ECO-BUS WEEKLY DIGEST September 14-20. Most important Economy & Business news by IPN

● MONDAY, September 14

Ion Chicu: This year’s harvest allows satisfying internal needs

The harvest of wheat, corn and sunflower seeds this year enables to satisfy the internal consumption needs even if these crops were affected by drought, Prime Minister Ion Chicu stated in a press briefing after the weekly meeting of senior state officials. According to the official, about 620,000-630,000 tonnes of wheat were harvested this year, with the domestic consumption being of 350,000 tonnes. “So, about 300,000 tonnes could be exported. There is now no shortage of wheat for ensuring the country’s food security,” he stated.

Entrepreneurs that discharge wastewater with high concentration of pollutants face fines

All the business entities that violate the admissible norms of pollutants in the wastewater discharged in the public sewerage system are issued with prescriptions for removing the deviations. If they do not comply, these entrepreneurs risk being disconnected from the public sewerage system, acting director general of SA “Apă-Canal Chisinau” Anatolie Likii stated in the ordinary meeting of officials of municipal services. He noted that a team of the company is monitoring by five-seven business entities each night. Prescriptions are issued to the entrepreneurs that exceed the admissible norms. The specialists are monitoring the discharges that reach the company’s wastewater treatment station round-the-clock. Environmental protection experts are also informed about the business entities that do not obey the norms and these are carrying out separate inspections.

Trademarks can be yet registered for NOTORIUM Trademark Awards

Companies can register new trademarks for the fifth edition of the national contest of the most famous trademarks of Moldova NOTORIUM Trademark Awards until September 25. The competition is organized by the intellectual property company INTELSTART LTD in partnership with the State Agency on Intellectual Property Protection (AGEPI). In a news conference, INTELSTART LTD director Marian Bunescu said that during five years already, the company has enabled the most prominent national and international trademarks that are present on the market of the Republic of Moldova to be recognized by the public by online voting. AGEPI deputy director general Natalia Mogol said the contest is a nationwide one and is designed to highlight the most successful trademarks that enjoy the greatest trust among consumers.

First tranche of €100m provided by EU to be disbursed at end-September

The first tranche of €50 million of the macro-financial assistance offered by the European Union is to reach Moldova at the end of this month, IPN quoted Prime Minister Ion Chicu as saying after the meeting of senior state officials. The official said that to benefit from the second tranche of the macro-financial assistance, the Republic of Moldova must satisfy a number of important conditions. He assured that the authorities are ready to meet the agreed conditions, such as the existence of a program with the International Monetary Fund. “We want to believe that despite the political, electoral agenda, the program that we negotiated with the IMF in July will be signed and will take effect,” he noted.

● TUESDAY, September 15

Peter Michalko about bank fraud: People expect those to blame to be punished

“The case of the US$1 billion theft is one of the biggest concerns for me and also for the citizens of Moldova, who expect that those to blame will be punished and the money that can will be yet recovered,” EU Ambassador to Moldova Peter Michalko stated in a news conference. According to the ambassador, no one has been jailed in the bank fraud case, while the trials in this case are put off for tens of times and this can no way increase people’s confidence in justice. In another development, Peter Michalko said the high number of infections with COVID-19 in Moldova is worrisome. According to him, the authorities, opinion leaders, high-ranking officials should give a real example of how the protective measures should be respected.

Legislative proposals for ensuring switchover from patent-based work to independent activity

The Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure worked out a number of legislative proposals that encourage retail traders who work based on the entrepreneur’s patent to switch over to independent activity. There will be imposed moratoriums on inspections or the carried out inspections will have a consultative purpose. Also, there will be instituted exemptions from the income tax or diminished some of the fiscal fines, including for small violations in the process of using cash registers. According to the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, other changes include the raising of the annual cap on sales performed based on independent entrepreneurial activity from 600,000 lei to 1.2 million lei. Until December 2021, there will be designed a state program for supporting the development of businesses of patent holders of disadvantaged categories or the independent entrepreneurs will be able to apply to state programs managed by the Organization for the Development of the SME Sector (ODIMM).

Employees of Glorinal are held abusively, lawyers

The lawyers for the building company Glorinal said decision makers and other employees of the company are detained abusively as they bear no relation to the illegalities of which the business entity is accused. In a news conference, Victor Munteanu, the lawyer who represents the manager and founder of Glorinal, expressed his regret at the fact that particular persons are trying to mislead public opinion. According to him, the company was founded in 1998 and it always had an irreproachable reputation. It wasn’t involved in swindles and consciously fulfilled its duties towards investors. The lawyer related that in 2008, Glorinal initiated a number of investment projects, namely the building of homes in different districts of the capital city, attracting investments from persons who wanted to buy commercial areas or apartments in those blocks.

