News
Bulletin Nr.11, 2011
International relations
Slovenia supports Moldova on its European path – Samuel Zbogar
Slovenia supports Moldova’s European choice and is interested to further develop trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian relations with it, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia Samuel Zbogar, paying an official visit to Chisinau, stated during his meeting with Moldova’s Acting President and Speaker of Parliament Marian Lupu.
Marian Lupu highly appreciated the permanent and consistent support Slovenia renders to Moldova on its Euro-integration path.
The high guest also met with Moldovan Prime Minister Vladimir Filat and discussed with him questions of broadening economic cooperation between the two countries.
On Slovenian Prime Minister’s behalf, Samuel Zbogar conveyed gratitude to the Moldovan authorities for resolving the problems, which Slovenian investors came to have with Moldova Agroindbank.
The interlocutors discussed also the current political situation in Moldova, perspectives of electing a president here, and the Transnistrian problem.
While in Moldova, Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar will attend the ceremony of launching a social humanitarian project in Ocnita, northern Moldova.
European Action Group for Moldova holds meeting in Brussels
Deputy Premier, Foreign and European Integration Minister Iurie Leanca participated in the fifth meeting of the European Action Group for Moldova on 14 November. The event was held in Brussels within the EU Foreign Council, at a joint initiative by Romania and France.
Attending the meeting were foreign ministers, high officials of the EU member-states and EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule, according to the Foreign and European Integration Ministry's information and media communication service.
At the meeting, the officials exchanged opinions on the political agenda of the Moldovan-EU relations, including through the light of the results of the Eastern Partnership Summit held in Warsaw on 29-30 September 2011. Iurie Leanca informed the European officials about the development of domestic reforms to prepare for starting negotiations on the deep and comprehensive free trade agreement and shifting to the second stage of implementation of the action plan on visa free regime.
For their part, the European officials congratulated the Moldovan authorities on the achieved results, and highlighted the importance to continue the reforms in the same active pace, reiterating the European Union's full support. The participants also discussed prospects for the Moldovan president's election, in the context of further deepening reforms in Moldova and, respectively, rapprochement with the European Union. Also, the EU officials praised the significant progress made in the talks on the association agreement with Moldova.
European official says Moldova goes right road, fully turns to account opportunities to step up ties with EU
Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and European Integration Minister Iurie Leanca met EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy John Dalli within a visit to Brussels by a Moldovan delegation on 14 November. The Moldovan delegation also included Agriculture and Food Minister Vasile Bumacov, Deputy Foreign and European Integration Minister Natalia Gherman, the Foreign and European Integration Ministry's information and media communication service has said.
The discussion between Iurie Leanca and Stefan Fule took place in the context of a meeting of the European Action Group for Moldova. Within the meeting, Commissioner Stefan Fule reiterated that Moldova goes a right road and fully turns to account the opportunities given by the Eastern Partnership to step up the relations with the European Union. In this respect, the commissioner invited the Moldovan authorities to maintain the high level of commitment, as Moldova has the necessary potential to benefit from the principle, "more for more." The justice reform, combating corruption and strengthening the investment climate are fields where Moldova may prove even more progress, and the EU will be with Moldova to back these processes. Not in the least, the EU official appreciated the fosterage of the sector-related cooperation with Moldova in the fields of air transport, energy security and science. At the same time, the commissioner reconfirmed that the launch of the talks on the creation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) till late 2011, just as it was stipulated in the Warsaw Summit Declaration, remains a priority for the European Commission.
The meeting with John Dalli was focused on the Moldova-EU cooperation in the field of taking over the European sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards. The officials agreed upon Moldovan authorities completing and approving a plan on adjusting the legislation in the sanitary and phyto-sanitary sector with European Commission's experts support by late November 2011. This will help also speed up the negotiations on the DCFTA. Commissioner John Dalli welcomed a recent approval by the Moldovan government of a national food security strategy. At the end of the meeting, the European commissioner accepted an invitation by Deputy Prime Minister Iurie Leanca, and gave assurances that he will soon pay a working visit to Moldova.
Business and economy
The government of Moldova approves the payment service and electronic money draft law
The document’s mission is to enlarge the volume of cashless payments for goods and services, the president of the National Bank of Moldova Dorin Dragutanu says.
The law stipulates modern and innovative products to be introduced with help of which consumers will have an opportunity to make cashless payments through cell-phones, post offices, etc. Dorin Dragutanu emphasized, that the need to elaborate the law is caused by current expansion of modern pay instruments, by the importance of raising their security as well as by the aspiration of Moldova’s government to reach correspondence between moldavian and European legislation.
The head of NBM points out the above-mentioned draft law stipulates creation of legal norms providing cashless payment activity and electronic money emission as well as norms ensuring the protection of consumers of cashless services. These services will be provided by both: banks and non-bank sector. The “Posta Moldovei”, the public post company, the National Bank of Moldova and the Department of the Treasury under the Ministry of Finance of are to monetize electronic money alongside with banks and suppliers of payment services.
The experience of such European countries as Romania, Bulgaria, the Great Britain in electronic money emission and payment service was taken into account on elaborating the draft law.
NBM: E-payment system will stimulate Moldova’s economic development
Introducing an e-payment system in Moldova will give impetus to the country’s economic development. The statement was made by Vice President of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM), Emma Tabirta, in a round-table meeting in the World Bank (WB) Office Chisinau recently on consideration of a draft law on e-payments recently approved by the Government and submitted to the Parliament for approval.
Tabirta said that implementing provision of the law will decrease interest rates, inflation, will reduce cash turnover, which will allow Moldova dispose of a perfect monetary policy.
“The NBM is interested in quicker adoption of the bill. We hope that it will happen before the end of the year, so we could apply it yet beginning in 2012”, the Bank’s manager said, adding that the National Bank is open for cooperation with everyone, who is interested in providing of e-payment services.
Director of the NBM payment system department, Igor Munteanu, said that e-payment companies, post service offices, companies issuing e-money can become non-banking payment service providers. Besides, such services will be provided also by the state treasury and commercial banks.
“Non-banking e-payment service providers will not attract deposits. It is still an exclusive prerogative of commercial banks. Control will be exerted by the NBM”, Munteanu said, adding that Bank’s goal is to increase people’s confidence in new payment instruments.
WB experts shared other countries’ experience in the e-payment development. According to them, implementing law provisions will lead to ensuring of transparency in the money turnover process and consumer protection.
Number of Moldovan enterprises up by 5.7 per cent in 2011
As many as 5,103 enterprises were registered in the first nine months of 2011, up by 278 against the same period of 2010, according to data put out by the State Registration Chamber.
After a hike in the number of new enterprises recorded in the first nine months of 2007 (8,385), the figure decreased significantly in the next years, reaching 4,825 in 2010.
The restoration of Moldova's economy and the growth prospects forecast for the years to come, as well as easier access to loans, prompted many people to open businesses.
The Chisinau territorial organization recorded the biggest number of enterprises - 2,906, and other territorial offices recorded 2,197.
Nonetheless, experts noted that despite the high number of newly-opened businesses, the number of enterprises erased from the State Register increased by 18.7 per cent, reaching 2,623, which is the highest figure recorded over the past five years. This points to the fact that many enterprises, especially small and medium-sized, face many problems, the experts said, adding that the main reasons for their closure were bankruptcy, reorganization and others.
By 1 October 2011, there were 159,830 enterprises operating in Moldova, of which more than a half in Chisinau.
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