Investments in energy efficiency for residential blocks, modernization of the heating system and individual contracting of thermal energy are some of the solutions for vulnerable consumers in Chisinau, proposed by the associations of tenants and energy experts. The discussions were held in the round table "Current challenges of vulnerable energy consumers in Chisinau, on the agenda of homeowners associations. Capabilities and investment solutions”, organized on July 10 by IDIS “Viitorul ”.

The event aimed to bring into question the role of homeowners associations in providing solutions for consumers in Chisinau and the challenges of the relationship between tenants and utility providers.

"In the case of Chisinau municipality there is no problem of a citizen who has debts and cannot pay his energy bill. There is, in fact, a problem for everyone and we must work together to find a solution. Solving consumer problems helps us and the whole society ”, stressed the moderator of the discussion, Veaceslav Ioniță.

The residential sector is the largest energy consumer, accounting for about 45% of the final energy consumption in Moldova, with multi-storey housing blocks totaling almost 160 million m.p. or 60% of the housing stock. At the same time, the residential housing fund accounts for 98% of the total debt to the heat supplier. “1900 residents of the four housing blocks that manage them do not have hot water and pay a lot for electricity consumption. The most beats in the pocket the payment for the consumption of the thermal agent: now we pay 1,022 lei for a gigacalorie, 5 times more than in 2008. A solution would be the distribution of the thermal energy horizontally, but nevertheless, the modernization of the heating system without the involvement of the state it will last forever”, says Magda Ivasiuc, president of the HOA 169 from Chisinau.

"I have not had hot water for 20 years and I wash from heat, and my health is destroyed because of this. And the monthly pension of 866 lei cannot cover the enormous costs for the energy bills”, says Valentina, a tenant from the Botany district of the capital.

In turn, energy expert Victor Parlicov argues that current policies promote energy inefficiency, and the solutions would be different. “The problem with energy efficiency in blocks is fundamental. The municipality offers 40% compensation for people who consume energy that could be saved. We actually subsidize the loss of energy. From a policy point of view, this is a waste. Subsidizing should be done on energy efficiency and not on energy consumption, thus causing energy wastage. And solutions and investments for energy efficiency are and can be financed. However, the problem in this chapter exists at the system level and can only be solved at the system level”.

"According to last year's amendments to the law on energy efficiency, the scheme of financial obligations will be introduced in tariffs. This means that energy service providers will collect additional money from consumers and transfer them to the Energy Efficiency Agency for the implementation of energy efficiency programs, which will put pressure on tariffs. However, this scheme was not reflected in ANRE methodologies and on the one hand a new cost component is introduced, and on the other hand, we offer tax subsidies for energy consumption for certain big consumers ”, added Victor Parlicov.

At the same time, the energy expert, Sergiu Ungureanu proposes the direct contracting: “The consumer does not know what the consumption for thermal energy is, because he does not have a meter and cannot verify. Therefore, switching to the individual system of contracting, counting, charging and adjusting is the most suitable solution for consumers. Technical solutions exist and they must be discussed with the housing associations, with the suppliers, with those who manage the engineering networks and with the municipality”.

Energy poverty is a complex problem, and the single tariff stimulates excessive electricity consumption for household consumers, according to Nicolae Mogoreanu, president of the Energy Consumers Association. He asserts that the single tariff causes the phenomenon of subsidization, which contravenes the European Energy Charter and suggests solutions for vulnerable consumers: "The economic balance of electricity and thermal tariffs is necessary, because the whole republic pays for the comfort of the inhabitants of Chisinau and Balti. And for vulnerable consumers, I propose the following solution: for those who consume less than 30 KWh of energy per month, the tariff should be reduced twice”, recommends Nicolae Mogoreanu.

According to Eurostat, the share of electricity costs in household incomes in the Republic of Moldova is 3.4%, much higher than in other countries, and this situation is similar to the natural gas (7%) and heating sector (11.4% %).

