● MONDAY, August 11
Taxpayers to be able to print own primary accounting forms
Taxpayers will be enabled to independently print primary accounting forms on paper without incorporated security features, except for dispatch notes, fiscal invoices and annexes to them. Previously, forms for such documentation were printed in a centralized manner by the State Fiscal Inspectorate (IFPS). Olga Golban, department head at IFPS, told a broadcast on Radio Moldova that the list includes vehicle log sheets, 1-SF and 2-SF receipts, purchase order acknowledgements, receipts and purchase sheets for milk. The series and the range of numbers for such forms will be assigned by IFPS following a request that the taxpayer can submit online.
ANRE petitions can be submitted online
Consumers who want to obtain information of public interest or to submit a petition to the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) can do so directly on the institution's website by filling in from an Internet-connected device the information request or the petition form. This is just one of the possibilities allowed by the new version of the site www.anre.md launched today, August 11. According to a press release of ANRE, the improved version of the site was launched on the occasion of ANRE's 17th anniversary. The institution's director, Sergiu Ciobanu, said that by upgrading its web page, the Agency wants to provide more transparency regarding its activity, to involve interested parties in the decision-making process and to improve the people's access to information of public interest in the energy field.
Fiscal instruments proposed to stimulate non-banking financial market
The National Commission on the Financial Market (NCFM) has proposed a set of fiscal instruments designed to aid the growth of some segments of the non-banking market. There is a need to diversify the insurance market, for example, says NCFM vice president Iurie Filip. Today, motor insurances account for some 70 percent of the total, as the market of property, life or non-mandatory health insurances is underdeveloped. “In some European countries, like the Czech Republic or the Baltic states, the sums directed towards life insurances, for example, are deductible, they are free from income tax. In the Czech Republic, the amount is 400 euros. In other countries the deductible amount is not capped, but the policies must be acquired for a certain period, for example of 10 years”, said Iurie Filip.
● TUESDAY, August 12
Moldcell gets 3 new licenses
The national ICT regulator ANRCETI has granted three new licenses to the mobile operator Moldcell allowing the company to provide terrestrial cellular mobile communication services. The new licenses are offered for a period of 15 years, effective from 6 November 2014. ANRCETI said in a press release the licenses will enable Moldcell to develop its mobile broadband 4G network and enlarge its radio signal coverage.
Measures to support fruit growers
The Government tomorrow will adopt a decision to offer compensations to fruit growers incurring significant losses following the Russian ban. This was announced by Prime Minister Iurie Leanca after a meeting with the farmers today. Leanca said after the meeting that the Government is discussing with the foreign partners the opportunity of orienting their programs to support agriculture towards investing in storage facilities for fruit and vegetables. “Our main objective now is to overcome this crisis, but we are also thinking about next year to avoid this situation from repeating itself”, said Leanca.
● WEDNESDAY, August 13
Government to establish Competitiveness Council
The Government at its meeting is expected to approve the establishment of a Competitiveness Council and appoint its members. Adrian Candu, Deputy Prime Minister and also Minister of Economy, has been proposed to head the Council. Deputy Economy Minister is expected to become the Council's deputy chairman, and MIEPO director Dona Scola its secretary. The Council's function will be to review, twice a year, the relevant reports submitted by the ministries and other governmental agencies and to examine the results achieved in implementing the Roadmap to Enhance Competitiveness, adopted on 14 January 2014.
Air Moldova flights to be catered with Moldovan apples
The national flag carrier Air Moldova will offer its passengers meals including apples bought from Moldovan farmers. The decision comes in reaction to the Russian ban on Moldovan fruits. The airline said in a press release the move aims to support Moldovan producers to market fruits domestically. The apples will be offered to passengers on all Air Moldova flights starting August 18.
ANSA warns of African swine fever risk
The National Agency on Food Safety (ANSA) is alerting the public and pig farmers to the risk of African swine fever. As there is no effective cure or vaccine against this viral disease, all the animals suspected of contracting it must be slaughtered, and the farmers will be compensated by the government based on the market value. Despite being very contagious, the disease is not harmful for humans, veterinarian Arcadie Motruc told. It is precisely because of the disease's high level of contagiousness and high mortality rates in pigs that the infected animals need to be slaughtered and burnt, before the virus could spread and cause serious damages to farmers.
