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PDCM

Together for the Country!

Program of the Political Party "Party for the Development and Consolidation of Moldova" (PDCM)

 

Contents:

Preambul

Strengthening the rule of law. Security of citizens and the state

European integration. Reintegration of the country. Balanced and predictable foreign policy

Developing the economy and strengthening public finances

Education, Research, Culture, Sport, Youth

Health protection

Social Protection and Employment

Development of public infrastructure and regions

Efficient agricultural sector

Environment and climate change

 

Preamble

The Republic of Moldova and the people of the country will prosper, and the current difficulties will be overcome! Just as our ancestors knew how to emerge victorious from multiple trials and balances throughout the centuries-old history of our people! At the foundation of the decision to create the PDCM is our firm conviction that in a relatively short time horizon, the state of affairs in the Republic of Moldova can be changed for the better, and people's lives can be significantly improved. It is only necessary to consolidate around the things that make us stronger and not around vain words that turn us against each other and weaken us as a nation.

For the past 30 years, "Divide and Conquer" has been the preferred strategy of politicians. To get to power, they divided people into good and bad, "with the east or with the west", in pro or con. A divided nation, however, cannot prosper, cannot hope for the future. The strong division of society by politicians is also the surest means of covering up corruption and lawlessness, and the principle "we do not give up our own" is common to those on the left and those on the right, regardless of who prevails in government.

At different stages, politicians have used different "slogans and lures" to turn us against each other: from utopias and geopolitical scares to interethnic destabilizations, from extremist nationalism to scenarios of federalizations or renunciation of statehood. They were just false, trivial smoke bombs to cover the intention to gain power and further divide the people. The division of society on various criteria can have only one result – the collapse of the nation and the loss of the independence and sovereignty of the state. With each electoral cycle, unconscious or premeditated, the current political class brings us closer to collapse. And if we admit this outcome, we will be cursed by the next generations and we will betray the memory of our ancestors.

We, the team of the Party for Development and Consolidation of Moldova, want to consolidate the citizens of the Republic of Moldova around common goals, desires that unite us, not divide us. We are fully convinced that all political forces in the country can identify these objectives and can combine their efforts and human potential to work in solidarity to achieve them. The primary task of the PDCM is to strengthen our society around the objective of integrating the Republic of Moldova, an independent and sovereign state, into the family of European countries. This objective is an existential one for our country and must acquire the status of a national idea!

There is a lot of work to be done to achieve the goal of European integration of our country, there is a lot to believe in ourselves to achieve this goal, there is a lot to recover from the trust of the European partners in the Moldovan politics, but the people who live on this holy land have always been worthy and hardworking, with a lot of patience and determination. We have a noble goal and we are sure of success!

The development of the country, by bringing pragmatic professionals and established intellectuals back to the forefront of the socio-economic and political life, is another objective that the PDCM team proposes. The people of Moldova already feel, in a practical way, what are the consequences of ignoring, over the years, the fields of Education, Medicine or Culture. The people of authentic value of the country - the talented scientists and young people, the artists and writers, the pedagogues and doctors, the innovative entrepreneurs and high-performance athletes, the professional patriots of the local and central public administration, who all constitute the pride and hope of any people, have been put on the back burner by politicians. As a consequence, the country was deprived of the driving force of development and prosperity. Valuable people from all fields, representatives of all ethnicities, who together with Moldovans constitute the people of the country, must return to the front line of the struggle for the prosperous future of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova.

Our Moldova is a bleeding heart. The country is dismembered by the unfair barrier on the Dniester, but also by the separation from its people who left among foreigners. The reintegration of the region on the left bank of the Dniester and the creation of conditions for the return of the diaspora home are vital objectives for our nation and a priority topic on the agenda of the PDCM. 

PDCM is a centrist political party, whose visions and objectives are anchored in our determination to restore the rule of law, order and democracy - an indispensable condition for the authentic assurance of freedoms and human rights, for the implementation of liberal economic policies that stimulate economic development, for increasing the budgetary and fiscal sustainability of the country and, implicitly, for increasing the financing capacity of the social field. Freedom of opinion and expression is the fundamental element of any developed society and is the pillar of the PDCM's activity, but ensuring these freedoms is possible only in the conditions of a strong democratic state, which can protect the democratic freedoms of citizens, both in front of public institutions and in front of radical elements in Moldovan politics. Ensuring respect for human rights and the functioning of the rule of law is also the main condition for hoping for the perspective of the European integration of our state, respectively an essential priority for the PDCM.

Endemic corruption, justice subservient to politics and "justice for the strongest" are the consequences of the weak and inefficient state. Big corruption is to be fought through effective control over spending and wealth, combined with harsh punishments. Petty corruption can be mitigated by ensuring sufficient salaries for a decent life, corresponding to contemporary standards. Independent justice is the fundamental element of any developed state and can be ensured by reviewing the mechanisms for appointing judges and prosecutors to key positions in the system, including in the composition of collegiate bodies.    

People will only care about their state if the state cares about people. Increasing the care of state institutions towards citizens by increasing the quality of public services is an objective, which should also become a common one for the political forces in the country, and this is the determining element for the citizen's attitude towards the state. The reform of the Central and Local Public Administration and the continuous adjustment of the public system to the socio-economic realities are the only possibility to put the state institutions at the service of the citizen,  to efficiently use citizens' money for the maintenance of the bureaucratic apparatus, but also to eliminate the unjustified administrative burden on economic activities. The PDCM will promote this reform, especially targeting the structure of the government and the second-level local administration.

Massive public investment in infrastructure is the main precondition for economic development, attracting private investment and creating new jobs. It is not possible to stop the exodus of the young population and bring people back from abroad, if the state does not provide them with quality roads, water and sanitation systems, energy security, but also an environment conducive to life. This approach, together with the emphasis on the development of the "green" economy and the reduction of the state's participation in the economy as an economic agent, are fundamental elements of the economic visions of the PDCM team and a priority objective for its achievement.

 

Strengthening the rule of law. Security of citizens and the state

The people of the Republic of Moldova regained their independence and sovereignty three decades ago. The process of building a strong and functional state, with efficient institutions oriented towards the good of the citizen and the country, to the regret of all of us, has dragged on. The political class has most of the time had as a priority the achievement of its less political goals, and the efforts to consolidate the state and its institutions have been either sporadic or declarative, but certainly without sustainable efficiency.

This attitude has generated, first of all, the deterioration of the functionality of the law institutions at their stage of becoming, and corruption is its most serious effect. Under these conditions, the credibility of citizens towards their own state has been eroded, and the reforms and policies promoted by the governments no longer have the support of the country's population. As a result, the political class is increasingly embracing populist and unaccountable approaches, which further aggravate the systemic problems faced by our country.

A state cannot exist without its citizens, and the citizen cannot realize his rights without the state. The development of mutual respect between the state and the citizen is a complex process, but not impossible. And here the goal is: The state must ensure respect for all socio-economic rights, dignity and prosperity of all its citizens (without exceptions), Citizens must respect the laws of the state (without exceptions)).  In a modern society this is how responsibilities are distributed.

