● TUESDAY, April 22
IMF mission to visit Moldova
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Mr. Max Alier will visit Chisinau during April 22 – 30, 2014 to conduct the discussions on the 2014 Article IV consultation and Post-Program Monitoring (PPM). According to a press release of the IMF Representative Office in Moldova, consultations under Article IV of the IMF Articles of Agreement represent a regular surveillance exercise to which all member countries commit when joining the IMF. The program with the IMF expired last spring. The first IMF mission that visited Moldova this January could not reach a final agreement on the signing of a new cooperation program with the authorities.
Leanca: Approach to financial-economic policies will be prudent in continuation
The Moldovan authorities will have in continuation a prudent approach to the fiscal-economic policies, including in the context of the regional developments that may affect the situation in Moldova, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca said in the meeting with experts of the International Monterey Fund that are in Chisinau on a visit. Max Alier, who heads the team of IMF experts, said that the Post-Program Monitoring aims to ensure the viability of the country’s economic framework and early alerting to the state’s capacity to repay the debt to the IMF, it is said in a communiqué from the Government.
● WEDNESDAY, April 23
29 normative documents on business environment to be approved by end-May
A number of 29 normative documents for improving the predictability of the business environment are to be approved by the end of May. They provide for the creation of equal competition conditions and the diminution of the statutory compliance costs. Twenty authorities empowered to inspect economic entities are to promote sector methodologies for creating the State Inspections Register that is designed to ensure transparency and greater predictability as regards the inspections carried out at different institutions. When the register is launched, the inspection authorities will have the obligation to quarterly inform about the inspections planned at companies, while the information will be published.
Minimum guaranteed salary in real sector up 250 lei
From May 1, the minim guaranteed salary in the real sector will be 1,650 lei a month or 9.77 lei an hour. Given the annual growth rate of the consume price index and of the workforce productivity, the size of the reexamined minimum guaranteed pay is 1,558 lei a month or 9.33 lei an hour.
● THURSDAY, April 24
Alternative for digitization of television in Moldova
The company TV Box, in partnership with StarNet, provide free access to a number of national and foreign TV channels through the agency of a special device called Magic TV Box. Those who want can purchase this device and will be thus exempted from subscription. In a news conference representatives of StarNet said this project is an alternative for the digitization of television that the authorities aim to achieve by 2015. StarNet marketing director Alexei Munteanu said that Magic TV Box provides unique applications and facilities, including Internet access directly from the TV, connection of the keyboard and mouse to the TV, media player and access to the flash drive, video games, karaoke, social networking sites, which are all available on the TV screen. The equipment also enables to record TV programs on an external memory device and to view photos and videos from the USB drive, to have access to radio stations from the Internet and to different providers of media, video, programs, and photographs.
Online television platform Magic TV Box launched
The multimedia distributing company TV Box has launched the online television platform Magic TV Box that enables to watch national and foreign TV channels through the Internet, without paying subscription. The project is implemented in partnership with StarNet. In a news conference StarNet IPTV manager Diana Moraru said that mobility is one of the advantages of this platform. The platform www.magictvbox.org can be accessed from any gadget and from anywhere. The TV channels can be viewed from any country. The Moldovan diaspora will thus have real connection with the Moldovan mass media. The fact that all the channels proposed for viewing can be watched gratis not only on the computer, tablet PCs or mobile phones, but also on the TV set is an absolute novelty.
● FRIDAY, April 25
Highest economic growth forecast for 2014 is 3.7%, NIER
Experts of the National Institute for Economic Research (NIER) forecast that that economic growth this year will be at most 3.75%. NIER director Alexandru Stratan said the worsening of the relations between Russia and Ukraine, which will affect the economic development in Moldova, and the imposition of new restrictions by Russia on the movement of labor force and products coming from Moldova, 3.7% is the highest economic growth rate that the national economy can achieve. A poorer performance is not excluded. Attending the presentation of the publication, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Valeriu Lazar stated that the Ministry of Economy will provide the updated economic growth forecast for this year in May, after it is discussed with the IMF mission that will be in Moldova until April 30.
Alexandru Oleinic: It seems that Moldova makes no headway in European integration process
The leader of the People’s Party of the Republic of Moldova (PPRM) Alexandru Oleinic said the Association Agreement with the EU is a document of policies and commitments in different areas and Moldova’s European future depends on their implementation. But it seems that the country makes no headway or even shows signs of regression, if analyzing the progress made in the European integration process. In an interview, Alexandru Oleinic said not the signing of the Association Agreement, but its implementation is important. “If we refer to the benefits, theoretically we can speak about our products’ access to the EU market, including the gradual liberalization of trade in goods and services, reduction in customs duties, abolition of quantitative restrictions and adjustment of Moldova’s legislation to the EU’s,” said the politician. He added that for the Moldovan goods to reach the European market, they must meet the European quality standards. Investments and a civilized partnership between the state institutions and the business community are needed for Moldova to have a functional economy.
Taxes on import of agricultural machinery decreased in Transnistria
The taxes on the import of agricultural machinery in the Transnistrian region were cut. An order to this effect was signed by the Transnistrian leader Yevgeny Shevchuk. The tax for new equipment was removed completely. For the equipment made less than two years ago, the tax was reduced from 5% to 1%. For the older machinery, it was kept, “Novostipmr” Agency reports on its website. According to specialists, these changes will contribute to improving the situation of the agricultural sector and to renewing the equipment in the region.
Starnet company fined
The Centru District Court fined the company Starnet for not obeying the conditions of the general authorization. The fine imposed on it is 6,000 lei. According to a communiqué from the national ICT regulator (ANRCETI), as a result of an inspection the regulator’s specialists established that Starnet provides TV channel retransmission services in Rascani town through electronic communication networks in the absence of an authorization that is issued by the Broadcasting Coordination Council. Thus, the company violated the provisions of the Law on Electronic Communications, which provides that the providers of electronic communication networks can use these networks for broadcasting or retransmitting TV channels only after obtaining a relevant authorization.
Number of active customers of “Mobiasbanca” up 21%
The number of active customers of the comical bank “Mobiasbancă – Groupe Société Générale” in 2013 rose by about 21%. The bank’s total assets increased by 25%, both as regards lending to private individuals and to legal entities. The deposit portfolio grew by 34%, the bank maintaining a high level of liquidity in the assets’ structure. The data were presented in the bank’s annual General Assembly of Shareholders. The net banking income increased by 9.3% on 2012, while the profit by 34.4%, representing over 71 million lei. The rate of profit rose from 6.5% in 2012 to 8.1% in 2013, owing to the increase in the income-producing assets and the incomes not related to the interest, at a time when the cost of risk was maintained at a low level.
● SATURDAY, April 26
Companies to be allowed to print their own standardized forms
The Government considers affording companies the right to independently print their own standardized forms such as purchase orders, shipping invoices or vehicle log sheets, the Tax Inspectorate said in a press release. At a recent meeting with taxpayers from Chisinau's Buiucani district, Chief Tax Inspector Ion Prisacaru said that in order to improve interaction between the Inspectorate and the business community a guidebook will be compiled to help newly-incorporated firms learn the basics. They will first be coached, through visits by tax inspectors, to acquire a behavior of voluntary fiscal compliance, before any inspection takes place.
New amendments on pharmaceutical activity take effect
The Medicines Agency is informing companies working in the pharmaceutical field of new amendments that concern pharmaceutical activity. According to the amendments, activities such as pharmaceutical activity, import, manufacturing, sale, maintenance and/or repair of medical and/or optical equipment, and provision of medical assistance by private health institutions are subject to licensing by the Licensing Chamber.
