As a result of the consultations that took place during the meeting of the Economic Council from 9th of September, 2014, the Prime-Minister Iurie Leanca requested the National Agency for Food Safety (ANSA) to simplify the procedure of authorizing exports of agricultural products, while having as a goal the diversification of export destinations of national products, but also to broaden the access of small and medium companies on the foreign market.
Until 1st of December 2014, ANSA will finalize the adjustment of the normative basis that describes the procedure of obtaining the phytosanitary certificate for export. The number of intermediary documents requested for the issuance of the phytosanitary certificate will be reduced from 7 to 3, as a result of the up-mentioned action, the waiting time will be reduced from 5 to 3 days and the costs bore by the exporting economic agents will also be lowered.
More specifically, until 1st of December 2014, ANSA follows to accomplish the following changes:
- Internalization (without imposing additional costs) of two intermediary procedures, which contribute in obtaining the phytosanitary certificate and excluding them for the economic agents - excluding the character of permissive act concerning the performing of the phytosanitary check and of the quarantine expertise certificate for plants and products of vegetable origin, while maintaining of procedural obligation, which will be incorporated in the procedure of issuing the phytosanitary certificate (above).
- Excluding the obligation of presenting another two documents for obtaining the phytosanitary certificate: sale-purchase contract ("or ... another juridical act based on which the export is made") and of the expedition invoice or the fiscal invoice of the load - documents that do not concern the food security and the check of conformity based on risk criteria.
- Extension of the validity term of the certificate of expertise from 14 to 30 days for products stored out of contaminating danger, as well as eliminating territorial destination which is issued by the expertize certificate, in this way being available for any ANSA territorial office.
Also, the Prime-Minister requested ANSA to establish new exchange procedures of information between the territorial offices, Center for Quarantine and Customs Service, without the implication of the economic agent. The final goal is the establishment of the "unique window" for the phytosanitary certificate for export, the applicant following to submit the request to any of the territorial offices of ANSA and to pick up the certificate at the customs post of export indicated in the request, without making multiple visits at different state institutions.
As a result, the economic agents will not be forced to assure the communication between the state institutions, and will not feel the burden of obtaining intermediary acts from different structures. The waiting time of the phytosanitary certificate will be reduced from 5 days to maximum 3, and the implementation of all the up-mentioned measures in total will reduce significantly the costs bore and the burden of conformation for exporting economic agents.
As a consequence of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between Republic of Moldova and European Union, a significant improvement of commercial relations are expected between the entrepreneurs from Republic of Moldova and European Union, in the first place of producers and exporters of agricultural and agro-food products.
Meanwhile, in order to assure an equitable access on the foreign market for all the entrepreneurs, irrespective of the dimension of their businesses, it is necessary to fulfil a permanent simplification of procedures of issuing permissive acts at export, in the same time maintaining the quality control. The complicated procedures and excessive costs limit the access to the export market, especially to small companies, mostly concentrated in the agricultural and agro-food sector.