● MONDAY, April 1
Gas in spring, like sled in summer
Romania on March 29 exported 400,000 cubic meters of gas to the Republic of Moldova, something that happens quite rarely, according to interactive data of Romania’s Transgaz, IPN reports with reference to Cotidianul from over the Prut.
Residential consumers from right bank of the Nistru to use U.S. gas on trial regime
The first vessel with liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States arrived at the Alexandroupolis terminal in Greece, which was recently put into operation. SA Energocom on this vessel has a test load of 2.6 million cubic meters of gas. Thus, in the first two days of April, consumers on the right bank of the Nistru River will use gas from the U.S. in their households.
Association to promote Moldovan wines on Japanese market launched in Tokyo
The association “Wine of Moldova Japan”, the representative office in Japan of the National Office of Vine and Wine, was launched. The Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Tokyo noted that it is an important stage in promoting the Moldovan wines on the Japanese market.
Russian gas in April will be purchased for US$327
In April, Moldovagaz SA will buy Russian gas at the price of US$327.27 per thousand cubic meters, the company’s president Vadim Ceban has announced.
The entire volume of gas purchased from the Russian company “Gazprom” will be supplied to the Transnistrian region, as during the previous months.
Over 37m lei to be disbursed to farmers, AIPA
As many as 370 applications for financial support as partial compensation for damage caused by natural disasters in the summer of 2023 were submitted. Of these, 285 were approved and 37.6 million lei will be disbursed to farmers on Monday, Diana Cosalîc, deputy director of the Agency for Intervention and Payments in Agriculture (AIPA), said in a press briefing.
● TUESDAY, April 2
Moldova’s role in reconstruction of Ukraine discussed with American partners
The role of the Republic of Moldova in the process of reconstructing Ukraine, but also the importance of strengthening the regional infrastructure were discussed by Prime Minister Dorin Recean with the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker. The two officials also conferred on the attraction of investments to Moldova.
Dumitru Alaiba: We are at the bottom of Europe in terms of economic development
The Republic of Moldova ended 2023 with an economic growth of 0.7%, which is a very modest figure. According to Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Dumitru Alaiba, Moldova is at the bottom of Europe in terms of economic development. According to the official, for an economic boom, the country needs an annual growth of at least 8%.
● WEDNESDAY, April 3
Over 40m lei transferred through MIA Instant Payments in three weeks
A sum of over 40 million lei was transferred through the MIA Instant Payments system that was launched by the National Bank of Moldova three weeks ago. The system can be activated simply and quickly, in any financial application available in the Republic of Moldova, confirming only the phone number and the basic account through which transfers can be made or received. Those interested can change the basic account at any time, activating the system in the new application.
Chisinau call center under scrutiny for tax avoidance
A call center based in Chisinau, which provided services to a U.S. company, came under the scrutiny of law enforcement officers for tax avoidance. The scheme was supposedly implemented in 2021-2022, when the recently founded company provided dispatching services for forwarding and logistics activities to a U.S. company, including truck drivers. More precisely, the manager of the Moldovan company in the accounting documents indicated evidently distorted data, including on costs that weren’t based on real operations, and also concealed taxable objects.
Modern procedures for analyzing wine products
The Republic of Moldova has adopted modern procedures for analyzing wine products so that the wine sector meets the requirements of the global market and quality and safety of wine products is guaranteed. The draft decision approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday refers to methods of analysis for determining the physical and chemical characteristics of wine products. The outdated technical regulations are repealed and updated procedures are introduced.
Sergiu Tofilat: Calls for tenders at Moldovagaz branches are suspicious
Sergiu Tofilat, an energy expert with the WatchDog.MD NGO and also a member of the Moldovagaz Supervisory Board, has suspicions about the correctness of tendering procedures conducted by Moldovagaz subsidiaries. In particular, he believes the eventual winners are favored, while impediments are created for other bidders.
Sergiu Tofilat told a press conference on Wednesday that in the case of Chisinau-Gaz, a company with three employees won 21 tenders in recent years, totaling more than 34 million lei. In many cases, the company was the highest bidder and still won, as the other bidders were disqualified.
Moldovagaz reacts to Sergiu Tofilat’s allegations
The gas distribution companies that are part of the Moldovagaz group requested in March of this year an evaluation from the authorities regarding the tender procedures for the selection of service providers for its dependent companies. The clarifications are made by Vadim Ceban, the president of the Moldovagaz Board, in reaction to the suspicions voiced by the energy expert Sergiu Tofilat.