The approach of the PDCM in these circumstances is based on the determination to strengthen the state and consolidate the society around existential reforms for the Republic of Moldova, assumed by us in this Program. 

 

PDCM priorities in reforming the political system and public administration

The focus of the political class predominantly on narrow party objectives and populist approaches has resulted in the establishment of an inefficient and illogical political system for the current conditions. Only irresponsible populism was the basis for the return at the beginning of 2003 to the territorial-administrative system based on districts, and in March 2016 - to direct presidential elections, in the conditions of the reduced powers of the President of the country. Narrow political interests and approaches contrary to democratic principles and values have practically reduced to zero the possibilities of the parliamentary opposition to actively participate in the political life of the country, de facto offering it only one instrument – the street and protests. This approach also had the effect of the obvious imbalances in the distribution of competences and available resources between the levels of public administration, reducing local public autonomy only to symbolic levels. The priority objectives of the PDCM in the field of public administration and the political system are the following:  

  • Redefining the constitutional system to ensure the independent functioning of all branches of power in the state on democratic, efficient principles and ensuring the immunity of the state from any attempts to usurp power;
  • The functioning of the political system on the principle of political responsibility for the act of governance, free competition and peaceful transfer of power;
  • Ensuring the implementation in practice of the principle of sovereignty of the people, reforming several aspects of the Parliament's activity, including discouraging political shifting, and resizing it taking into account socio-demographic developments;
  • Reassessing the role of the President of the Republic of Moldova in the system of public authorities and the relevance of the current way of electing the President of the country, considering this role;
  • Increasing the efficiency, accountability and transparency of the activity of state institutions subordinated to the Parliament, including by ensuring the right of the parliamentary opposition to hold the leading positions of these institutions, or by establishing mechanisms for periodic control (supervision) of their activity;
  • Implementing fair and non-discriminatory standards in the field of financing political parties and movements, and ensuring their real compliance with the provisions of the legislation in force;
  • Restoring the functionality and efficiency of the state's executive institutions and bringing them back to the service of citizens, including through their depoliticization;
  • Increasing the functional capacities of the public administration at all levels and the degree of professionalism and devotion to the public service of the employees in the public system, including by hiring them in service through a fair and equitable competition, based on the principle of meritocracy and respect for citizens and the state, but also by ensuring adequate material and moral motivation for the body of state officials;
  • Increasing the efficiency of the central public administration authorities and the accessibility of the public services provided by the AAPC, reviewing the current structure of the Government, including through the creation of the Ministry of European Integration – responsible for implementing the integration agenda in the European Union, the Ministry of Economy and Finance – responsible for promoting stimulating policies for the economic sector and ensuring the financing of infrastructure projects of national importance, Ministry of Infrastructure, Environment and Regional Development – responsible for the development of the country's infrastructure and environmental protection, Ministry of Health – responsible for resizing the health care system, modernizing it and orienting services to beneficiaries;
  • Increasing the quality of service to citizens by public administration authorities at local level, ensuring authentic decision-making and financial autonomy for LPAs, including through its reform. In particular, we aim to restructure the second level of the LPA, replacing the districts with an optimal number of regions, but also the first level of the local public administration – applying incentive investment mechanisms to adjust its structure to the needs of providing resources: high-level professionals, optimal conditions for carrying out tasks, etc.;
  • Delineation of competences and responsibilities (central-local level), respecting the principle of subsidiarity (each level of public authorities performs only those tasks that cannot be carried out effectively by a lower level – closer to citizens) and ensuring the cost-efficiency balance of public services;
  • Establishing professional and integrity criteria for candidates for positions of public dignity in central and local public authorities;
  • Strengthening the institutional capacities of the State Chancellery in the field of coordinating the activity of the local public administration;
  • Increasing the transparency of the public administration's activity and the continuous digitization of the interaction of officials with citizens and the business environment;
  • Reforming the public procurement system in order to make it more efficient and reduce the corruption risks related to this process.

 

PDCM priorities in the field of justice

The citizens of the Republic of Moldova are looking for justice, and the justice system in the country is not able to offer it to them. The major deficiencies of the justice system of the Republic of Moldova not only do not ensure adequate punishment of those who violate the law, but are often at the origin of the most serious crimes. Under the conditions of an independent and efficient justice system, such serious crimes as the robbery of the banking system, the "laundromat", the abusive takeover of businesses or colossal damage to the interests of the state, could not take place.  In Moldovan justice, it is also the main barrier for attracting private investments in the country's economy, but also for attracting external financial means for public investments in infrastructure.

The situation in which the justice system has reached is largely the result of the behavior of the political class, which has often used interference in the system to achieve its petty goals. The independence of the Prosecutor's Office as an institution, as well as of the prosecutors as procedural subjects, was not ensured. Each government has tried in one way or another to control the judiciary, from intimidation, to political appointments, to tolerating corruption and underfunding the system.

The Supreme Council of Magistracy has failed to create its own procedures to combat such phenomena, as well as potential conflicts of interest within the body of magistrates. The self-administration body of justice has become, rather, a platform for sterile discussions incapable of radically changing the situation created.

The dysfunctions of the justice system also significantly affect the image of our country abroad, and the failure to implement several reforms in this sector seriously compromises the collaboration with our development partners. The multiple appeals of the country's citizens to find justice at the European Court of Human Rights entail enormous reputational and material losses for the Republic of Moldova.

This situation can no longer be tolerated and provokes a well-founded wave of dissatisfaction on the part of those affected by the act of justice: either it is about litigants, i.e. those who turn to the judicial bodies to solve contentious problems, or it is about vigilantes, i.e. those who help or even carry out the act of justice (prosecutors,  lawyers, clerks, experts, bailiffs, judges). The main priorities of the PDCM in the field of justice are the following:

  • Strengthening justice in line with the recommendations of the Council of Europe;
  • Increasing the efficiency of justice, including by reorganising the Superior Council of Magistracy into a unified structure of the justice system, comprising both components of the justice system: judges and prosecutors;
  • Evaluating the entire body of prosecutors and magistrates, including in terms of their interests, in order to clean the justice bodies of corrupt and vulnerable people;
  • Implementation of an efficient system of verifying the integrity of aspirants to the position of judge and prosecutor, thus reducing the corruption risks in the justice system;
  • Ensuring competitiveness in the process of promotion and transfer of judges;
  • Ensuring the independence of the Prosecutor's Office through its constitutional and legislative recognition as an autonomous public institution within the judicial authority, whose self-administration should be ensured by a bicameral Council of Magistracy;
  • Reforming the system of disciplinary liability of prosecutors for disciplinary offences committed during service and subordinating the Inspectorate of Prosecutors to the body of self-administration of the judiciary;
  • Review the role of the Supreme Court of Justice and modernize the appeal system;
  • Modernization and consolidation of the legal and institutional framework of the penitentiary system and the probation system;
  • Strengthening and streamlining the activity of the liberal professions related to justice, including by reviewing the criteria for admission and retention in the legal professions, implementing successful international standards in this field, improving the mechanisms of disciplinary liability of freelancers, etc.;
  • Introduction of quality standards for the services provided by representatives of the liberal professions related to justice;
  • Increasing the efficiency of the system of forced execution of the court's decision, including by adjusting the legislative framework, reviewing the criteria for admitting persons in this process, admitting only upright professionals, capable of ensuring the performance of activities of public interest while respecting the rights and legitimate interests of the parties, modernizing the enforcement mechanisms, making debtors responsible, etc.;
  • Reform the mechanisms for the application of the insolvency procedure, in particular by conceptually modifying the regulations of the insolvency procedure and the activity of the authorized administrators, as well as the criteria on which their remuneration is built, focusing on the success of the administration and rehabilitation of the enterprise.