According to the projects submitted to the public consultations, Gas Natural Fenosa Electric Power Supply requests from 19 August to apply a tariff of 194.40 bani / kWh, compared to 180.25 bani / kWh as requested in March. Thus, if ANRE approves the increases, domestic consumers could pay, as of August, 1 leu and 94 bani for one kWh, instead of 1 leu and 79 bani, as they are currently paying, which means 15 more bani.

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The event was held within the initiative "Support for poor energy consumers", implemented by the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul", with the financial support of the World Jewish Relief Foundation. It aims to strengthen owner associations to become a powerful voice for vulnerable energy consumers in policymaking.

For details, contact Ana – Maria Veverita: ana.veverita@viitorul.org or at phone number (0 22) 221844

The Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul", in partnership with the Lithuanian Embassy in the Republic of Moldova, launches the initiative to promote women's success stories in the economic and social field at the national level "Regional development through equal involvement". The project aims to support regional development by encouraging women's social and economic activities and integrating gender equality into local communities in the Republic of Moldova.

"The involvement of women in the economic and social life of communities is vital for a harmonious regional development, where each person has equal rights and opportunities. And international practice shows that societies where women are actively involved in social-economic life, through business development, job creation or social initiatives, are prosperous and economically sustainable societies", said Diana Enachi, project manager.

The project consists in identifying, promoting and appreciating women's success stories in the economic and social spheres, in order to make visible the successes of women from all regions of the Republic of Moldova by ensuring equal rights and opportunities for everyone. The project, which has the format of a contest, will make known the experience and outstanding results of women, will stimulate the motivation to produce innovations and changes in the community and will give the participating women the public recognition of the economic and social successes.

In this respect, a contest will be launched within the project, where those women entrepreneurs with at least a year's experience or the leading women at the local level who have succeeded in bringing about the change in the community through their example and involvement, will have the chance to apply. Later, the best success stories will become the subject of a publication and will be awarded in a prize ceremony.

There will be also days of open doors, online posters that promote women's success stories and other actions designed to help ensure genuine and equal participation of women in the country's regional development.

The project "Regional development through equal involvement" is due to be completed by October 2019, during which the two partner institutions will strengthen their efforts to raise awareness about the active role of women in the regions of the Republic of Moldova.

According to statistics, in 2017, of the total number of Moldovan businessmen, 72.5% were men and 27.5% were women.

For more information about the project, contact Ana-Maria Veveriţa, Communications Officer, by e-mail at ana.veverita@viitorul.org or by calling (0 22) 221844.

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The project "Regional development through equal involvement" is implemented by IDIS "Viitorul" in partnership with the Lithuanian Embassy in the Republic of Moldova, with the financial support of the Lithuanian Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme. The project aims to support regional development by encouraging women's social and economic activities and integrating gender equality into local communities in the Republic of Moldova.

Heat compensation for vulnerable consumers by municipal authorities subsidizes energy inefficiency, although the allocated money could be used to invest in substitution programs for old electric hotplates on modern electric hotplates and to install individual heat points in non-gas-connected blocks. These are some of the conclusions of the public discussion "Energy poverty and vulnerable consumers in Chisinau: costs, compensations and sustainability", organized by IDIS "Viitorul" on 10 April.

"Energy poverty is a problem of society and not just a problem of public authorities or associations of tenants. By addressing the issues of vulnerable consumers, we also help energy providers. And the solutions we propose hope to become legislative changes to enable consumers to better manage their energy poverty”, said the moderator Veaceslav Ioniță.

According to the decision of the Chisinau Municipal Council of November 27, 2018, the inhabitants of the municipality whose apartments are equipped with electric hobs have to be compensated by 25% of the cost of the electricity bill consumed for November and December 2018. However, the payments have not been transferred to the beneficiaries even if about 2 million lei were allocated from the municipal budget. "The responsibility is passed from one to another, and on the Chisinau Town Hall webpage, there is already a draft amendment to the November decision indicating the option to pay 100 lei per apartment and not the 25% compensation as initially foreseen. The problem remains in the air and unresolved", says Viorel Pîrvan, lawyer at IDIS "Viitorul”.

