Moldovan premier says government to prove transparency in spending money provided by IMF

Chisinau, 8 November /MOLDPRES/ - Prime Minister Pavel Filip and Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu today held a news briefing on the occasion of the approval by the IMF Board of Directors of the Agreement with Moldova, the government’s communication and media relations department has reported.     

The prime minister said the Agreement with IMF means, in fact, that the authorities had managed to unlock the foreign financings to carry out the reforms. And this will lead to re-launching the economy, reconstruction of the state’s institutions and ensuring better living standards in Moldova.

“By this new programme with the International Monetary Fund, we commit to carry through the reform of the legal framework, which is to ensure prevention of money laundering, fighting corruption and enhancing of the transparency level. Also, the programme provides for actions at the National Bank of Moldova (BNM), to impose the enforcement of the legislation, measures of strengthening the corporate governance in banks, a balanced fiscal budgetary policy, which is to ensure sustainability of the state debt. We will have more transparency and responsibility in implementing investment projects with foreign financing. The agreement takes into account also measures of gradual re-establishment of the energy sector’s viability,” the PM said.   

Under the document approved by the IMF Board of Directors on 7 November 2016, the financing of reforms will be carried out through the IMF’s Extended Credit Facility and Extended Fund Facility. The financial arrangement sees access to financing worth about 178.7 million dollars, at a level of 75 per cent of Moldova’s quota at IMF. The first installment, amounting to 35.9 million dollars, will be made available to the Moldovan authorities just this year. The sum left will be earmarked during the programme’s implementation, in five installments, at each half-year evaluations of the programme.     

“Transparency will be the key word in spending the money we have unlocked,” Pavel Filip stressed, referring to the reforms due to be financed from IMF funds. At the same time, the PM specified that the 2017 year must be the one of the country’s true reconstruction. “A year during which we will carry out reforms, which have not been carried out during 25 years, because of those who were thinking that they would lose the electoral capital and because of those who were financially benefitting from disorder. I am optimistic. Just as we have managed to do more things in Moldova in more than one year, we will similarly succeed in other objectives we are set to achieve,” the prime minister also said. 

For his part, Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu said that the 7 November decision by IMF was a message of change, a success of Moldova in changing the country’s image.

„”The parliament of Moldova will maintain its backing and will provide its every support to the government in continuation. Also, we are open and will cooperate with the future president of Moldova to implement the reforms we assumed before the citizens and our foreign partners. No matter who is going to be president, She or He, we expect her/him to get involved in promotion of the reforms and work with dedication. We have proved that we can work in a different way and can achieve results on a very short period,” Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu said.  

The two officials expressed thanks to all decision-takers who participated in the technical negotiations of the Agreement with IMF. Filip and Candu also said that the economics minister, finance minister and governor of the National Bank of Moldova would come up with details on the concerned subject immediately after the IMF fully publishes the document.

(Editor A. Raileanu)