Diplomats’ children may receive allowances up to age of 23

Democratic MP Igor Corman suggested that the state should pay allowances to the children of officials of Moldovan embassies up to the age of 23, not until 18 as now, Info-Prim Neo reports. Besides salaries, the Moldovan diplomats receive an allowance for maintaining the family members. When the children reach 18, they fall out of this category. “Most of them are still students at this age and do not have their own source of revenue,” the author says in the informative note to the bill. Consequently, such a state generates significant difficulties to the families of diplomats who maintain students older than 18. The MP suggested including diplomats’ sons and daughters younger than 23 in the category ‘family member’ in the Law on the Diplomatic Service. The children must live together with the member of the embassy and be maintained. They should study at general secondary or vocational schools or at universities and should not be married. Contacted by Info-Prim Neo, economic analyst Viorel Chivriga said that Moldova’s budget is tight and the available money must be distributed with maximum prudence. “This means that all the Moldovans will have to tighten their belt. The money must be directed to sensitive area so as to ensure the functioning of the economy and the state, and to the initiated reforms, while on the social dimension there are enough problems,” he stated. According to the analyst, things should be treated very carefully, especially the proposals to give allowances to certain groups of people. “It is also about discrimination. I don’t think that the children of farmers or workers are in a better state than those of statesmen. I don’t think that the son or daughter of a statesman should be given priority,” said Viorel Chivriga, adding that both the financial and material aspects of this matter should be analyzed.