In turn, energy expert Victor Parlicov, believes that heat compensation is not necessarily a solution to the problem of energy poverty, and solutions would be other. "Chisinau Town Hall offers compensations subsidizing inefficient energy consumption. In this way, energy inefficiency is promoted. Compensations are provided for people who consume energy that could be saved. Money should be invested for different programs, and monthly compensation will be no longer needed", says Victor Parlicov. In this context, the expert proposes to (re)connect the consumers to the centralized system with individual thermal points and to develop a program for changing the old electric hotplates on the new ones, energy efficient (similar to the "Rabla" program in Romania for cars).

An example of energy efficiency in this respect is the SA "Termoelectrica" project for modernization of the domestic hot water heating by installing the horizontal distribution and installing the individual thermal point in the basement block on 52 Pandurilor str. This allowed reducing the invoice to thermal energy by 40% and to electricity twice. In March 2009, the heating energy consumption for the heating of the block of flats on Pandurilor Street constituted 5 lei/sqm, while in the other blocks of the town this cost is 20 lei.

"We are in favor of replacing the electric hobs and reconnecting with the centralized domestic hot water system. And we are ready with the Municipal Council to participate and see what proposals and investments are needed so that the population can consume hot water at reasonable prices and thus solve the problem of vulnerable groups and other consumers. From the thermal point of view, we can provide a quality and affordable service", explains Victor Puiu, commercial director "Termoelectrica".

Energy poverty is a complex issue and must become a priority for Moldova's national policies, especially in the economic ones, according to Corina Gaibu: "Energy efficiency must be correlated with economic efficiency. Investments in energy efficiency are recovered in about 10 years, and the installation of LEDs in the home may reduce this period. However, there are tenants who can not afford these investments, and in this case municipal or state programs that will allow the emergence of energy-efficient blocks and the diminution of energy, are needed", says Corina Gaibu. At the same time, the energy expert, Sergiu Ungureanu, proposes direct contracting: "Energy efficiency must be ensured both by the supplier and the consumer, including by switching to the individual system of contracting, charging and regulation. When the consumer, without knowing, gets a bill of thousands of lei to heat, there is some economic inequity".

The residential sector is the largest consumer of energy, accounting for about 45% of the final energy consumption in Moldova, multi-story residential blocks amounting to almost 160 million m.p. or 60% of the housing stock. At the same time, the residential housing stock accounts for 98% of the total liabilities to the heat supplier. In this respect, HOAs managers propose that the amount of invoices be staggered throughout the year. "We are in a state of liquidation because of the supplier and government because the tenants have nothing to pay for the heat. We are in such confusion because the association has a debt of 6 million lei, money that cannot be demanded from vulnerable tenants", said APLP 51/173 manager, Alla Poltavcenco.

Also, during the public event, the first web portal dedicated to the management of housing blocks in Chisinau - www.blocuri.viitorul.org was presented. The website contains useful information for citizens regarding owners' associations: legislation, analyzes and successful histories, contacts of Chisinau owners associations, news, events, solutions for tenants and housing managers, etc.

According to Eurostat, the share of electricity costs in household incomes in the Republic of Moldova is 3.4%, much higher than in other countries, and this situation is similar to the natural gas (7%) and heating sector (11.4% %).

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The event was held within the initiative "Support for poor energy consumers", implemented by the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul", with the financial support of the World Jewish Relief Foundation. It aims to strengthen owner associations to become a powerful voice for vulnerable energy consumers in policy making.

For details, contact Ana – Maria Veverita: ana.veverita@viitorul.org or at phone number (0 22) 221844

It is a premiere for the Republic of Moldova when the Government publishes the budget for next year until the election. Every time they vote after the election. In the GNP revenues, they will increase by 5.5 billion lei or 9%, similar to 2018, but it is much less than in 2017. In fact, the years 2017 and 2018 are years of recovery after the crisis of 2015 and 2016 The increase in 2017 was largely due to customs, and in 2018 to the tax office. In 2017, for the first time, we had higher incomes than planned by 2.6 billion lei. Exactly the same will happen in 2018. Now, the Government is looking for new sources of income by improving tax administration, according to IDIS Viitorul economist Veaceslav Ionita, in the "15 minutes of economic realism" show.