Government approves compensations to fruit growers
Moldovan producers of early varieties of plums will get a compensation of 1.2 lei per kilogram, a move aimed at alleviating the consequences of the import ban imposed by Russia. Similarly, apple growers will get 1.5 lei per kg and those who grow cucumbers and tomatoes will get 0.8 lei per kg. The decision was adopted by the Government at its meeting today. The compensation was established taking in consideration the difference between the price that the processing factories are willing to pay for a kilogram of produce and the average market value. It is estimated that this year there will be processed 16,000 tonnes of plums, 56,000 tonnes of summer and autumn varieties of apples, and some 50,000 tonnes of vegetables.
Food producers get fiscal concessions
Growers of fruits, vegetables and grapes as well as canned food producers will be spared of enforced payment procedures until 1 December 2014 should they fail to meet their fiscal obligations or make other payments due to the State Budget. An amendment to this effect was adopted today by the Government. A total of 2,000 economic entities will benefit from this concession.
● THURSDAY, August 14
Medicines Agency to issue authorizations through one-stop-shop procedure
Entrepreneurs will be able to get a variety of authorizations from the Agency on Medicines and Medical Equipment thorough the one-stop-shop mechanism, under a decision adopted by the Government on Wednesday. The one-stop-shop mechanism allows the applicant to visit a single point to obtain authorizing documents. The service will enable applicants to request, either on hard copy or digitally, authorizations for manufacturing of medicines, authorizations for imports of medicines, analysis reports (for non-compliant medicines series), quality certificates and registration certificates of medicines, good manufacturing practices (GMP) certificates, and other documents.
Customs Service to pilot electronic import clearance
The Customs Service on September 1 will start piloting an electronic clearance procedure for imports at the checkpoints Sculeni and Tudora and, if successful, the procedure will be extended to all the customs checkpoints in the country beginning with 2015, as decided by the Government at its meeting on Wednesday. According to the authorities, costs will be halved when choosing to file electronic import declarations. The procedure will remove the costs of transiting the goods from the border checkpoint to the customs terminal, the costs of filling in the transit declaration, the costs of stationing in the customs area, the costs of copying documents as well as the fees charged by the customs broker.
Premier concerned about privatized property
Prime Minister Iurie Leanca has instructed relevant agencies to analyze how privatization contracts are being respected. He noted that some objects of public property that were transferred into private hands are now in a deplorable state and recalled that the government has the right to ask them back if the owners fail to meet their contractual obligations. Deputy Economy Minister Octavian Calmic confirmed that some privatized facilities have been idle and some were forsaken and are now falling into dilapidation. “We have taken action in court to have some of them back into public ownership, but the examination of the cases is dragging on”, said Octavian Calmic.
Table grape harvesting begins
The harvesting season has started in Moldova for table varieties of grapes and the authorities estimate that 70,000 of the expected 10,000 tonnes of harvest will be exported, Deputy Minister Gheorghe Gaberi. The members of the Moldovan Association of Grape Growers and Exporters will export their table grapes in European packaging that is compliant with all the international standards. In a ceremony today, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca sealed the first containers with grapes for export. The first consignment, containing white Arkadia and red Codreanca grapes, is bound for Bucharest, Romania. The ceremony was held at a vineyard in Chisinau's suburban village of Budesti, where a hectare yields 10 tonnes of grapes.
Free training courses for future entrepreneurs
The Organization for Small and Medium Enterprises Sector Development (ODIMM) and the NGO “Fermierul de Sud” are organizing free training courses for future entrepreneurs. Those willing to register may do so by filling in a participant's form on the websitewww.odimm.md and specifying where they would like to attend the courses. ODIMM communication specialist Marcela Stratan has told the trainees may choose one or more modules, including financial management, marketing or effective sales techniques. The courses will last for 2 days, with a total of 21 academic hours.
Agreement on Iasi-Ungheni gas interconnection point signed
The Moldovan state enterprise “Vestmoldtransgaz” has signed today in Bucharest an agreement for the operation of the Iasi-Ungheni interconnection point with the Romanian National Gas Transmission Company “Transgaz”.The Moldovan Government said in a press release the agreement lays the basis for the joint operation of the 44 kilometre-long Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline.