 

PDCM priorities in the fight against corruption

Endemic corruption is the main cause of the degrading situation in which the Republic of Moldova found itself after almost 30 years of independence. This phenomenon seriously affects all areas and has serious effects on the political system, the security of citizens and the country, the national economy and the morale of our society. Corruption is the main cause of poverty, economic underdevelopment and the exodus of people from the country.

Although the state institutions responsible for preventing and combating this phenomenon announce progress in eradicating it, society has completely different perceptions, and the indicators used by international bodies in the field largely confirm these perceptions. The derisory punishments given by the courts in cases of corruption, especially in those of "grand corruption", erode the confidence that justice applies the appropriate penalties.

We believe that the most important thing that everyone needs to understand is that the fight against corruption must not divide people into ours and the rest. It must work equally for everyone, regardless of the degree of friendship or kinship with the one who broke the law. The uniform application of justice is the approach for which the PDCM pleads with determination. The priority objectives for the PDCM in the fight against corruption are the following:

  • Toughening the penalties for acts of grand corruption: criminal fines and deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or to exercise certain activities in the public system;
  • Implement an effective mechanism for the application of financial penalties for acts of corruption, regardless of the sphere in which they are committed and the rank of the official. This mechanism will provide for pecuniary penalties significantly higher than the damage caused by the act committed, but also the deprivation of the corrupt of the right to hold public office in the future;
  • Focusing as a priority in preventing and combating systemic corruption, also called petty corruption, on a complex approach: on the one hand, adequate salary motivation in the budgetary system, including in areas at risk of corruption, and on the other hand, educating society in the spirit of knowledge of rights and intolerance towards corruption;
  • Increasing the efficiency of inter-institutional cooperation in the fight against corruption: ascertaining agents must qualitatively investigate criminal acts, prosecutors must carry out actions in order to hold guilty persons criminally accountable, and judges must rule on criminal cases in accordance with the law, independently, impartially, without any interference;
  • Ensuring the independence and support of the Prosecutor's Office in investigating and bringing to the dock the persons involved in the most serious acts of corruption, including the robbery of the banking system in 2012-2014, the concession of the airport, etc.;
  • Increasing the capacities and efficiency of the National Integrity Agency, including by ensuring clear requirements for declaring assets and personal interests.

 

PDCM priorities in the field of public and the state security

Since the proclamation of the independence of our state in 1991, the citizens of the country have always had well-founded objections regarding the capacity of the competent state institutions to ensure their personal security and private and public property. After the disaster of the 1990s, the criminogenic situation was partially recovered in the 2000s, but the population's perception of the level of public security continues to be below expectations. The numerous reforms implemented in the police bodies have not fully achieved their objectives, and the authority of the policeman in society has decreased considerably. One of the biggest problems for the public security system was insufficient funding and endowment. This has led to the reduction or even complete abolition of some important activities for preventing and combating crime, especially the institute of the sector policeman, the authority of the employee in the public order bodies and the educational work with young people. This approach has also generated the acute problem of the shortage of police personnel.

The state's approaches in the field of national defense must be anchored in the foreign policy of the Republic of Moldova, aimed at ensuring friendly relations and cooperation on principles of mutual respect with all partner states. In this regard, the major objective is to strengthen the security and defense sector in accordance with the national interests of the Republic of Moldova, considering the new challenges to national, regional and global security.

  • Strengthening the institute of the sector policeman, which has the key role of interaction with citizens, of the bodies empowered to ensure public security;
  • Expanding the implementation of the concept of community policing at national level, reorienting the repressive activity of police subdivisions towards a proactive and interactive one;
  • Ensuring the participation of local public authorities and the community in the management of the field of public order and security;
  • Strengthening the institutional and human capacities of the police bodies in the field of juvenile crime prevention and educational work with youth;
  • Increasing the institutional capacities of the state bodies responsible for ensuring public and state security, including by ensuring adequate funding and endowment, increasing the attractiveness of the profession for highly qualified persons, increasing the material and spiritual motivation of the army and police bodies, providing them with housing space through programs such as "First Home";
  • Implementation of rapid reaction mechanisms in the field of national security and defense, strengthening management systems and real-time monitoring of crisis situations;
  • Ensuring the increase of the quality of life, social protection and improvement of service conditions within the bodies of the national security and defense system.

 

European integration. Reintegration of the country. Balanced and predictable foreign policy

The Republic of Moldova is a sovereign and independent state, and its foreign policy must be oriented towards strengthening this status, relations on the principles of mutual respect and mutually beneficial economic and political cooperation with all states of the world. The country's foreign policy should also aim to facilitate the integration of the national economy of the Republic of Moldova into the international economic circuit, by attracting foreign investments in the country. 

The country's government and political class must be strengthened in order to identify a political solution for the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, for the evacuation of foreign military troops and ammunition from the national territory, for the territorial reintegration of the country. 

Another major objective of our state's foreign policy is to strengthen bilateral relations with neighboring states Romania and Ukraine, but also with our strategic partners, including the Russian Federation and the United States of America.

The foreign policy of the Republic of Moldova must become the consolidating element of our society, not what it has been in the last 25 years – a factor that divides society on geopolitical or ethnic criteria. The subject of the geopolitical vector has been cynically speculated by both right-wing and left-wing politicians, their real goal being not to fit the country into one union or another, but to come to power and split society.

The Party for Development and Consolidation of Moldova aims to consolidate the country's citizens around the objective of integrating the Republic of Moldova, an independent and sovereign state, into the family of European countries. This objective is an existential one for our country and must acquire the status of a national idea!

The implementation of the principles and objectives of political, economic, legal, social and cultural development enshrined in the Association Agreement between Moldova and the EU must become the joint commitment of the entire society, and the political class is obliged to ensure the leading role in this process. Legislation adopted on the basis of European regulations must be properly implemented at the level of the fundamental rights of every citizen and entrepreneur: the right to healthcare, social protection, food and non-food safety, accessibility of services, competitive environments, etc. The EU market is the largest market on our continent, and we must become an integral part of it. The freedoms of the EU's internal market are at the heart of European integration. That is why the renewal of the Association Agreement and sectoral integration is a key priority for the party in the short term.

