On 14th of March, the World Bank and the Government of Moldova launched its Cost of Doing Business 2016 survey. On this occasion, EBA shared the opinion of the private sector on the survey findings.
The business sector and the central public authorities gathered together to discuss the latest findings of the annual World Bank report on the cost of doing business in Moldova, and the trends that have been identified for the last year. Mr. Alex Kremer, World Bank Country Manager for Moldova, presented the findings of the report, sharing details of the work that has been done and the subsequent results which simplified more the business environment. Mr. Octavian Calmac, the Minister of Economy, accentuated that the government is a pro-business one and is sustaining the entrepreneurial activity in the Republic of Moldova by developing a better legal framework in this direction. The Minister of Finance, Mr. Octavian Armasu, reiterated the need for constant improvement and for implementing the best EU practices in this regard.
EBA thanked the organisers for presenting issues up to a point, and recognized the close cooperation with the public authorities on diverse platforms, including joint work with agencies on some legal amendments, especially the cooperation on developing the Tax Policy. Nevertheless, the Association has witnessed certain unpredictable involvement in amending the law when it reaches the Parliament. The business encounters a confusing situation when there are no public discussions on important amendments, which lack clear mechanisms for implementation. This contributes to a negative perception of the country for potential investors. EBA has also mentioned the need to improve subordinated public authorities, so that the systems they are implementing are indeed functional.
On 6th of April, EBA will launch its Annual Business Issues document which will thoroughly describe the challenges of the business sector.