● FRIDAY, August 15
Local trademarks represent 21.5% of all registered trademarks in Moldova
Trademarks represent the majority of intellectual properties for which protection is requested. During the activity of the State Agency for Intellectual Property (AGEPI), since 1993, about 100,000 requests for trademark registration have been submitted, with 21.5% coming from national applicants. AGEPI vice director Svetlana Munteanu told that registering a trademark provides territorial protection against competitors. The high number of requests from foreign companies, which is rising every year, should not be worrying, but encouraging, as it proves Moldova has an attractive and renewable market, suited for free competition.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry commits to help fruit farmers
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) started the collection of supply offers from fruit and vegetable farmers in Moldova to help them find new markets. The announcement was made by Sergiu Harea, head of CCI's economy department told a talk-show on Radio Moldova. Harea explained that the collection of offers was launched in order to support farmers hit by the Russian embargo and to promote their production through international marketing networks.
Trade figures down in Transnistria
Trade figures in the Transnistrian region have been constantly decreasing and the administration in Tiraspol blames it on the situation in Ukraine, one of its leading trade partners. According to reports from the Transnistrian region, external trade from the beginning of this year, excepting exports of electricity and of metal products manufactured by the Rybnitsa Metalworks, was down by 7% on the similar period last year.
Loan extensions offered to food and wine producers
Food and wine producers will be able to lawfully delay payments on their loans for an average of 90 days, after a decision to that effect, adopted by the National Bank's Board, was published in today's issue of the Official Gazette. The measure will remain in effect until the end of 2015. The decision concerns the loans taken out by entrepreneurs and companies involved in activities that include growing, processing, canning or selling fruit and vegetables; producing, processing or canning meat products; growing and selling grapes and producing or selling wine.
Two-year repair project starts for Hincesti-Cimislia road
For the next to years starting today, some 39 kilometers of road between Hincesti and Cimislia on national route R3 will be under repair in a 268 million lei project implemented with European funds. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Transport Minister Vasile Botnari said the project is a continuation of the repair work on the road connecting Hancesti to Chisinau, which was finished in 2013. In 2015, it is planned to extend the road rehabilitation further south to Basarabeasca district.
Fiscal inspectors fine vendors outside Central Market
The vendors around the Central Market on Bulgara, Armeneasca and Varlaam streets received administrative and fiscal fines after a raid of the State Principal Fiscal Inspectorate. According to a press release of the institution, 30 vendors weren't registered at the State Chamber of Registration, thus violating the Law on entrepreneurship and enterprises. In one case, the vendor accepted payments without a cash register, violating the Tax Code.
Central bank chief on currency market
Moldovan National Bank governor Dorin Dragutanu says the slight depreciation of the national currency in the last couple of days, by 2 bani, is not a reason to fear another steep decline in the leu's value. He told a broadcast on Radio Moldova that, while the central bank was expecting an appreciation of the leu against the euro and dollar in the beginning of June, it eventually occurred in June-July. “Those who bought euros in late June and early July at a rate of 19.30 lei can now see that they have already lost nearly 5% in those transactions. I warned that many would regret it”, said Dorin Dragutanu.
● SATURDAY, August 16
Subventions for organic farming are limited, study
Organic agriculture is developing intensively in Moldova, contributing significantly to exports. While only 1.7% of the total farmland in the country is being farmed according to organic principles, the fruit and vegetables grown here account for 11% of the total agricultural exports. However, the subventions provided to support organic agriculture are limited, as found by the authors of a national study on organic farming that will be published next week. According to preliminary information provided by UNDP Moldova, in the last few years subventions for organic farming represented a mere 0.7% of the total subsidies available, while subventions for the use of fertilizers and pesticides constituted 12.1%.
Transnistria bank issues new composite coins
The central bank of the Transnistrian region has issued four new circulation coins with the face value of 1, 3, 5 and 10 Transnistrian rubles. The coins are made of composite materials and have different forms and colors, the bank announced on its website. The 1 ruble coin is round in form and yellow in color and depicts Count Aleksandr Suvorov, a Russian military commander notable for his achievements in the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–91. The 3 ruble coin is green, has the form of a square with rounded corners and depicts the French architect François Sainte de Wollant, who designed a number of landmarks in the Transnistrian region as an engineer in the Russian army.
Honey prices rise on drop in production
This year, beekeepers managed to collect 1700-2000 tonnes of honey, compared to last year's 3000. Andrei Zagareanu, president of the Beekeepers' Association “Apis Mellifera”, told that prices are already rising. This year's weather conditions interfered with the production of pollen. The drought that hit the center of the country, where plants had little pollen, is the main cause behind the scarce collection of honey.
