Economic council under Moldovan PM to have working group for attracting investments

Chisinau, 14 July /MOLDPRES/ - Prime Minister Pavel Filip coordinated and chaired the second meeting of the Economic Council at the government today, the cabinet’s communication and media relations department has reported.

The participants in the meeting discussed a string of up-to-date issues and considered more proposals to settle them. Among the main topics, there were: importance to develop the labour force and enhancing the level of motivating human resources and professional capacities. Also, the participants tackled aspects on labour market’s liberalization, developing a sound competition environment, as well as on possibility to optimize the social payments’ system as a measure of fighting against the underground economy and legalizing the salary funds.      

In the context, the prime minister stressed the importance to optimize the work of the Economic Council, started in last March, and its role in the activities carried out by the government to ensure an attractive business environment in Moldova. In this respect, the PM insisted on the Council’s role, especially in terms of removing constraints on private sector’s development. 

Pavel Filip insisted that all problems discussed at the Council have a constructive approach, and its members form a united team, with joint goals and who contributed to achieving the objectives set. “For me, it is important that we have this platform of permanent communication, not only at the Council’s working meetings, but also on any day, when needed, we should work together and have results,” Filip noted. 

Also, Prime Minister Pavel Filip referred to the new composition of the Economic Council and the way this body worked after reformation. Presently, the Council has 59 members: representatives of business associations, ministers and representatives of central public administration, academic and scientific community, as well as of donors’ community.    

To improve the work of the Council, two Working Groups were created at a proposal by members of this entity: Removing Constraints on Entrepreneurial Activity and Facilitating Cross-Border Trade. At the same time, following discussions between the prime minister and the business environment’s representatives, the sides ruled to set up the third working group, under formation, that will deal with issues of attracting investments.   

The prime minister also said the team of the Economic Council’s Secretariat,   working with financial support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), had been filled by another two professional experts. Also, a contest on holding the office of Secretariat Head has been recently launched, so that, in a shortest possible time, the team be strengthened with professionals who will bring high added value to activities of the Economic Council.    

At the meeting, the heads of the first two working groups, executive manager of Am-Cham Moldova, Mila Malairau, and executive manager of the European Business Association, Mariana Rufa, unveiled the results of the work of their team in the concerned sectors. According to them, in the last months, the cooperation between the state’s structured and business associations has boosted due to the Economic Council’s platform. 

For her part, a representative of the Foreign Investors’ Association, Elena Varta, welcomed the creation of the third working group – for attracting and maintaining private investments in Moldova. She presented initiatives due to be implemented to facilitate the attraction of investments in Moldova.  

(Editor M. Jantovan)