IMF mission to carry out second evaluation of programme with Moldova in late next October

Chisinau, 20 September /MOLDPRES/ - A mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will visit Chisinau on 25 October – 5 November, to carry out the second evaluation of the Programme with Moldova, Finance Minister Octavian Armasu today said during hearings at the parliament’s commission for economy, budget and finances.  

The draft state budget for 2018 is to be discussed within the visit. “Immediately after this, we will be already able to come up with the draft budget law in parliament,” the minister said. Armasu added that, “broadly speaking,” the tax policy for the next year has been discussed with IMF.  

During two weeks, the IMF mission will analyze the recent developments in the economy and the progress reached by the authorities in implementing the programme, in the context of the first assessment of the authorities’ programme, backed by IMF within the Extended Finance Facility (EFF) and Extended Credit Facility (ECF).

The first evaluation of the economic programme supported by IMF was carried out by a team of experts of the International Monetary Fund, led by Ben Kelmanson, on 14-28 February 2017. In the end of the visit, the mission head said that, following the completion of the programme, a personal agreement had been reached with the Moldovan authorities, in the context of the first assessment of the reforms’ programme; as a result, Moldova will be able to access about 21.2 million dollars. Subsequently, after the IMF Board of Directors had approved the agreement, this sum was transferred to Moldova’s accounts.   

Moldova has access to an overall sum of 129.4 million Special Drawing Rights (178.7 million dollars). The first installment of 35.9 million dollars was provided immediately after the agreement’s approval.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor L. Alcaza)