For next year, this 5.5 billion lei will not be a problem to accumulate, but it is not fair to compare with 2018 because state-owned Cadastre and Registry companies have turned into public institutions and their income comes directly to the budget, and if we exclude them then the increase will be 4.7 billion lei, which is less than 2017.

"One element that we must mention is the mistakes that the budget will have. It's about 2 billion ROL. We are talking about the social insurance budget where the contribution to 18 + 5% was reduced from 23 + 5%. This will lead to the fact that the social security budget will get less 1.2 billion lei. Another loss is the income tax of individuals whose quota has been capped at 12% for all categories of taxpayers. This is due to the biggest increase in the unimpeded quota. At present, individuals pay 25-30% less than they did before the tax reform. Respectively, BPN loses about 800 million lei. Income tax for individuals is more for local public authorities, which is why about 500 million lei will be local budgets, "Ionita explained.

Most importantly, the Government plans 20% of budget spending to cover them from loans and grants. For next year, the authorities plan 9 billion lei, of which the largest share is the external loans - 4.5 billion lei compared to 5.6 billion lei in 2018. Estimates were reduced because the Government in 2018 will not succeed for the first time to accumulate no half of the forecasted amount. "If it fails to re-establish relations with foreign partners, it will be problematic to raise 4.5 billion lei. The second is the grants, which are planned at almost 2 billion lei. In 2018 the amount of 2.8 billion lei was planned, but we at IDIS Viitorul anticipated in May that in the ideal version 900 million lei will be accumulated. However, in the first 9 months or just 200 million accumulated, the one that makes us believe that by the end of the year the amount received will be up to 500 million lei - the minimum of 15 years. In the absence of external financing in 2018, the Government actively appealed for domestic loans, "says Ionita.

For 2019, we anticipate difficulties in attracting 3 billion lei in the form of external grants and loans. This hole will be covered as in 2018 increased domestic loans and extra collections of taxes and duties. The context is a favorable one. The explanation is that the banking system faces an unprecedented crisis, a surplus of liquidity that was not yet - 27 billion lei (deposits in lei and foreign currency - 61 billion lei, credits 34 billion lei), of which 14 billion are in the form of lions. For this reason, excess liquidity creates problems for the financial system and NBM has sterilized 14 billion lei for which we will pay 500 million lei interest. In this context, for the next year, the Government plans internal loans to 2.5 billion lei, although the amount could be increased to 3.5-4.5 billion lei. And for the first time, for the next year were included two new partners from which Moldova will receive 744 million lei. It is China (644 million lei) and Belarus (100 million lei).

In conclusion, economist Veaceslav Ioniţă believes that covering the needs of budget expenditures is limited to the reduction of foreign loans and grants, new partners - China Belarus and the increase of domestic credits.

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.

State-owned enterprises are the neural point of local public authorities. For the most part, their work is protected by the eyes of the world. There is a low level of openness of the authorities towards the results of the activity of the municipal enterprises and the majority companies owned by the administrative-territorial unit, IDIS Viitorul expert Viorel Pîrvan finds in the show "15 minutes of economic realism".

There are 6 local administrations and 2 district administrations publishing on the web all the activity reports of municipal enterprises, including their annual financial analyzes.

The expert finds difficulties of the local public authorities and the management of the public patrimony. Over the course of three years, there is a regression in the management of the public patrimony. "Local and regional public authorities must make an effort to publish on the website the announcements regarding the sale/ lease/lease of the property belonging to the administrative-territorial unit and the results of these public auctions," says Viorel Pîrvan.

