do not ask for anything in advance in this case too, we do not ask confidence in advance, we demand patience and constructive cooperation, in the interest of Moldova’s citizens. We have fully carried out the list of objectives agreed upon with foreign partners on a short term, in a record time. Yet, we have done this, first of all, in the interests of our country, and then, certainly, it was important for us to prove that this government has will  and has political support. No matter whether we speak about development partners, richer countries which help us, from EU or outside the European Union, or we speak about partners of the kind of IMF – a mission of which we are expecting soon in Chisinau, the dialogue with them and the successful completion of all joint project are vital for us. Moldova needs foreign expertise, projects, financing, we will prove seriousness in their implementation. We have worked and will continue working with Brussels and I would like to thank also Bucharest for all the assistance of the last months, we thank Romania for being a reliable partner for us in hard times too.    

We have started the process of Moldova’s repositioning on the European way, we will continue by increasing the speed of reforms: we adopted a clear roadmap on the agenda of priority reforms till 31 July 2016; we have practically reconfirmed the country’s European commitment. As for the European integration, I ask the citizens to look at concrete results; there is an important anniversary today – we mark two years of free visa travels to Europe. ‎ 

We will also work more to consolidate key bilateral relations in Europe and in the world: a diplomatic and foreign trade offensive of Moldova follows in the months to come, in order to regain foreign markets and bring more investors to Moldova.   

The country’s reintegration and strengthening of the state remain a priority of the government: we develop measures to consolidate trust between the two banks of Dniester and we hope that the 2016 year will be friendly for negotiations.  

Moldova has a multicultural and tolerant society. Therefore, I address especially to our fellow countrymen who represent the ethnic minorities: Ukrainians, Russians, Gagauz, Bulgarians, Romanies and all the others, without exception. The well-being in Moldova must be for everybody and for all its regions! The plans on development and investments have been worked out according to this principle and include the Gagauz autonomy, just as the other regions. They will be elaborated and will be promoted by the council for investment projects of national significance. We want everybody feels care for them, and the most important thing is that all the citizens live better in our country!   

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Dear citizens,  

The government is set to come up with new working practices, as well as with certain changes of mentality inside. In the past, there was a wrong mentality, the one of conflict, sometimes even inside the government. The people are sick and tired of quarrels, scandals, conflicts, pictures with disorder, with aggressiveness, of politicians making their image at the expense of people’s troubles, of hypocrisy and populism. I know all this from you, the people whom I met on this period, and I admit that you are right.  

Therefore, my goal is to lead a government of prosperity and stability, yet these two things are objectives needing work and a partnership with you. Labels and stereotypes periodically appear in Moldova, the latest one being the captive state. Those who launch and promote stereotypes, prejudices and personal demonizations avoid telling people how, during 25 years, each of us has had his/her role in the conservation of  a sick system, either they led the government or worked in it, either they worked as politicians or in business. Look better into the CVs of some of them and you will understand better what I mean. For 25 years, our country has been a captive of a corrupt system, which has not modernized itself, including because of some of those who are presently complaining that the state would be captive. In the 100 days, I have had occasion to ascertain more times how complicated this system is and how strongly we need to modernize it. And we started with the government, with its modernisation. I will go forward in this way. For 25 years, however, Moldova has been captive of a mentality which prevents it from developing, encouraged during time including by some of those who presently urge people to take to streets. I and my colleagues of the government cannot change this mentality by ourselves; we can change it only with you, the citizens, through a quite concrete and fair partnership, deprived of the already traditional populist commitments and promises by the political actors of the past times.        

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Moldova’s country project we propose you is that the citizens of Moldova live good, in a country built based on the European, modern values. The accession to EU is important just because it helps us, shows us the clear way to live better. Yet, the power to change the things lies in us, not in EU or elsewhere. The Moldovans must live better NOW, not just in three, five or ten years; therefore, in these 100 days, we have already taken some social measures for the better, even if the time was short and the economic situation – difficult. And we will continue with other similar measures.   

Also, we can no longer let the other do what we must do. The responsibility belongs to us, not to external rescuers, no matter where they are from. We should accept and thank for the support provided to us, but the first step is to understand our role as individuals and nation in the success of Moldova. I regret that, many times, some politicians tried to create a false image about the role of EU in the development of our country, only to get electoral results. They created false expectations, put the European Union in a delicate situation and affected the people’s confidence in this process. I want us together put the things right in this respect and I will work actively for this.        

And as for what happened in certain periods, including in the democratic governance sometimes, this practice of communication in advance with citizens on certain projects that were announced triumphantly, then they were simply disappearing, I do not accept this. My vision is completely different, even if I understand that it maybe does not fit journalists’ expectations sometimes, I think that the image of the prime minister and government must be made based on the results we achieve, not on the number of appearances in television studious or in different interviews. We communicate openly, we want to be as transparent as possible, but we want, as a priority, the results we achieve, our actions, tell for us. We will come up with periodical reports to people and in all important moments, just as I think it is natural.   

Ladies and Gentlemen,  

This government came in crisis conditions; yet, it has brought the country towards stability and will certainly lead it to destination. We took over a strongly exhausted car, with no petrol, we repair it, we will supply it, we will equip it with all it needs, so that we everybody safely reach the destination, together with you, those who, with good reason, want to reach the destination you wish, not the one to which some have wanted to get you in the last years, without asking you what you really want. I am confident that we will together manage to get rid for good of this vicious circle of political conflicts and wars, we will finally have the necessary peace to work and develop Moldova, to modernize it. 

Thank you for attention and I want to thank especially my colleagues – ministers and all those who, day after day, work in the state institutions; the report is, in fact, a team work. So helps us God, I wish you a Happy Easter, peaceful days with your families!

(Editor M. Jantovan)