The Prime Minister’s Economic Council met in the afternoon at the Government to discuss the Roadmap on the Executive’s actions to remove critical constraints to the business environment for 2013-2014. The Roadmap is the Government’s agenda, with concrete actions aimed at removing the main barriers to the business environment, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, and improving the investment climate, expected to be achieved over the next year. In this context, the Minister of Economy, Valeriu LAZĂR, made a presentation on the measures undertaken by the Executive in the third quarter of 2013. Prime Minister Iurie LEANCĂ asked the representatives of the business environment to support the Government in identifying the administrative barriers that are not included in the current version of the Roadmap, to be taken up. Iurie LEANCĂ also asked for the help of those present at the meeting of the Economic Council in identifying obsolete or useless regulations, which should be permanently eliminated or reformed to meet the rigours of time. Separate attention was given to a few areas of particular importance for an attractive business climate, namely electricity connection, building permits, cross-border trade and, in particular, ensuring investor protection. Representatives of responsible institutions, business associations and donors supporting the state’s efforts to promote economic reforms exchanged views on the main reform processes in these sectors. The Prime Minister was informed that draft amendments are in the process of approval on all the above-mentioned dimensions, which will lead to increased transparency of procedures, reduction of their costs and waiting time, reduction of the number of procedures and documents, which will lead to de-bureaucratization of state institutions and provide entrepreneurs with better, cheaper and faster services. By the end of the year, the Government is expected to approve and submit to Parliament new regulations that will increase investor protection, ease and reduce import and export procedures, and significantly simplify regulations on obtaining construction permits and electricity connection. Prime Minister Iurie LEANCĂ said: “These constraints are among the main impediments to entrepreneurs, especially small entrepreneurs and businessmen. In order to have a competitive economy, we must help our business to integrate as quickly as possible into the regional and European economic circuit”. After two hours of discussions, it was decided that the process of approving legislation in these areas should be speeded up as much as possible, and that new actions should be identified to remove constraints on the business environment.

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.