The Republic of Moldova has its future in the united family of European countries. The integration of our state into the EU is also the only solution to overcome the economic problems faced by the country, but also to preserve statehood. Identifying a solution for the territorial reintegration of the country is still possible only in the conditions of the integration of the European state of our state.  The priority objectives of the PDCM for the European integration agenda, the field of foreign policy and the settlement of the Transnistrian problem are the following:

  • Boosting and coordinating the actions of the state authorities for the implementation of the Association Agreement with the European Union, including through the creation of the Ministry of European Integration;
  • Implement the reforms agreed with the EU and advance in the implementation of the Association Agreement as a basic precondition and basis for negotiating with the European Union to provide a formal perspective of integration;
  • Ensuring dialogue with the EU and EU Member States at all levels in order to implement the Moldovan course of obtaining the European perspective;
  • Elaboration, taking into account the current status of association with the EU, of proposals to update the Association Agreement between the Republic of Moldova, on the one hand, and the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community and their member states, on the other part (hereinafter - the Association Agreement);
  • Further liberalization of trade between Moldova and the EU within the Extended and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, including the elimination of trade barriers to trade, by: carrying out all necessary measures for the conclusion of an Agreement on conformity assessment and acceptance of industrial goods; intensifying and continuing the sectoral integration of the Republic of Moldova into the EU with the support of the EU and the EU Member States;
  • Inclusion of the European integration priority on the agenda of local authorities, according to the development priorities of local communities (Decentralization of European integration);
  • Obtaining support from the EU and its member states for the further sectoral integration of the Republic of Moldova into the EU;
  • Promoting a coherent, consistent and balanced foreign policy, in order to strengthen relations with all international partners;
  • Promoting effective economic diplomacy in order to attract foreign investments in the country's economy and expand the possibilities of selling Moldovan goods and services on international markets;
  • Strengthening the capacities of diplomatic and consular missions in ensuring a higher degree of protection and providing more qualitative and extensive public services to the citizens of the Republic of Moldova abroad;
  • Identification of the political solution of the Transnistrian conflict, in accordance with the principle of respect for the territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova within the limits of internationally recognized borders;
  • Complete and definitive withdrawal of foreign military troops and ammunition from the territory of the Republic of Moldova;
  • Promoting the economic integration of both banks of the Dniester River and increasing the number of socio-economic projects implemented in order to bring citizens and communities closer together;
  • Extension of the coverage of the population on the left bank of the Dniester with public services provided by the institutions subordinated to the constitutional authorities of the Republic of Moldova.

 

Developing the economy and strengthening public finances

After almost three decades since the proclamation of its independence, the Republic of Moldova has still not managed to reach the quantitative parameters of the national economy until 1990. The transition of the economy from the old system to the market economic model was carried out in an inefficient and irrational, and often barbaric, way. The country's economic potential has not been adapted to the new realities, but it has been largely destroyed and stolen. What was supposed to become a cornerstone for building a strong economy based on the principles of the market economy, has become, due to incoherent economic policies, rather a stone that has sunk the economy. The governments that have been at the helm of the country over the years have failed to define the optimal role of the state in the economy, preferring most of the time inadequate regulations of economic activities and excessive involvement in the economic circuit. The state continues to manage important assets in the economic sector, missing each time the optimal moment of their denationalization. Inefficient economic and fiscal policies, abusive involvement of state institutions in the economy, persecution in order to take over businesses from corrupt officials, lack of guarantees and security of capital, have discouraged investments in economic development, causing a chain of major problems for all areas of the country's socio-economic life.

One of the major deficiencies of the state's policies in the economic field was the weak correlation between the objectives of economic development and the budgetary-fiscal ones, and the state structures responsible for these areas often pursued narrow institutional interests. The PDCM considers it judicious to review these approaches, ensuring the harmonization and synchronization of the state's economic and budgetary-fiscal policies by assigning these competences to a single central public authority – the Ministry of Economy and Finance. This would ensure a better correlation not only at the level of economic and fiscal-fiscal policies, but would also contribute to the identification of a reasonable and optimal balance in the field of state control of economic activities, including tax and customs.

The PDCM will promote stimulating policies for economic development, based on the synchronization of the reduction of the administrative-fiscal burden with the increase of the degree of fiscal compliance of economic agents. Reducing the phenomenon of the shadow economy and eliminating tax discrimination against honest economic agents are crucial elements for ensuring significant economic growth. To this end, the state will continue to reduce the rates of some taxes and duties in parallel with increasing fiscal discipline, to review the existing tax facilities in terms of their efficiency, to ensure fair competition in the field of trade through efficient and fair regulations of activities based on entrepreneurial patents and online commercial operations. The tax incentives are to be applied mainly to support the development of small businesses, innovative economic branches, such as Information Technologies and Green Economy, to support the creation of new jobs, but also for programs aimed at the economic inclusion of young people and our fellow citizens abroad. 

The participation of the state at the operational level in the economy must be minimal, and the economic assets currently held by public institutions are to be denationalized and transferred to the private sector for investments and a much more efficient management. The state is to withdraw from economic activities unsuitable for the attributions and destination of its institutions, including rail transport of goods and passengers, various services and industries, etc.

One of the essential impediments in attracting private investment in the economy is the degrading state or even the total lack of public infrastructure, including quality roads, water and sewerage networks, gas and energy. The state is to significantly amplify public investments in infrastructure, directing important financial resources for this purpose. Having one of the lowest rates of state indebtedness in Europe, the Republic of Moldova can attract significant financial resources from international financial institutions and foreign financial markets for this purpose.

One of the pillars of the PDCM's economic policy is the focus on the reindustrialization of the country, reorienting exports of raw materials and products with low added value to modern industries, generating added value and new qualitative fiscal effect. This approach would allow us to efficiently and rationally capitalize on the vast opportunities offered to the Republic of Moldova by the free trade agreements with several of the country's trading partners, in particular the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the European Union. The industrial platforms initiated in the 18 districts of the country are to become centers of economic development of adjacent regions and a destination for private investments in various industries.

An enormous economic and fiscal potential is represented by the services sector, including tourism and HORECA, but which remains to be capitalized in the Republic of Moldova at extremely low levels. The sector can be the main generator of jobs and a considerable source for the public budget. The state is to implement a complex of fiscal and regulatory incentives in this sector to boost investments and job creation.

The pandemic and the restrictive sanitary measures applied by the authorities have affected the economic activity of entire sectors of the national economy. The Government's possibilities to support these sectors are limited by the insufficient financial resources it can direct for these purposes. The fair approach in terms of society's effort to form the public budget is to provide support to economic agents in correlation with their level of social responsibility, including in terms of maintaining jobs and adequate remuneration of employees. In this regard, the mechanism of subsidizing from the budget some tax payments (fees and taxes related to salary) made by economic agents during the pandemic crisis is to be extended and implemented even after the end of this crisis.

