10 January 2024 – The Parliament approved the fourth legislative package aimed at removing a number of restrictions on business activity and reducing the regulatory burden on companies. Among other things, the document provides for the recognition in the Republic of Moldova of commodity exchanges authorised in the Member States of the European Union if they prove that in their country of origin they meet the minimum requirements set out in the law of the Republic of Moldova.

It is also proposed to modernise the concept of “commodity exchange” to bring it in line with current commodity exchange models. It is also proposed to allow public procurement through commodity exchanges under conditions set by the government. According to the same document, rural houses will not be limited to a number of rooms of only 3 and to food products coming only from the place where they are located. Another proposal is to abolish the register of complaints. This is because the contact details of the State Inspectorate for the Supervision of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection are available on the premises of commercial establishments.

Any complaint submitted to the trader and the Inspectorate in a free form has the same legal value as an entry in the complaints register. Obtaining, registering with the local authority and maintaining the register entails unreasonable costs and administrative burdens. The law eliminates the need for repeated OSH training for employers’ managers and provides for online access to OSH training free of charge. In addition, the law simplifies access to public services by eliminating the need to submit extracts from public registers and introducing the possibility of remote interaction.

The law also provides for the possibility of remote identification for the purpose of requesting an electronic signature, which would reduce the cost of such services, especially for people from the diaspora, and thus increase the possibility of their participation in the economic life of the country.  Deregulation Package 4 is being promoted by the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalisation with the support of the Secretariat of the Economic Council to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The EC Secretariat provided support for the drafting of amendments, stakeholder consultations, the preparation of accompanying documents and the assessment of potential impacts.

The package includes amendments to 12 laws.  If adopted by the Parliament, it could lead to annual savings of 183 million lei for the economy.

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.