● THURSDAY, April 4
First three districts to get Romanian diesel fuel that arrived in Moldova
The last wagon with diesel donated by Romania arrived in Moldova on Wednesday and the distribution of fuel to farmers begins on Thursday, the first districts being Anenii Noi, Basarabeasca, and Criuleni. The authorities worked out a schedule for the distribution of diesel fuel to the country’s districts.
Innovations and consumer protection among NBM’s priorities in payments sector
The adoption of innovative measures in the payment system is crucial for advancing the economic digitalization agenda and ensuring sustainable growth in the Republic of Moldova, the governor of the National Bank of Moldova Anca Dragu stated at a meeting with Visa and Mastercard representatives. In the meeting, Anca Dragu detailed the central bank’s priorities in the field of payments, emphasizing the importance of security, accessibility and consumer protection.
Moldova and Hungary sign Memorandum of Understanding on agriculture
Moldova and Hungary have signed a Memorandum of Understanding centering on cooperation in agriculture. Through this agreement, the parties aim to expand and facilitate the exchange of knowledge, experience and technical expertise, thus contributing to the advancement of Moldova’s economic and social development goals.
Lack of prescriptive periods for tax violations found to be unconstitutional
The absence of statutes of limitations for tax violations has been declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court today.
The ruling satisfies a complaint lodged by the lawyer Aureliu Scorțescu on behalf of a client named Ghenadie Mură. In December 2020, the tax authorities of Chisinau found Mură in violation of a number of fiscal provisions in relation to his income tax liabilities for the period of 2012-2019.
● FRIDAY, April 5
Pensions below subsistence level and related topics discussed in “Freedom Territory” program
“We live in times that we cannot like: we are told of state capture, of the COVID anguish or of war and refugees. There are no times of joy in sight and I think it all depends on the team managing the crises. At the moment, the government does not cope with the situation because the people are economically demolished, are impoverished and this makes them take sides with those who are on the other side in the hybrid warfare. For now, the opponents are doing better,” said Lilia Burakovski, moderator of the talk show “Freedom Territory”, who discussed mainly social policy topics in her recent show with Ina Coşeru, chairwoman of the parliamentary commission for foreign policy and European integration, and Rodica Grama, deputy chairman of the Coalition for Unity and Wellbeing (CUB).
By October 1, Energocom will have to store 102.4m cubic meters of gas
The joint stock company Energocom, which holds a license for the supply of natural gas, is to be designated as holder of the storage obligation. By October 1, the company must store 102.4 million cubic meters of gas. This is provided in a draft decision published by the Ministry of Energy for public consultations.
International competition requires special attention to wine promotion strategy, conference
The volume of wines exported to foreign markets increased significantly in 2023. So did the value of wines. At industry level, over 80% of still wines are intended for export and international competition requires special attention to the wine promotion strategy, director of the National Office for Vine and Wine Ștefan Iamandi stated in a Wine Sector national conference entitled “Market growth strategies and strategic perspectives for Wine of Moldova”.
Diesel fuel and gasoline prices go up
The price of a liter of diesel fuel rises slightly above 22 lei, while the price of gasoline COR 95 increases to almost 26 lei a liter.
Dumitru Alaiba: Export of services from Moldova rose twice in four years
The export of services from Moldova doubled in volume in four years. In 2023, Moldova exported services to the value of US$2.4 billion, according to Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Dumitru Alaiba.
Currently, the export of services accounts for 42% of Moldova’s total exports and the minister is sure that the figure will yet rise. “This already means tens of thousands of high-paying jobs here, at home. When we say we’re building a service-based economy, that’s what we mean. We have competitive advantages that we make a good use of,” Dumitru Alaiba wrote on social media sites.
Energocom to sell gas to Moldovagaz at €450 in April
In April, the state-owned company Energocom will sell natural gas to Moldovagaz at a price of €450 per 1,000 cubic meters. The company says it has completed the purchase of the required amounts for April, as ordered by the Commission for Extraordinary Situations and Moldovagaz.
During a tender process on April 4, Energocom bought over 30 million cubic meters at a price below those previously offered by Gazprom to Moldovagaz.
Moldelectrica limits publication of information on power systems of Moldova and Ukraine
The state-run company Moldelectrica announced it is limiting the amount of information published on its website regarding the state of the power systems of Moldova and Ukraine in connection with the attacks on the Ukrainian grid.
● SATURDAY, April 6
Official reserve assets increased in March
After several months of decline, by the end March official reserve assets were up by $4.68 million compared to February, totaling $5.393 billion.