The approaches listed above can help replace the remittance-financed consumption model with a dynamic model based on entrepreneurship, openness to competition, innovation, massive private investment and the re-employment of more citizens, including those currently abroad, in economic sectors. The priority objectives of the PDCM in the field of economic development and the budgetary-fiscal system:

  • Assigning competences in promoting economic and budgetary-fiscal policies to a single ministry, thus ensuring a maximum correlation between economic growth policies and those oriented towards budgetary-fiscal consolidation;
  • Redefining the competences of the administrative authorities subordinated to the Government and of the independent public authorities, empowered with functions of control and regulation of the entrepreneurial activity, including the principles of operation and financing of their activity;
  • Diminishing the state's involvement in economic processes, whose role should be limited to developing and promoting policies to support and promote business, not involvement in business or exaggerating with regulations that hinder the development of business and the country's business climate;
  • Stimulating the export of high value-added products through reindustrialization and increasing export potential, but also through fiscal instruments such as the implementation of an average VAT rate, undifferentiated for the entire value chain;
  • Implementation of the smart economic development program of the regions with a focus on the rehabilitation of SMEs, reconnection to markets and supply chains, improving competitiveness, improving capacities in key areas, ensuring a level playing field;
  • Increasing the accessibility of financial credit resources for small and medium-sized businesses, using state-sponsored guarantee instruments. Review of the regulations on microfinance in order to increase the degree of protection of debtors against creditors;
  • Implementation of the program to accompany the development of small and medium-sized businesses, a basic element of which will be the partial subsidization by the state of the cost of accounting services, provided by specialized companies to economic agents in small and medium-sized businesses;
  • Boosting e-commerce exports by simplifying customs procedures and formalities, as well as developing the infrastructure related to this sector (customs terminal);
  • Amplifying the Government's direct support measures for economic development and creating new jobs, including by:
    • granting subsidies for the employment of people representing target groups (young people, diaspora, vulnerable people);
    • subsidizing personal income tax paid by young employees up to the age of 25;
    • subsidizing the income tax of legal entities in the amount of personal income tax paid by its female and young employees up to 25 years of age;
    • encouraging the creation of back-offices in the Republic of Moldova of large companies (fields: logistics, human resources, call-centres, packaging, telephony, consultancy, technical support, etc.);
    • stimulating investments in fixed assets and equipment, through subsidy instruments and access to financing, including interest subsidies;
  • Updating the norms for the construction, organization and categorization of public catering units, at the moment being applied those over 40 years old;
  • Development of product quality infrastructure, aimed at eliminating barriers in the export of Moldovan products to international markets;
  • Adapting university and vocational-technical education to the ever-evolving needs of the national and world economy;
  • Simplifying the tax legislation and adapting it to the new economic processes, eliminating ambiguities/interpretability of several provisions of the tax legislation and harmonizing the regulations related to VAT and excise duties to the European directives, by adopting a new Fiscal Code;
  • Harmonization of tax legislation and practice regarding the deductibility of representative expenses with the corresponding provisions applied in the EU area;
  • Establishment of an independent mechanism for economic agents to challenge the decisions, actions and/or inactions of the tax and customs administration bodies;
  • Adoption and implementation of the new Customs Code harmonized with European legislation, which would facilitate the integration of the national economy into the single European system, boosting international trade with the countries of the European Union;
  • Increasing the state's investment capacities in the public infrastructure by accessing the international financial markets, but also a more active liquidity management on the domestic market, developing new financial instruments.

 

Education, Research, Culture, Sport and Youth

A nation that does not invest primarily in education and culture cannot prosper in any other field and is doomed to extinction.  It is an absolute axiom, valid throughout the ages, but which in the dark periods of history is ignored, and the results of such an attitude are not long in coming.

Since the proclamation of the independence of our state, the greatest costs of the interminable transition have been borne by the fields of education, culture, research, health care and other priority branches for any people, and the intelligentsia has been gradually denied the role of promoter in the most important aspects of political and socio-economic life. The current moral and material degradation, this "dark age" that we are now experiencing, is the direct consequence of this attitude towards priority areas.

The government policies implemented in the field of education over the years have generated major shortcomings for all levels of the educational process. The superficial endowment of educational institutions, the degradation of their infrastructure and the irresponsible approaches in the material and moral motivation of teachers, are at the origin of these deficiencies, substantially affecting the educational process and the quality of studies.

The PDCM has as its basic objective in the field of education to ensure adequate conditions and access for all children and young people to quality education adapted to the developments of the socio-economic life. This goal can be achieved by investing sufficiently and rationally in the public and private education systems. Adequate budgetary financing of the fields of education, research, culture, sports and other socially important areas is possible to ensure in the conditions of an efficient and responsible distribution of available resources and an economic leap.

The restoration of the prestige of the intellectual professions and the "authority" of their bearers will bring back to the fore the general human values on which the level of civilization of a society depends.

The shortage of staff in priority areas for society is the main problem, and the inadequate motivation of teachers, creative people, sports employees and performance athletes is the main cause of the shortage of staff. The example of the substantial increase in salaries in the medical system during 2020 must and can be replicated in other social areas.

 

The priority objectives for the fields of education, research and culture are the following:

  • Creating sufficient conditions and capacities for the employment of children in educational institutions, especially in early education institutions and primary and secondary education institutions;
  • Adequate motivation of the teaching staff: increasing salaries, modernizing working conditions, simplifying the bureaucratic aspects of the teaching activity, implementing policies for adequate socio-economic protection of teachers, promoting and stimulating employment in rural areas, etc.;
  • Continue curricular reform and accelerate the adaptation of curricula to social and economic trends and needs;
  • Revitalization and promotion of extracurricular and extracurricular educational activities: cultural-artistic and scientific education, civic education, sports, environmental protection, technological and informational education, road education, etc.;
  • Modernization and development of the infrastructure of educational institutions: water and sanitation insurance, other networks and utilities; gyms, laboratories for practical lessons; digital libraries; information technologies and communications in the educational process, etc.;
  • Ensuring the quality nutrition of children in educational institutions and applying new forms of food insurance and implementing rigorous control throughout the chain: from public procurement to delivery of the finished product to children;
  • Stimulating and further expanding dual vocational education programs, increasing and promoting the attractiveness of this form of education for both students and economic agents;
  • Strengthening the capacities of the technical vocational education system: teachers, training conditions, relevant practical study programs, etc.;
  • Increasing the efficiency of university education, by increasing university autonomy, promoting accountability and transparency in higher education institutions, supporting the development of qualitative university study programs relevant to the needs of the national economy;
  • Reassessing the quality of the work of the national research and development institutes based on indicators such as: results; public/private beneficiaries; topicality of projects - modern directions, innovative themes; the usefulness, recognition and capitalization of research results; the economic and social impact and efficiency of the application of research and development results;
  • Reorientation of policies in the scientific and innovation field towards increasing the competitiveness capacity of the research and innovation system based on the principle of knowledge-based economy;
  • Implementation of programs for the promotion of young researchers and encouragement of the repatriation of the Moldovan scientific diaspora;
  • Identifying the priority areas in which the research-development-innovation activity in Moldova would be concentrated and which would ensure us a competitive advantage on the European research market;
  • Mapping the existing cultural infrastructure and promoting the investments necessary to support and develop the cultural infrastructure: museums, theaters, libraries, performance halls, galleries, headquarters of creative unions;
  • Accelerating the reconstruction of the "Serghei Lunchevici" National Philharmonic.

