Valentina Buliga wishes to ensure welfare raises

100 days into investiture as Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family, Valentina Buliga says that this period has been too short to lay the foundation of economic growth, considering the hardship facing Moldova. Valentina Buliga told a press conference today that in those 100 days she wished she could have ensured a more significant raise of the welfare payments, Info-Prim Neo reports. “However, I believe the Ministry has managed to assume all the legal obligations in relation with the citizens, to pay the benefits to vulnerable people on time, and in 2010 we will also respect these commitments to the extent of our competency. The burden of responsibility is great and there is a great deal of problems. We wish to ensure financial growth, to open the country to investment, to offer the migrant workers who come back home the opportunity to start a small business, to open new jobs”, said the minister. According to her, the social protection policies will further pursue the financial support of families through constant raises of benefits dispensed to families with children, as well as the encouragement of demographical growth. Valentina Buliga assures that in 2010 the retirement age for men and women, 62 and 57 years respectively, will not change. Also, it is intended to promote a set of laws in February to upgrade the adoption legislation. Other legislative initiatives will address the job market and cheap housing for young families. In Moldova, 4 percent of the population live under the threshold of extreme poverty and 13 percent live on monthly incomes lower than 2,000 lei ($162).