Moldovan parliament speaker's declaration at discussing motion on policy in economy sector

Chisinau, 23 February /MOLDPRES/ - Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu has given a declaration during the discussions on the simple motion on the domestic policy in the economy sector, carried out by the Economics and Infrastructure Ministry, led by Minister Chiril Gaburici, the parliament’s communication and public relations department has reported. The declaration reads:        

”Dear colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,   

I take the floor in front of you, dear colleagues, as I deem it as important to join the steps on combating and criticizing this motion. A motion which has been under the sign of misinformation from its very first phases.    

Maybe the removal by law of the foreign propaganda and misinformation stimulated our Socialist colleagues, signatories to the motion, to fill this “drawback” by domestic misinformation.  

It is not possible for one to say that the 2017 year was “year of economic failure”, given that Moldova’s economic growth was of about four per cent!

It is obvious that there still a lot of things to do in Moldova in terms of economy; yet, the positive reality of the economic advancement cannot be denied. Both in 2016 and in 2017 the economy had notable performances.      

In 2016, for instance, the country was on the third position in Europe (after Ireland and Romania) in terms of percentage of increase of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). I am sure that we will be on top for 2017 as well, once we see the statistics for the last year completed.   

The sector producing industrial goods increased by 4.2 per cent in 2017 and the agricultural sector recorded an 8.6-per cent growth.   

I inform you, if you have missed this story, dear PSRM (Party of Socialists) lawmakers, that the wheat harvest in 2017 was the biggest one since 1990 so far. Certainly, an economic failure does not look like this, just as you have showed it.    

Dear colleagues, the 2017 year was a year with positive results; it is proved also by the increase in our exports. Data on the first 11 months of 2017 shows a growth of exports by 18.4 per cent, the main destination of which continues to be the European Union’s market. Also, the investments grew in 2017 too, including the investments in the state budget by 34 per cent. So, it is not about a drop of investments, just as you have hinted in the motion.     

The Socialist MPs, signatories of the motion, accused the fact that the inflation increased twice in 2017 against 2016. What they forgot to specify is that, in 2016, the inflation was of about 2.5 per cent, practically at the historical minimum since the declaration of Independence till present.   

I assure you that the inflation from 2017 is not a reason for concern. And if we make comparisons dealing with the national currency, the citizens should know that, in 2017, the leu appreciated against the single European currency (by two per cent) and against the American dollar (by 14 per cent).   

Ladies and gentlemen, categorically, the economic environment from Moldova is improving and is not deteriorating, just as the Socialist opposition tries to persuade us.

The proof for this represent a string of recent investments by important foreign investors – such companies as Draexlmeier, Coroplast, Sumitomo, Gebauer & Griller, Fujikura, Lear Corporation, Transgaz Romania, the investments of which, carried out and scheduled by late 2018, amount to more than 230 million dollars, with 8,800 jobs created (with a prospect of increasing up to 13,000 jobs).   

Also, just last month, we found out the first major foreign investment in our banking system – namely the entrance of Banca Transilvania from Romania in the shareholders of one of the important Moldovan banks. This is a signal of confidence in the Moldovan economy and especially in the measures taken including by this parliament, in order to strengthen our banking sector following the crisis from 2015.   

Certainly, nobody would have made such investments, if they did not have trust in the general economic climate from the country, in Moldova’s economic potential and the pro-business measures undertaken by Chisinau.  

It is good to remind here shortly one of these measures. For instance, the fact that the number of permissive acts has decreased from 416 to 150 in the last two years, i.e. by 60 per cent. The number of institutions with control duties was cut thrice, from 58 to 18, including five independent regulators.    

We have simplified the process of financial and statistic reporting through the launch of a single platform of reporting at the State Fiscal Inspectorate, National Social Insurances House, National Health Insurances House and National Statistics Bureau. Only one report has remained to be done out of five financial and statistic reports.      

All these changes have made Cozma Tudor, a 26-year-old young man, come back from the USA to work in Moldova. Tudor is contented also with the opportunity offered by the First Home programme.     

There are changes which have advanced Moldova in positions in reputable international rankings. For instance, Doing Business, the 44th position out of 190 economies analyzed; Global Competitiveness Index – 2017-2018 – the 89th place (advancing by 11 positions); in the Global Location Trends 2017 Report, Moldova ranks sixth as TOP country in terms of jobs estimated per one million of residents, and according to the Moody’s Agency, Moldova got the mark of “stable” economy.    

I mean also, the improvement of the Labour Code, which we voted in parliament in 2017.  

Such things have a positive impact, including in terms of the state’s incomes. Revenues worth 53.4 billion lei were accumulated in the national public budget in 2017, up by 16.2 per cent against 2016.  

The revenues of the State Fiscal Service grew by 18.4 per cent in 2017, which means by 5.1 billion lei more than in 2016 in absolute figures. The Customs Service registered similar performances.   

And if you do not trust us, dear MPs from the opposition, maybe you will have confidence in foreign experts, who have no stake in the domestic political disputes.   

For example, the conclusion of a visit to Chisinau by an IMF delegation in last November, which reads that the programme with IMF is, I quote, “in the agreed upon parameters.” Therefore, Moldova received three installments from the IMF’s loan.   

Dear colleagues, the positive things from the Moldovan economy, stimulated including through the efforts of the government and Economics and Infrastructure Ministry, had a favourable impact on citizens’ incomes. The figures are not only on paper and citizens felt the positive developments in their pockets.

The average salary on the economy has been increasing by over 30 per cent in the last two years, from 4,611 lei in late 2015 to 6,150 lei, as calculated on average for 2018. The salaries in medicine have increased; the wages in education have grown. Pensions increased as well - by ten per cent in 2016 and by seven per cent in 2017, just as the one-off child-birth allowance and other aids and forms of support for citizens increased.  

Moldova also had a pensions’ reform with positive impact. Gulpa Alexandru, who retired after the implementation of the pension reform, was pleasantly surprised of the pension’s size. Just as Cerempei Valerian and another over 150,000 pensioners, who have already benefited from the first results of the pension system reform.    

It is difficult to persuade all these people, dear lawmakers backers of the motion, that 2017 was a disaster, when they directly felt an improvement of the personal situation.   

Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, I propose to turn down the motion filed by the PSRM faction as final judgment.  

Moldova’s economy moves in a correct direction and the role of the government is to support this evolution. 

We are confident that Mr. Minister Gaburici will continue the good measures taken so far and he will come up also with other measures in favour of the business environment, in favour of employees and for the creation of new jobs.    

I assure the government and the Economics and Infrastructure Ministry that we will continue backing in parliament the implementation of the government’s action programme and I am sure that together we will contribute to the generation of new good results for the national economy.    

Thank you.”