"Despite the difficulties faced by local public administrations (lack of staff, low wages, lack of financial resources, lack of real local autonomy and decentralization), during the three years of monitoring, we notice their evolution in terms of opening up to citizens. The general average of transparency increased by 4.95 percentage points for the local public administrations of level I and 7.34 percentage points for the local public administrations of level II ", believes Viorel Pîrvan.

By category, the expert argues that in terms of access to information, local and district governments have begun to make more use of web pages to inform citizens of public interest information.

The 2016 monitoring shows that all announcements about public meetings were communicated on the web portal by 16 localities and 1 rayon, and in 2018-28 local administrations and 14 district administrations use the web page to publish these ads.

In conclusion, Viorel Pîrvan states that the decision-making process has increased the number of localities that recorded video/audio meetings of the local and rayon council, which they stored in the web archive (the site of the site and/or the youtube.com portal). In 2016, 6 localities and 1 rayon have been identified that have published these video / audio recordings on the web page, and in 2018 there are 20 localities and 3 districts. The best examples in this regard are the city of Ialoveni, the city of Straseni and the Falesti district.

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.

At the beginning of November, the first parliamentary inquiry was held to elucidate the circumstances of the Open Dialog Foundation's involvement in the Republic of Moldova's internal policy. The Commission found that the first information received was one or more NGOs that carried out activities that could not be in line with native legislation and could be an interference with the domestic policy of the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, the committee claims that NGO activity contains elements that refer to the illegal funding of political organizations and politicians. The purpose of the Commission is to establish whether there are links between some NGOs and certain electoral candidates by limiting the activity of electoral subjects or even excluding them from the electoral race, the political expert Ion Tăbârţă finds in the "15 minutes of economic realism" show.

The context in which this committee appeared to elucidate the "Open Dialogue" case concerns the sensitive issues that exist in the Republic of Moldova. These are the funding of political parties and the way NGOs work and their relationship with state authorities. The mass media campaign launched by media close to the government insisted that Andrei Năstase, the leader of PPDA and Maia Sandu, PAS leader, attended a conference sponsored by this organization. At the same time, Kozlovska defended the rights of Veaceslav Platon after his extradition to the Republic of Moldova. It was said that this foundation would have been funded by some oligarchs in the former Soviet space and even had links to Russian secret services. Of course, there is no detail, that the actions of that foundation, with the participation of the politicians concerned and representatives of civil society, relate to the organization of a conference in the European Parliament. Moreover, this parliamentary commission was created following the campaign to come up with certain findings regarding the interference of foreign NGOs in the domestic political life of the Republic of Moldova. At the suggestion of the opposition parties that the work of this commission was linked to the subject of the financing of the parties in the Republic of Moldova, a refusal from the government was received.

"By addressing the subject of political party funding, then it was not solved either. Starting with 2015, financing from the state budget was introduced. It was thought that this would solve the problem, but it did not happen. Several studies and reports by civil society show that there are problems with ceilings and sources of funding for political parties. A recent study by Promo-LEX has found several issues: the CEC selectively treats political parties, unreported expenses, the functioning of foundations outside political parties. These are the PDM, the PSRM and the "Shor" Party that do not report all their expenses, in particular, those related to the work of foundations working alongside those political parties. The work of these foundations is an indirect way to promote certain actions of a political nature but not included in party reports. Promo-LEX also admits a possible simulation of contributions and donations in reports made by the ruling party, and true donors are not being reported. The rapporteurs estimate that the transition to the mixed electoral system, the current problems in the financing of political parties will persist in an even deeper form in the electoral campaign, "says Ion Tăbârţă.