 

The priority objectives of the PDCM for supporting youth and sports are the following:

  1. Developing the capacities of sports and volunteering education in schools and communities. Promoting mass sport and developing sports infrastructure accessible to all. Developing and supporting, with the involvement of the local public administration, the continuous practice of physical and sports activities;
  2. Supporting and promoting performance sports, facilitating the use of public infrastructure in the development of modern training conditions. Adequate motivation of the results obtained by coaches and performance athletes;
  3. Eliminating any restrictions or discrimination in the way of integrating young people into the educational process and supporting young researchers;
  4. Providing opportunities for the development of young people's skills in various fields, including by providing appropriate spaces;
  5. Creating an attractive scholarship system that ensures equal and non-discriminatory access to education for all young people;
  6. Developing the culture of volunteering at the level of the national education system and introducing mechanisms for its monitoring and evaluation;
  7. Development of entrepreneurship centers at university level where young people can develop their entrepreneurial skills;
  8. Development of tertiary level study programs, harmonized with the requirements of the labor market, in order to increase the degree of insertion of young people in the labor market;
  9. Integration of young people into the labour market through the development of policies that ensure a high level of growth and sustainable employment, based on knowledge;
  10. Encouraging the employment of young staff in the labor market by implementing budgetary-fiscal facilities based on mechanisms for subsidizing taxes on salaries paid for young employees;
  11. Supporting the development of young people in rural areas, ensuring equal opportunities for all young people in the country.

 

Health protection

The field of health care, together with that of education, research and culture, must be the absolute priority for any society that aspires to economic and social development. The ignorance over the years of this undeniable axiom by the political class of the Republic of Moldova has caused the reduction of the capacities of the medical system and the deepening of systemic problems in this field. Moreover, this attitude of politicians towards the people (intellectuals) in these fields has determined the diminishing of the presence and role of this driving force of the development of any modern society in the socio-political processes, which has led to the systemic degradation of the state. 

Insufficient funding and pseudo-reforms implemented in the health care system during 2010-2017 generated major functional deficiencies and risks in the field. The most obvious and critical being: the insufficiency of medical staff at all levels and the derisory endowment of public medical institutions with medical equipment and devices, including the progressive deterioration of their infrastructure. Today, the country's medical system endures largely due to the responsible attitude, dedication to the doctor's vocation, patriotism and enthusiasm of the country's medical professionals.  It cannot continue indefinitely, although the political class often considers this factor as an inexhaustible resource.    

Only the exemplary mobilization capacity of doctors and medical personnel in the country made it possible to avoid the collapse of the medical system during the COVID19 pandemic. Despite the chronic under-endowment of the country's medical system with human resources, equipment and devices, all citizens of the country have received medical care and treatment of COVID-19 infection, the country registering a fatality rate following cases of infection with this virus below the European average. The pandemic has highlighted several shortcomings in the public health system, which are to be removed quickly and efficiently, considering the risk of perpetuating pandemics globally in the coming decades.

A special emphasis must be placed on the organization and contracting of medical services according to the needs of the population, through the strategic procurement of medical services. Approval of the criteria for contracting medical service providers (regardless of the type of ownership) within the mandatory health insurance system. An important role for the functioning and modernization of the country's medical system can also be played by optional medical insurance, a field that is just about to be developed in our country.

An equally important role in the health care system of the Republic of Moldova is to be attributed to the private sector, which in recent years has demonstrated a significant investment and competitive potential for this field. In this context, the state is to adjust the system of compulsory health insurance, increasing the access of private medical institutions to funding from FAOAM, by establishing transparent and fair contracting criteria for all participants and for the entire spectrum of services. For the functioning and modernization of the country's medical system, the field of optional medical insurance is to be capitalized, which, although regulated, remains unattractive.

The shortage of medical staff is the most acute problem faced by the health care system in the country, and an eventual perpetuation of the exodus of specialists from the system would bring public medicine in the country to the brink of collapse. The state is to continue in the coming years the implementation of increased measures to motivate employees in the medical system, including through relevant salary policies, modernized working conditions and adequate social guarantees offered to medical professionals.

The balanced policy of distribution of resources in the field of health care – both human and financial and technical resources – will certainly constitute the necessary support for achieving the basic purpose of the system: strengthening the health of the population. Thus, we will be able to offer accessible and equitable medical services for each person, while ensuring balance in the development of public and private medical and health institutions, of different levels and in all regions of the country.

By virtue of recent developments in the field of media and the increasingly frequent trends of misinformation of public opinion on public health topics, it is necessary to develop and implement a governmental program to educate the population, in order to raise awareness of the basic aspects and main risks related to this field. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the major risks posed by disinformation on public health topics, including the lack of cooperation of citizens and even the obstruction of sanitary-epidemiological measures taken by the authorities, reluctance to vaccination campaigns, etc. The priority objectives of the PDCM in the field of health care are the following:

