Experts from the Economic Council Secretariat meet with EBRD team

The Economic Council’s agenda on the regulation of SME activity was discussed at a meeting of Economic Council Secretariat experts with representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Olga Kuznetsova, Regional Programme Manager, SME Finance & Development Department and Kateryna Rigg, National Programme Manager, SME Finance & Development Department.

The Secretariat’s experts noted that a number of topics are currently being promoted to support the development of small and medium-sized entrepreneurship. In this regard, a Roadmap on Reducing the Regulatory Burden for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises has been developed. At the same time, the Parliament recently adopted a number of legislative amendments that reduce unjustified requirements imposed by the state, which economic operators were obliged to comply with. These amendments were drafted by the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitisation with the support of experts from the United Nations Development Programme, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Sweden and the Secretariat of the Economic Council to the Prime Minister of Moldova.

The EBRD representatives were also interested to learn about reforms in the area of digitisation of the economy. According to experts from the Economic Council Secretariat, with the support of the EBRD, the UK Government’s Good Governance Fund and USAID, a number of legislative changes are being promoted. Among the recently approved laws are the Legislative Package for Digitisation 1.0 and Contactless Business in Moldova – drafted with the support of Economic Council experts.

In this context, it was also mentioned that a number of issues related to the green economy are on the agenda of the Economic Council. Among other things, work is now underway with the relevant ministries to finalise the Green Economy Promotion Programme 2022-2027.

The EBRD team thanked colleagues from the Economic Council Secretariat for the experience shared, mentioning in turn the objectives of the Small Business Advisory Programme implemented by the EBRD in the Republic of Moldova with the support of donors – the European Union, the Central European Initiative, the Government of Sweden and the EBRD MSME Impact Fund. In this context, the importance of synchronising donor efforts in all aspects of supporting and promoting MSMEs was stressed in order to avoid duplication of efforts. And the Economic Council, according to EBRD representatives, being a platform that brings together all the parties involved in the process of strengthening the work of MSMEs, can help improve communication between donors, the business community and the Government.

At the end of the discussions it was agreed to organise such meetings systematically in order to exchange experiences on a regular basis.

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.