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On 14th of September, EBA coorganised an important event with DevelopmentAid, where high-representatives of the private and public institutions described programs implemented in Moldova, the way they work, their impact, and ways through which the private sector can access the help provided by multilateral donors and development agencies.
The panel discussions was opened by HE Pirkka Tapiola-Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova, HE Daniel Ionita-Romanian Ambassador to Republic of Moldova and Tudor Copaci-Secretary General of the Government of the Republic of Moldova. Mr. Tapiola mentioned in his speech the structural problems in SMEs and lack of a middle class as major problem, as these represent the backbone of any economy. The Head of the Delegation considers the return of emigrants and the intellectual capital they represent, and the development of rural areas crucial for the country’s future, underlining that our small country does have potential. He then continued his speech by listing the projects and agreements in place such as DCFTA, PARE 1+1, Black Sea Trade, Eastern Partnership, all contributing in alleviating the aforementioned issues. Nevertheless, fighting corruption, having a credible judicial system and respecting property rights are necessary preconditions for attracting more investors.
Mr. Ionita has spoken about the objective of helping Moldova succeed towards its efforts to the EU, emphasizing the need to support the business environment, and establish a sustainable and competitive economy as prerequisites. Among the instruments used by Romania for this purpose, he named the 100 million euro grant Agreement and local donations like kindergarden renovations, donation of school transportation, urban planning development and restoration of symbolic buildings in the Republic of Moldova, etc. Among the cross-border projects, the ambassador listed the establishment of SMURD Moldova, the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline project and export assistance for local producers in accessing the EU markets. Still, a continuity of the implemented reforms is crucial.
Mr. Copaci ended the discussion panel by stating that the development funds and programs serve as a catalyst for the national economy and talked about the National Development Strategy 2020 and AMP, the Aid Management Platform. The government prioritizes technical and financial grants and works on unlocking external financial assistance.
The EBA executive director-Mrs. Mariana Rufa commented on the previous statements, reiterating the problem of insufficient information about projects and the opportunities that these programs provide, but also the need for economic agents to be more active in the application process. Another important notice was related to the need for permanently updating the information on all relevant platforms, to make them more interactive, and to ensure a stronger link between the private sector and authorities.
The second panel discussion was led by government representatives, namely Veronica Vragaleva-Deputy Minister of Finance of the Republic of Moldova, Vitalie Tarlev-Deputy Minister of Information Technology and Communication of the Republic of Moldova, and Vasile Luca-Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Moldova. Mrs. Vragaleva mentioned that the task of the Ministry of Finance is to collect and manage public wealth, and when internal sources are not sufficient, to reach for external ones. Such transparent external cooperations have been transposed into collaborations with high-level EU consultants, in the establishment of the procurement system, of the accounting system, the TAMP system on modernizing tax management, and the e-Transformation project. These reforms need to be continued. Mr. Tarlev presented the National Strategy “Digital Moldova 2020”, which includes changes in the areas of infrastructure, education, services and security. Establishing a strong IT sector in Moldova is possible, since more than 80% of the population has access to online resources, and donors support in delivering the necessary financial instruments for strengthening this sector are of utmost relevance. Mr. Luca made a detailed presentation of the major ongoing and upcoming projects in the agricultural sector. He said the Ministry of Agriculture is open for any collaboration with donors that can support this main sector of the national economy. He also specified that more investments are sought in the livestock sector development, high value agriculture, post-harvest infrastructure, new markets opportunities, agricultural tourism sector and in accessing new markets. Related to the statements mentioned above, the EBA director praised the positive impact of the Ministry of Finance reforms for the credible businesses, added that the IT sector is a model of absorbing donor funds and accentuated the need for coaching on how to properly direct and capitalize these funds.
The final panel discussion included the donors that are implementing assistance programs in Moldova. Among them were Dimitri Gvindadze-Head of Operations in Moldova EBRD, Valentina Badrajan-Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Development Account of Millennium Challenge Corporation, Antonio Castillo-Head of Office in Moldova European Investment Bank, Narine Sahakyan-Deputy Resident Representative in Moldova UNDP, Gerhard Schaumberger-Head of Office in Moldova of Austrian Development Agency and Elena Corman-Procurement Specialist of World Bank. Each of them presented the assistance programs that their organisations provide, the results that have been obtained in Moldova and the need for post-program measures. All of them agreed that no matter how sophisticated these programs are, the Republic of Moldova needs a self-supporting model of development, which can only be performed in a stable macroeconomic environment.
The forum ended with the organisers’ presentations. DevelopmentAid showed the audience how to surf on their website in search of funding opportunities, and EBA promoted the activities and the possibilities that we offer to our members and to those who use the services that the association has developed. An informal networking session took place afterwards, where the economic agents had the unique chance to find out more about real funding opportunities form the donors themselves and their representatives.