  • Streamlining the health governance system, both at central and local level by developing and implementing policies from the perspective of the "no person should be left without access to healthcare" approach;
  • Developing and applying a transparent decision-making process, according to European standards, by increasing the level of accountability of health system institutions;
  • Increasing the responsibility of all factors involved in the management of public financial resources, which will ensure the sustainable development of the health care system;
  • Ensuring the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through the implementation of effective health policies;
  • Elaboration and implementation of the normative framework related to the development of the rehabilitation service in the Republic of Moldova;
  • Strengthening the public health surveillance system, increasing capacities for identifying and monitoring risks, capacities throughout the intervention chain and assessing the impact of public health measures;
  • Promoting the health policies necessary to strengthen the agenda of scientific research, academic and didactic activities in the health system;
  • Increasing the potential of the health system for prevention, intervention and response to public health emergencies;
  • Development and implementation of instruments for ensuring and controlling the quality of medical services provided to the population, by strengthening the human, technical-material potential, endowment with medical devices, laboratories, medicines, high-performance technologies of medical institutions and State Surveillance of Public Health;
  • Raising awareness of the need to observe a healthy lifestyle at all stages of life and reducing the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, strengthening the integrated control of risk factors for the health of the population;
  • Ensuring access to medical services for all potential beneficiaries, improving the quality of medical services provided, reducing differences between various social groups, various regions of the country and increasing the level of patient satisfaction, including ensuring continuity in the provision of services with a focus on the individual, family, community;
  • Strengthening the role of primary medicine in the health system with a focus on promoting a healthy lifestyle, early detection of diseases, surveillance of people in outpatient conditions, community care and development of medical rehabilitation services;
  • Supporting AAPL's efforts in developing and strengthening the primary care infrastructure in rural localities;
  • Increasing the capacities of the hospital sector by making hospitals more efficient and technological, organizing the service by estimating the profiles and the number of beds according to the needs of the population;
  • Review and re-establishment of the complete chains of providing healthcare services, to insured and uninsured persons;
  • Involving the non-governmental sector as a valuable partner in the provision of alternative and supportive medical services, community and home care;
  • Involvement of professional organizations and beneficiaries of health services (including patients) in the process of developing, implementing and monitoring health policies;
  • Stimulating the local pharmaceutical industry, broadening the spectrum of production of medicines, phyto-therapeutic preparations; the creation of joint ventures, oriented towards exports;
  • Stabilization of public procurement mechanisms in health in order to provide uninterrupted medicines and consumables to medical institutions in order to guarantee the continuity of the medical act, as well as to exclude non-compliant payments for medicinal preparations or medical services;
  • Ensuring the transparency of public procurement in health, strengthening the role and coordination capacities of CAPCS in compliance with the deadlines for planning, carrying out and carrying out public procurement contracts in health;
  • Intensification of the digitization of processes in the health care system, which would ensure a new qualitative level in information processing and ensuring the circuit of medical information in electronic format between various structures of the health system and interconnected;
  • Updating and adjusting the requirements and demand for training of scientific and research professionals, medical professionals and medical personnel, according to the needs and trends of development of the health care system, while ensuring the financing opportunities of these measures;
  • Improvement of the mechanisms of recruitment, continuous education, maintenance and development of human resources in the health system;
  • Streamlining the management of human resources in health by implementing effective methods of motivating staff: salary motivation, ensuring safety at work, providing housing through state programs such as "First Home", quality and safe early education services for families with young children, etc.;
  • Mobilization of sufficient financial means, in accordance with the financing indicators initially based on the MBPA system and their efficient use for the needs of the health system;
  • Strengthening regulatory capacities and practices in the field of medicines and medical devices, aligning with international standards to ensure the quality, safety and efficiency of medical products and medical devices placed on the market;
  • Increasing access to pharmaceutical services in the rural sector of the country;
  • Development of the system for monitoring and reducing the risks associated with the use of medicines and medical devices, guaranteeing pharmaceutical safety;
  • Reducing the financial burden on the population by ensuring fair prices and ensuring equitable access to medicines and medical devices, including by expanding access to compensated medicines.

 

Social Protection and Employment

The field of social protection remains a priority, resulting from the multiple problems affecting the population's standard of living. The demographic trends in Moldova are alarming from the perspective of the reduction of the birth rate, the aging of the population, as well as the emigration of the labor force. These phenomena condition imperative measures on the political agenda in order to ensure financial sustainability and increase the population's confidence in the social security system, as well as to strengthen a social assistance system correlated with the real needs of people in difficulty.

The populist political initiatives promoted in the last decade have distorted the social protection system. Unfortunately, their effect was short-term and with little impact on the well-being of the population. We attest that so far, the mechanism that would provide social guarantees to people employed in agriculture has not been identified. The share of minimum pension beneficiaries is constantly increasing, and the "social pressure" on people who work and contribute to the state social insurance budget is 1.2 employees for the payment of a beneficiary's pension. All of the problems exposed substantially reduce the possibility of increasing social security benefits.

Demographic decline requires proactive measures to support families with children. The social benefits granted for raising a child are determined by the parent's status as an insured or uninsured person, although the needs for the care and development of children are identical. Ante-preschool and pre-school educational institutions are underdeveloped, especially in rural localities, and require the diversification of their forms of organization and functioning, which will allow the economic empowerment of women, the practical implementation of reconciling family and professional life, as well as stimulate the increase in the birth rate.

The situation on the labour market is critical, the basic employment indicators are at a low level. The policies in the field have not had the expected impact on the increase of formal employment, based on economic competitiveness, adequate skills and qualifications to ensure sustainable and inclusive development. The lack of correlation of the education system with the requirements of the labor market for better qualifications and competences had negative effects on the valorization of human potential and the accentuation of the migration phenomenon. The Republic of Moldova has a high rate of young people not employed in the labor market.  A major problem is the distribution of the active population and the employed population depending on the environment of residence, and active employment measures are needed for the population in rural localities.

Although the Republic of Moldova has made some progress in the field of respect for the rights of persons with disabilities, the need for effective measures of social protection, access to infrastructure and inclusion in the active socio-economic circuit remains current. As a result of the need to ensure respect for human rights, to guarantee a dignified standard of living throughout life, the priority objectives of the PDCM in the field of social protection and employment are the following:

  • Ensuring social protection measures for the elderly and people with disabilities by strengthening social benefits;
  • Establishing new benefits for elderly and disabled people with low incomes in order to increase social protection measures;
  • Guaranteeing the right to social security benefits for citizens of the Republic of Moldova who work/have worked abroad on the basis of bilateral agreements in the field of social security;
  • Intensifying social protection measures for war veterans and their family members;
  • Strengthening the Social Assistance Program by directing it to the poorest families, reducing dependence on the program by implementing active employment measures in the labor market;
  • Ensuring with technical aids the elderly and disabled people and the access of people in difficulty to quality social services according to their needs;
  • Supporting local public administration authorities in developing and ensuring the financial sustainability of social services addressed to different groups of people;
  • Implementation of proactive national policies in the field of demographic security and support for families with children;
  • Ensuring effective measures for the protection of children left without parental protection;
  • Diversification and implementation of active employment measures;
  • Development of training programs by correlating job demand and employer offers;
  • Development and implementation of social entrepreneurship;
  • Managing the labour migration process, including through the conclusion of Labour Migration Agreements;
  • Liberalization and modernization of labor relations by amending the Labor Code and the corresponding normative framework;
  • Ensuring the right of persons with disabilities to social inclusion;
  • Strengthening the mechanism for the protection and assistance of victims of violence against women and domestic violence;
  • Implementing effective mechanisms to prevent and combat violence, neglect and exploitation of children, as well as ensuring access to justice and assistance measures for victims of domestic violence;
  • Promotion of measures to reconcile work and family life for men and women.

 

Development of public infrastructure and regions

The precarious and totally outdated state of public infrastructure (roads, water and sanitation, energy, waste management, etc.) is the main impediment to the development of the economy, attracting private investments in the economy and is one of the main causes of the exodus of the country's population.

The massive investments of the state in the development of public infrastructure are the main precondition for ensuring an economic leap of the country, so it is one of the basic priorities of the PDCM. Significant financial resources for these purposes must be attracted from abroad, by connecting the country to international financial markets.