In addition to the subject of political parties' funding, NGOs work. Referring to the communiqué of the Parliamentary Commission on NGOs engaging in the political life of the Republic of Moldova, we remember the year 2016 when the initiative to amend the law on civil society activity took place. Then a working group was set up, which for one year came with proposals, and the project was also expertized by foreign experts. But the Ministry of Justice, the one who supported the draft law, came up with last resorts, referring to the possible external interference of certain civil society organizations in the political life of the Republic of Moldova. By introducing these amendments, the draft law was distorted and a legislative framework restricting the work of NGOs was drawn up in comparison with the law that existed until then. It specifically referred to certain civil society organizations that were tangential to their political public affairs. These NGOs were to be more closely scrutinized, with the possibility of stopping the external financing of their work. Through this, the government has tried to restrict the activity of certain organizations that are not loyal to the government. Finally, the Ministry of Justice gave back, and fate
 

According to the latest results, crop yields have reached a level that satisfies farmers. The harvest of first crop cereals has reached an average of 1.1 million tonnes, of which about 350 thousand tonnes are used or will be used internally to set up crops for the 2019 crop to cover the needs of the bakery industry and the livestock sector. Positive results are visible in terms of quality increase and diversification of agricultural produce. At the same time, the livestock sector has an anemic evolution, which must be revived, according to IDIS Viitorul, Viorel Chivriga, director of programs "15 minutes of economic realism".

As far as agricultural crops are concerned, Viorel Chivriga said that in 2018, the grain and legume grain harvest in the first group was average. Wheat harvest was slightly more than 1.1 million tons, barely-167 thousand tons, and berry legumes - 47 thousand tons. In addition, if we take into account other crops that were set up in autumn 2017, rape production recorded 84 thousand tons. On the other hand, increases in harvest compared with 2017 are recorded for technical crops, sunflower, sugar beet, soybeans. Similarly, fruit and grape production is superior to that obtained by farmers in 2017. The agricultural works for the establishment of crops for the harvest in 2019 have been slower and have been influenced by unfavorable climatic conditions. Thus, according to the MADRM data, up to now, 220 thousand ha of autumn wheat have been set up from 320 thousand ha planned, 40 thousand ha of barley from the 65 thousand ha planned, rape-40 thousand ha, of which 32 thousand ha are in a satisfactory condition, out of 45 thousand ha planned.

Referring to fruit production, the program director said that in 2017 there are positive results on fruit production. An analysis of the fruit sector shows that the sector is going through a new qualitative phase, the orchards with high physical and moral wear are grazed and there are intensive orchards with high yields and qualitative productions. The fruit crops that enter the fruit are more likely to produce fruit that is sought out in the western markets. At the same time, the assortment of fruit has become more and more varied. The future of the horticultural sector will depend on intensive crops. The same thing happens with the vineyards of the Republic of Moldova. Much of them had one way - the east market. But there is now a diversification of geographic export directions. On the other hand, there is a positive change in the assortment of fruit and grapes on the domestic market for agricultural and agri-food products.

The livestock sector faces problems as a result of lame reforms. A big problem is the concentration of livestock in households and the low share of cropland areas for forage crops. In the current year, the reduction in livestock, which has lasted more than a decade, has not been halted. Moreover, in 2018, the stock of animals of all species was reduced, due to animals concentrated in households. This state of the animal sector does not allow large, stable and sufficient quantities to be delivered on the domestic market for consumption and industrial processing. This is all the more conducive to the entry of similarly imported imports into the domestic market.

"It would be necessary to liberalize the factories' production market, but also to protect the domestic products of domestic products on the domestic market, because the Republic of Moldova is currently invaded by products from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Romania, and Poland. The sector needs a modernization of small and medium-sized farms, a sound technical endowment of farms, increasing the quality and weight of crops for fodder in the structure of agricultural crops, and vigorous measures for anchoring the animal sector to the internal market and medium and long-term outlook on foreign markets, "says Viorel Chivriga.

In conclusion, Viorel Chivriga said that in order to make more progress in the agricultural sector, a faster and more thorough modernization of agricultural farms is needed, to ensure more secure access of Moldovan farmers to foreign markets, and first of all to the market but also removing vulnerabilities for the sector: anemic insurance of production risks in agriculture, rural labor exodus, obsolete agricultural infrastructure, first of all, irrigation systems.

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 s
 

For the first time in October 2018, Moldova's foreign exchange reserves exceeded USD 3 billion. In fact, their level is the thermometer of the economy. Foreign exchange reserves are characterized by two aspects. It is about the degree of coverage with imports and the ability to cover the money in circulation (the volume of dollars against all lions in the market), IDIS Viitorul economist Veaceslav Ionita observes in the "15 minutes of economic realism" program.