Atlas of organic agriculture launched in Moldova

An atlas of organic agriculture, which is an electronic map showing the certified national organic farmers, was launched in Moldova. This is available on www.agrovisio.org. The atlas was launched by the Agroecology for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Project that is financially supported by the Small Grants Program of the Global Environment Facility (CEF) and is implemented by AO EcoVisio. It contains information about each certified ECO producer operating in Moldova, the held areas, the raised crop, the certification body that issued the ECO certificate and the processors and producers of processed organic agricultural products.


● WEDNESDAY, September 16

Prosecutors drop charges against co-owner of Vento network

The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office decided to drop the charges against the co-owner of the Vento network of filling stations Igor Borș, who two years ago was arrested and was then in remand detention for approximately a year. The prosecutors asked the Buiucani branch of the Chisinau City Court to acquit him, but a final decision will be taken by judges on September 28. The Prosecutor General’s Office said the businessman was arrested on March 3, 2018. He and six alleged accomplices of his were accused of money laundering and tax evasion aimed at gaining control and taking over the filling stations that belonged to a joint enterprise with foreign capital.

In case of “Metalferos”, they follow arrest, blocking and bankruptcy scenario, statement

Representatives of the Moldovan Employers Ferrous and Nonferrous Metals Recycling and Collection Association said they have all the reasons to believe that the arrest, blocking and bankruptcy scenario is followed in the case of “Metalferos”, while the prosecution bodies unconsciously play the game of those who want to take over this segment of the market. In a news conference, the Association’s president Ion Drăniceru said the prosecution body accuses the companies involved in the case of cooperating with SA “Metalferos”. The companies are also accused of purchasing scarp at one price and at selling this at higher prices. “Someone, including the law enforcement bodies, should explain to us how the business is done, especially because they do not calculate all the costs, such as salaries, transport, storage, guard, very expensive equipment so as to ultimately have real profit,” stated Ion Drăniceru.

Accusations made against president of Metals Employers Association

Representatives of the Moldovan Employers Ferrous and Nonferrous Metals Recycling and Collection Association said that after the so-called case of “Metalferos” was started, the company founded and managed by Valentin Eșanu is the only business entity that works unrestrictedly on the scrap market. According to them, Eșanu raised the purchase price of scarp and opens new scarp collection points and this shows that his business develops, while his actions, including the open letter to a number of officials, is aimed at making a victim of himself and at misleading public opinion. In a news conference, the president of the Moldovan Employers Ferrous and Nonferrous Metals Recycling and Collection Association Ion Drăniceru said the so-called Metals Employers Association led by Valentin Eșanu does not represent the ferrous and nonferrous scrap market players. The Moldovan Employers Ferrous and Nonferrous Metals Recycling and Collection Association represents the interests of all these players and has about 20 companies as associates.

Moldpresa buys Epamedia, aims to change aspect of bus and trolleybus stations

The leading press and books distributor Moldpresa Grup SRL bought the company that places advertisements in waiting stations Epamedia SRL. In a press release, Moldpresa says the purchase will bring a major change of aspect at bus and trolleybus stations in the municipality of Chisinau and also a substantial investment in the municipality. Currently, Epamedia SRL is working out a new conception for the pavilions of public transport stations and the process of replacing the old stations with new ones is to start in the nearest future. There will be diminished the areas allocated for advertisements and these will be supplemented with boards with useful information, the city man and public transport timetables. As part of this investment project, Moldpresa Grup SRL is to invest over 50 million lei.

● THURSDAY, September 17

Moldovagaz asks to review natural gas tariffs

SA “Moldovagaz” has announced that it requested the National Agency for Energy Regulation to review the natural gas tariffs and regulated prices of natural gas as of October 1. In a press release, the company said that in accordance with the calculations done on the basis of the existing methodology, the final average natural gas tariff will represent 4,083 lei per 1,000 cubic meters of gas, a 7.6% decline compared with the current average tariff for end-users.

● FRIDAY, September 18

Moldova lost foreign investment due to poor roads

Foreign investors refused to invest money in certain areas of Moldova due to poor infrastructure. According to the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, Anatol Usatîi, roads are a key requirement of foreign companies that want to invest in Moldova. "Potential investors did not invest due to poor infrastructure. After traversing certain roads, many investment companies said that they would not invest until proper infrastructure is established. Transportation time is constantly monitored by investors, while logistics is a key component of a business", said Anatol Usatîi.

Chișinău administration maps kiosks

The Chișinău Mayor’s Office has developed a digital map of all the kiosks located in the city. Each unit has been inventoried so the public can see the name of the license holder, the address of the kiosk, when the license expires and other details. The Mayor’s Office said in a press released that the kiosks with a valid license are marked in green, those whose licenses are due to expire in less than a month are colored in intermittent yellow, and those with expired licenses are colored in red.