The volume of transfers of Moldovans working abroad amounted to USD 1.2 billion in 2017, 11.2 percent more than in the previous year when they dropped to the lowest level in the last ten years, after a 30 percent decrease in 2015 and 4.5 percent in 2016. However, although remittances amount to billions of dollars, only a small part is invested in the economy. It is the finding journalist Vlad Bercu in the show "15 minutes of economic realism".

In the absence of extensive analysis, it is difficult to tell how the money received by the population from abroad was spent. A study, conducted ten years ago, estimated that about 20 percent of the money is deposited in commercial banks and "only 7 percent of the country's remittances are actively invested, most often in small or medium-sized economic entities (shops, bars, repair shops, which can also create other jobs. "

What is certain is that some of the transfers have been invested over seven years in 1 136 projects that received state support in the amount of 213.49 million lei through the PARE 1 + 1 Program attracting remittances into the economy. The total amount of direct investments in the country's economy under this program is over 678.42 million lei, according to the Organization for Development of the Small and Medium Enterprises Sector.

During this seven-year period, the PARE 1 + 1 Program, which is considered to be a model, even for other countries, amounted to 9 billion 568 million US dollars. There are incomparable figures, the number of remittances and investments in PARE 1 + 1. A drop in the sea represents these investments.

According to him, money transfers in favor of individuals were and will remain in the medium term one of the engines of growth of the Moldovan economy by stimulating consumption. "Transfers remain a source of well-being for the population, although a source in a slight decline. Thus, the share of transfers in the income of the population is decreasing, albeit slow, but steady, from a figure of 18 percent in the third quarter of 2014, when a record level of remittances over the past ten years has been reached over 1.6 billion US dollars to 14.6 percent in the same period of 2017 when their contribution was 1.5 percentage points lower than in the same period of the previous year.

At the same time, Vlad Bercu argues that it is inexplicable when, from countries with a much smaller number of Moldovans living in these countries, the volume of transfers is higher. In the context, he referred to the volume of transfers from Italy to Israel, the number of Moldovans in the peninsula is ten times more, and the volume of transfers of USD 74.54 million versus USD 106.73 million in Israel. Does it mean that a part of Moldovan citizens who went to Italy settled their livelihood? That they have completed their families and no longer transfer money to their own homes in the past?

We can speculate on these figures, but they should be analyzed by a specialized institution. This topic should be the subject of research, such as the one drafted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies in Italy about the Moldovan community. A report from which we find that the number of Moldovans living in Italy increased from 55 803 in 2006 to 142 266 on 1 January 2016 and then fell to 135 661 on 1 January 2017, aged 35 years. The Italian Ministry explains the tendency to decrease Moldovan citizens' new entry into Italy by 2010 through the "growing number of Moldovan citizens who have acquired Italian citizenship in recent years" or married either with an Italian or Italian or with people by other nationalities (1 033 in 2014). Thus, in 2015, 2 464 Moldovans were granted Italian citizenship, up 67 percent from 2014.

About 67.5 percent of people aged 15-64 years of the Moldovan community were employed in 2016. Out of the total, the same report shows 25 390 or 18 percent are children, 99 percent of whom attend school. A total of 4,609 individual enterprises with Moldovan owners were registered in Italy in 2016, according to the report of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.

In conclusion, the journalist says there is a need for a comprehensive study that shows how transfers are used, which is happening with the Moldovan communities in different countries.

The show is made by IDIS "Viitorul" in partnership with Radio Free Europe.

For further details, please contact the press officer, Victor URSU, at the following address: ursu.victoor@gmail.com or at 069017396.