Evolution of foreign exchange reserves shows what has happened to the country's economy. In 1994, they amounted to $ 180 million. Over the years, the Republic of Moldova has gone through three crises: 1998, 2009 and 2014. In 1998 foreign exchange reserves were $ 363 million, and almost three times down to $ 136 million. That crisis was reflected in the depreciation of the leu almost three times. Due to the fact that in the consumption of the population the share of import goods was significant, this depreciation led to a strong impoverishment of the population, economic crisis, political and consequently changing the political elite of the country

"The second crisis as the depth of 2014, as the volume of money with which the foreign exchange reserves were reduced. The crisis has led to a decline in the money supply, which is reflected in the reduction of loans to the economy. The only credits that grew up were those given to the population. In fact, the population was impoverished, but not in such a way as in 1998, "Ionita explained.

Another crisis was 2008-2009. In 2008, foreign exchange reserves fell by one-third to $ 1.1 billion. This crisis has been less felt by the population, as they have been a global and regional one. The countries of the region, the Russian Federation and Ukraine have had to depreciate their currency, Moldova is in full electoral campaign of this decision to maintain a stable exchange rate at any price. The NBM intervened and consumed a third of the foreign exchange reserves. As a result of the depreciation of the countries' currencies in the region, business suffered, only the economic agents in agriculture had losses of over 1.5 billion lei.

Referring to the level of foreign exchange imports, Ionita argues that in 1998 it was the only year in the history of the Republic of Moldova when the indicator was at a critical level and covered only a month and a half of imports.

When there was a compression of foreign exchange reserves, compensation in the economy took place through the depreciation of the national currency and the reduction of imports, which implies the impoverishment of the population.

"The crisis in 98 was caused by the lack of money from the imports made in the Russian Federation, in 2008-2009 the remittances decreased, and in 2014 a few things happened at the same time. Decreased imports on the background of bank robbery reduced remittances, foreign financing, and foreign investment. Total foreign currency inflows in the country have fallen to $ 3 billion from six billion annually, "Ioniţă said.

In conclusion, the economist IDIS Viitorul said that at present the NBM foreign exchange reserves are sufficient to ensure the Republic of Moldova's imports for six months and correspond to the money in circulation. Due to the increase in foreign exchange reserves, the NBM can continue the relaxation of foreign exchange policies, which remain still quite restrictive for both businesses and the population. In other words, the Republic of Moldova is not in a critical situation regarding the foreign exchange reserves and the repressive measures regarding the repatriation of the currency do not have any economic justification.

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.

The economy of the Republic of Moldova started to look optimistic, but the welfare of the population remains low. Migration continues to keep up with the lack of jobs. This is the opinion expressed by journalist Victor Ursu in the show "15 minutes of economic realism".

The statistical data show positive dynamics, which is evident in most sectors of the national economy. There are increases in the agricultural and industrial sector due to positive developments in plant production, the intensification of the manufacturing industry, as well as the increase in domestic and foreign demand. Internal trade in goods and services is showing a positive development.

The economy of the Republic of Moldova continues to be predominantly one of consumption with the stimulation of imports. The latest data reveal an increase in final consumption of 3% in the first half of 2018, generally driven by household final consumption, which grew by 3.8% and a contribution to GDP of 3.3 pp.

"One of the factors that determined this growth was the increase in the labor remuneration fund, but also the increase in the remittances of the population, but also by the shadow economy," Victor Ursu believes.

At the same time, an indicator that the Moldovan economy is on the right track and looks good only in statistics is the volume of loans to the business. Credit lending continues to be anemic, even if interest rates on loans are very low. The balance of credits to the economy at the end of August 2018 was lower than the level recorded at the end of August 2017 by 1%, amounting to 38.2 billion lei.