The priority objectives of the PDCM in the field of public infrastructure and regional development are the following:

  • Implementation of a National Program for the construction of public infrastructure, focused on 3 main elements – the road network, water supply and sanitation, solid waste management infrastructure. Financing the projects provided for in this Program by attracting the necessary means from international financial institutions and foreign financial markets;
  • Construction and reconstruction of the national, regional and local road network;
  • Increasing the level of energy security of the country, including through the implementation of the energy interconnection project with the European Union and the development of the energy sector based on renewable sources;
  • Development of main water supply networks from the two major surface sources (Prut and Dniester), so that localities have access to alternative water sources, other than groundwater;
  • Connecting the localities to the already existing main aqueducts and building the sewerage infrastructure in the country's localities;
  • Streamlining the financing mechanism for regional development projects from the four national funds (Road Fund, National Fund for Regional Development, National Ecological Fund, Energy Efficiency Fund);
  • Establishment of a national contribution guarantee fund for cross-border and transnational cooperation projects;
  • Increasing living conditions by implementing policies for the development of urban and rural localities;
  • Ensuring the implementation of a polycentric urban development program, so as to create a network of developed cities that could increase the competitiveness of the development regions, but also of the cities themselves in relation to the cities in the border regions (Iasi, Galati, Botosani, Odessa, Iampoli etc.);
  • Implementation of the LEADER programme and the necessary regulations for the activity of the Local Action Groups;
  • Development of tourism infrastructure in order to develop rural tourism and support the economic activities of guesthouses.

 

Efficient agricultural sector

The exodus of the country's population has left our villages deserted, and the economic base of the country's villages and regions has deteriorated significantly. Agriculture is the economic sector that determines the material well-being of the rural sector, and the state policies must be oriented towards modernizing this sector and increasing its protection against unfavorable climatic phenomena.

The agricultural sector and animal husbandry are the branches of the national economy, which have suffered the most due to inadequate economic and fiscal policies, largely due to the populism of politicians. Incorrect approaches from a fiscal point of view and distortions on the production value chain have turned Moldova's agriculture into a banal supplier of raw materials on foreign markets, with extremely low surplus value generating activities. With serious consequences for the manufacturing industry and animal husbandry, these ineffective policies have also hit farmers and producers of primary agricultural production.

The volumes of resources allocated by the state to subsidize the agricultural sector and animal husbandry, as well as the way these subsidies are allocated, have not significantly contributed to the modernization of the sector and to increase its degree of resistance to droughts and other harmful phenomena.

In order to revitalize the agrarian sector, it is necessary to restore the infrastructure for irrigation of agricultural land. As in the case of public infrastructure, the financial means necessary for the reconstruction of the irrigation system will be allocated from the state budget, on account of attracting financial resources from foreign markets. The priority objectives of the PDCM for the agricultural and livestock sector are the following:

  • Adapting to climate change and increasing productivity in agriculture by increasing access to irrigation and efficient water management through major public investments in irrigation infrastructure and other measures, including by stimulating by the state the process of efficient exploitation of irrigable land, incentivizing agricultural producers who implement conservative soil tillage, conversion to organic (conventional) agriculture and climate change adjustment technologies (small-scale irrigation and the creation of water catchment basins);
  • Streamlining the subsidy system of the agricultural and livestock sector, emphasizing investments in modern technologies, stimulating the seed production branch better adapted to the climatic conditions in the country, encouraging the observance of soil rotation and soil protection, developing organic agriculture, etc.;
  • Streamlining the agricultural insurance system, including by adjusting legislation to eliminate the current shortcomings of this system, to increase the degree of protection of both parties participating in the insurance process, by subsidizing the insurance premium and reviewing the eligibility criteria for agricultural subsidies;
  • Increasing the efficiency of the agricultural sector's activity by stimulating the export of high value-added products, not only primary agricultural production, including through fiscal instruments such as the implementation of an average VAT rate, undifferentiated for the entire value chain;
  • Stimulating investments to strengthen the value chain and infrastructure for processing agricultural raw materials, developing post-harvest infrastructure and storing agricultural production in refrigerators and other storage capacities;
  • Strengthening the agricultural research and education system, strengthening agricultural consultancy and extension;
  • Revitalization of the livestock sector, including by stimulating investments for the creation of farms outside the built-up areas of the localities, but also the consolidation of the existing ones, which will allow the use of modern technologies of maintenance, nutrition and exploitation of animals and, therefore, the significant increase of their productivity and obtaining a competitive product both on the domestic market and on the export markets. The integration of agriculture with livestock farms would help improve soil fertility and address the problem of food security;
  • Strengthening the capacities of the animal health insurance system, strengthening the country's sanitary-veterinary services sector.

 

Environment and climate change

The degradation of the ecological situation and climate change, as well as the degradation of biodiversity, have already become existential phenomena for the Republic of Moldova, fully manifesting themselves during the last 10 years. The country's ecology is affected both as a result of the use of outdated and environmentally offensive technologies in economic activities, and by the attitude of citizens and public authorities in the field of public waste management. The large number of garbage storage sites, including unauthorized ones, as well as the underdeveloped infrastructure of the garbage management system, pose a major danger to the ecological system and require urgent and complex intervention by the state and citizens. It is necessary to implement an intersectoral approach to environmental problems and to include them in all sectors of the national economy, ensuring the fulfillment of the commitments to implement the Sustainable Development Goals. The priority objectives of the PDCM in the field of environmental protection are the following:

  • Increasing the degree of afforestation of the territory of the Republic of Moldova and creating protection strips, including reforming the principles of activity of the authorities responsible for the management of flora and fauna and increasing the areas of protected areas and institutional capacities for their management;
  • Involvement of the academic environment in order to identify the best environmental solutions to achieve the objectives assumed by the Republic of Moldova within the framework of various international conventions and treaties;
  • Development of waste management infrastructure, through the implementation of projects financed both from national funds and from external assistance funds already ratified by the Republic of Moldova;
  • Strict application of the "polluter pays" principle, with the modification of the penalties applied to natural and legal persons who cause damage to the environment;
  • Development of water and sanitation infrastructure, including the expansion of wastewater treatment plants;
  • Implementing cross-sectoral actions to ensure carbon reductions, including promoting the use of renewable energy sources over fossil fuels, boosting demand for green transport, increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, providing financial support for greening business projects and promoting the circular economy;
  • Development of air, water and soil quality monitoring capacities through the technical endowment of reference laboratories;
  • Reforming the principles of exploitation of natural resources and ensuring a rigorous control of the activity of economic agents in the mining sector;
  • Ensuring the development of relations with neighboring countries in the context of joint management of transboundary aquatic resources (Prut and Dniester rivers), in order to ensure the sustainability of water resources, reduce the risk of floods and floods;
  • Development of the school curriculum and inclusion of environmental protection aspects in the list of compulsory classes for children in grades 1-4.