The Economic Council under the PM has initiated a whole series of actions for the digitisation of the economy and the promotion of e-exports, which are contained in the Roadmap for the Digitisation of the Economy and the Promotion of E-Commerce.

The event also saw the presentation of the new electronic service launched by the Customs Service in partnership with the Moldovan Post Office for digitised and automated exports via international mail.

This service brings several benefits, directly to economic agents, such as:

• Digitization of the postal customs declaration CN22 and CN23, as well as the entire declaration submission process, without using the services of the customs broker;
• digitization of the entire process of interaction of the economic agent with the Customs Service and the Moldovan Post;
• exclusion of contact with the human factor in the control process;
• exclusion of the Detailed Customs Declaration for exports for goods up to 1000 euro; exclusion of the fee for customs procedures;
• the possibility of submitting this customs declaration for VAT refund;
• In a context where our country’s land logistics possibilities for exports are limited and access to the overseas buyer of Moldovan goods is more complicated, online sales present an enormous opportunity for increasing Moldova’s exports.
• obtaining electronic confirmation of export from the country.

Digitising customs procedures and stimulating e-exports is a first step in this direction, promoted by the authorities and the business community through the Roadmap, developed by the Economic Council under the PM, with EBRD support.

The Secretariat of the Economic Council to the Prime Minister is supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, funded by the UK Government’s Good Governance Fund, and the International Finance Corporation’s Investment Climate Reform Project funded by the Government of Sweden’s International Development Agency.

The document was elaborated based on the consultation of over 20 representatives from diverse economic sectors, as well as public authorities. The COVID-19 matrix pointed out the problems specific to the national economy’s sectors and also comes up with preliminary measures of overcoming the crisis.

According to official statistics, the overwhelming majority of the sectors face a decrease in sales, counteracted by reducing staff, postponing investments, decrease in budgets for marketing and promotion.

The matrix implies three types of actions needed to be implemented, in order to back an economic balance. The first measure sees the optimization of the normative framework, which includes 14 measures with major economic impact and which will bring about 57.5 million lei to the budget.

Thus, decision-makers are set to digitalize the economy, simplify the authorizations in constructions, export certificates, etc.

The second measure provides for adjustings to the taxation regime. Experts included here proposals which regard the elimination of distortions from the value chain in agriculture, reducing the shadow economy, facilities in young people’s employment.

The last string deals with economic stimuli and comprises 17 measures. They regard the offering of a larger volume of state guarantees, boosting the First Home programme, agricultural subsidies, irrigation systems, etc.

The PM said that the cabinet did its utmost to come up with measures of supporting economic agents where there is urgent need, as well as with diverse social measures, investments in infrastructure and providing opportunities to young people.

„We want to encourage the employment of young people, including those who return from the Diaspora. In this respect, we will further maintain the mechanism of subsidization for the sectors worst hit by the pandemic. If the person gets employed, the economic agent receives from the state budget 50 per cent of the payments related to the salary for each employee in next 12 months. In the case of employment of disabled people, 100 per cent is subsidized from the state budget,’’ the prime minister said.

Ion Chicu appreciated the work of economic experts and asked to continue discussions with concerned institutions on the measures provided for in the document. ‘’Thank you for the huge support you provided through the working out of this study. We must do so that a good deal of these proposals be materialized and implemented. We should find a middle way, which would ensure the budgetary balance, as well as the economic one,’’ the prime minister said.

The PM also said that some of the already accepted proposals would be included in the fiscal and budgetary policy for 2021.

The study of impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is carried out by the Economic Council jointly with the Economics and Infrastructure Ministry, with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, UK Government’s Good Governance Fund and the International Finance Corporation.

In this regard, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the two entities. A first action within this agreement is to inform the associative sector, members of the Economic Council, about 5 actions promoted during this period by ANOFM.

These are the facilities from the state that the employer can benefit for training the unemployed at work, employing vulnerable people, adapting jobs for people with disabilities and stimulating job creation and reducing unemployment in rural areas.

These topics are extremely current during this period, mentioned the representatives of the two entities. According to the head of the Secretariat of the Economic Council Ion Lupan, the actions promoted by ANOFM must be known by as many economic agents and potential employees as possible. People need to be informed about the opportunities they can benefit from during this difficult time. And the Secretariat of the Economic Council will be fully committed to supporting communication actions among the members of the platform, mentioned Ion Lupan.

In turn, the Director of the National Employment Agency Raisa Dogaru stressed the importance of signing the Memorandum of Cooperation with the Secretariat of the Economic Council, because the Economic Council is the largest public-private dialogue platform in Moldova where the voice of business is best heard.

Thus, through the Council, ANOFM will be aware of all requests from the business community, including on the activities of the Agency.

During the event, the parties agreed to organize within the platform of the Economic Council, at the beginning of October 2020, the webinar “Facilities offered to entrepreneurs for job creation and unemployment reduction”.

The Secretariat of the Economic Council to the Prime Minister is supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, funded by the UK Government’s Good Governance Fund, and the International Finance Corporation’s Investment Climate Reform Project funded by the Government of Sweden’s International Development Agency.