Moldova’s economy has made great strides forward recently, growing by 6.9% in 2010, and the prospects for 2011 are strong. Vladimir Filat, Moldova’s Prime Minister, explains, “In addition, our negotiations on becoming part of the EU are moving forward and we have obtained funding from the EBRD for infrastructure reforms and for developing a legal framework which will facilitate investments. Moldova offers an outstanding business base with access to markets in both the EU and the CIS countries, and we have a fiscal system which is the most investor friendly in the region, with zero tax on reinvested income until 2013 and a 10% tax rate on profits after that.”
Investment promotion agency Invest Moldova cites the country’s 10 key investment attractions: a strategic location, affordable and qualified labour, attractive operating and living costs, access to the Black Sea through Giurgiulesti International Free Port, participation in international trade agreements, ongoing privatisation, tax incentives, a stable economy, openness to foreign investment, and an established logistics infrastructure.
Moldovan people region’s best workforce
Prime Minister Vladmir Filat adds that the best reason to invest in Moldova remains its people. “Moldovans makeup the best educated and most highly motivated workforce in the region,”he says. Challenges for the future, he adds, include ensuring a stable election process and solving the Transnistria issue, which he describes as a regional problem. “We have the full support of our international partners and I hope that we will be able to solve this quickly through our joint efforts. Let me be clear: the solution to the Transnista problem is not in Brussels, Washington or Moscow but here in Chisinau.”
Moldova’s Ambassador to the US and Canada, Igor Munteanu, recently expressed his own optimism in his country’s future. He said, “In the years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moldova has been emerging as a successful model transformation that combines genuine domestic will, with a clear vision and path forward, along with strong support from its main partners, the EU and the US.”
Urging international investors to target opportunities in Moldova,Prime Minister Filat concludes, “Moldova is a European countrywith European citizens that aim to regain their natural place in the European community. We will put into place all the reforms and take all the necessary steps to reach and surpass EU standards. To do this we need partners, and Moldova’s success will go hand in hand with that of its partners.”
