New meeting of Working Groups on economic issues

On 4 July 2024, in videoconference format, the second meeting in the current year of the Working Groups on economy was convened, with the participation of experts from both banks of the Nistru River.

At the meeting, organized at the Chișinău office of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, the delegation from Chișinău was headed by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, Mrs. Cristina Ceban.

The meeting addressed topical issues in the trade, economic, customs, fiscal and environmental fields.

Regarding the alleged deficiencies invoked by Tiraspol, in the context of granting the status of fiscal monopoly to the Joint Stock Company „Metalferos”, the experts from Chișinău informed that the implementation of this measure aims to eliminate imbalances and ensure competitive prices on the ferrous scrap market in the Republic of Moldova. This measure will create clear, fair and economic reintegration regulations in this sector. It was explained and argued that this initiative does not have a coercive or discriminatory character and is not directed against the activity of the Moldova Steel Works in Râbnița.

As for the procedures and requirements applicable in the process of export, re-export, import and transit of strategic goods on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, it was emphasized again that this issue falls within the competence of the relevant interdepartmental Commission, whose activities are regulated by Government Decision no. 606/2002, and the requirements are the same in relation to all economic agents throughout the country, in compliance with the relevant international obligations and conditions for ensuring national security.

At the same time, experts in the field of environmental protection from Chișinău explained the procedure for implementing new legislative requirements, equally applicable to companies on both banks of the Nistru River, in terms of ensuring extended responsibility of the producer carrying out activities for the recovery, processing or recycling of products that have lost their consumer value, as well as the procedure for registration in the Producers' List, through the Automated Information System „Waste Management”.