June 3, 2021 – Gender equality, the transition to a green economy and the digitalisation of the economy. These were three key topics that were discussed this year at the conference of Economic Councils in 11 countries, which works with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Milica Delevic, the EBRD’s director of economics, politics and governance, said at the event that the role of the public-private dialogue provided by the Economic Councils in overcoming the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is important, and the EBRD until 2025 will actively support the areas related to the green economy, gender equality and the digitalization of relations between the state and the business community. The Economic Councils must also focus on these issues, promoting solutions to remove the challenges, the EBRD representative also said.

It should be mentioned that these issues are in the sights of the Economic Council to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova. This was reported by the experts of the Economic Council Secretariat present at the event.

Thus, in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, the Secretariat of the Economic Council jointly with the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure developed the Roadmap for boosting the process of digitization of the national economy and development of electronic commerce. The document contains a whole series of solutions in the process of digitizing G2B relationships. The first package of amendments to legislative acts is already being drafted and is in the process of being promoted. In the meantime, the second package of amendments is being developed to facilitate the digitization of Moldova’s economic processes.

In the field of gender equality, the Secretariat of the Economic Council jointly with UN Women of Moldova has hired a dedicated expert to develop a Roadmap that would catalyze the process of economic empowerment of women in Moldova. The expert will identify specific measures, interventions, including legislative and normative changes that would be promoted with the support of the Economic Council.

And in terms of the transition to a green economy, the Secretariat of the Economic Council provides support to the relevant authorities in drafting and promoting a law that would prevent food waste. Another issue in the green economy is the clear regulation of insurance premiums for accidents involving dangerous industrial objects.

Topics in these areas are also on the agenda of other Councils supported by the EBRD. The main mission, in the next 4 years, is to promote these issues so that they find an acceptable solution for society and stakeholders. This is the only way to make the transition to a sustainable and crisis-resistant economy, the conference participants said.

The EBRD currently supports the Economic Councils of 11 countries in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, the Western Balkans, Central Asia and the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean. Such Councils operate in Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Kosovo, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Montenegro, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

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 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.