Victor Ursu says Moldovan exports have maintained their upward trend registered last year mainly supported by the performance of the agricultural sector, but also by an increased demand from the EU. Some issues are also indicated. After a period of five quarters in which exports to CIS countries contributed positively to the evolution of total exports, in the second quarter of 2018 their dynamics slowed down, contributing to a moderation in the annual export rate.

For Labor Force, developments do not give reasons for optimism. First, because the number of the employed population remained at the level of the beginning of the previous year, while the number of unemployed diminished, which led to a negative dynamics of the economically active population.

In conclusion, Victor Ursu says that beyond the figures there are still many problems in the economy: productivity does not increase and the industry is stepping on the ground. The economy remains strictly dependent on agriculture with increased risks for production volume in the absence of investment and production markets.

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

The statistical data show positive dynamics, which is evident in most sectors of the national economy. There are increases in the agricultural and industrial sector due to positive developments in plant production, the intensification of the manufacturing industry, as well as the increase in domestic and foreign demand. Internal trade in goods and services is showing a positive development.

The economy of the Republic of Moldova continues to be predominantly one of consumption with the stimulation of imports. The latest data reveal an increase in final consumption of 3% in the first half of 2018, generally driven by household final consumption, which grew by 3.8% and a contribution to GDP of 3.3 pp.

"One of the factors that determined this growth was the increase in the labor remuneration fund, but also the increase in the remittances of the population, but also by the shadow economy," Victor Ursu believes.

At the same time, an indicator that the Moldovan economy is on the right track and looks good only in statistics is the volume of loans to the business. Credit lending continues to be anemic, even if interest rates on loans are very low. The balance of credits to the economy at the end of August 2018 was lower than the level recorded at the end of August 2017 by 1%, amounting to 38.2 billion lei.

Victor Ursu says Moldovan exports have maintained their upward trend registered last year mainly supported by the performance of the agricultural sector, but also by an increased demand from the EU. Some issues are also indicated. After a period of five quarters in which exports to CIS countries contributed positively to the evolution of total exports, in the second quarter of 2018 their dynamics slowed down, contributing to a moderation in the annual export rate.

For Labor Force, developments do not give reasons for optimism. First, because the number of the employed population remained at the level of the beginning of the previous year, while the number of unemployed diminished, which led to a negative dynamics of the economically active population.

In conclusion, Victor Ursu says that beyond the figures there are still many problems in the economy: productivity does not increase and the industry is stepping on the ground. The economy remains strictly dependent on agriculture with increased risks for production volume in the absence of investment and production markets.

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

The amount of state aid granted in 2016 was 5.6 billion ROL, which is 4.2% of GDP, which is far too high compared to international practices. This high volume of public resources directed from the budgets of central and local authorities to private entities under conditions of transparency and low efficiency raises some questions. But in the case of state aid, the line between the correction of market failures and the distortion of competition is very thin, the IDIS Viitorul expert, Diana Enachi, stated in the show "15 minutes of economic realism".

"The objective of the Competition Council is to reduce the level of state aid to 1% by 2020. For comparison, in Romania the amount of state aid granted in 2016 was 10,4% of RON - 1,5% of GDP", explained Diana Enachi.

In the Republic of Moldova, in the structure of the state aid distribution, according to the forms of granting in the period 2011-2016, the largest share was the fiscal facilities - 77.74% of the total value of the state aid. Most state aids are in the nature of giving up budget revenues.

The worst state aid problems in the Republic of Moldova are aimed at their efficiency and transparency. Therefore, we do not have a mechanism to monitor and control the efficiency of public money granted in the form of State aid to see how the beneficiary's economic situation changed after the aid was granted. And, with regard to transparency, it is regrettable that although we have a State Aid Register, it is intended exclusively for the authorities. In Romania and other European countries, state aid registers are open data platforms and provide information such as value and category of state aid, beneficiaries, industry, and grant period to any user.

In conclusion, Diana Enachi said that according to EU practice it is necessary to reduce the level of state aid. The indicator should be less than 1% of GDP without compromising support measures to correct market failures.

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.