Authors: Ion Butmalai, Veronica Russu-Marin

Published in: 2022

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According to the Report, the business environment has been severely affected by recent crises, which have exacerbated structural problems in the private sector that have shifted from one government to another over the past 15 years. It is clear that the integrated business environment, oriented towards competitiveness, transparency and market principles, has much higher expectations from governments than its sector-specific reforms. This Report includes also a series of conclusions and recommendations for both policy makers and civil servants responsible for decision-making and public sector policy-making in the private sector.

Authors: Mihail Manoli, Viorel Pîrvan

Published in: 2022

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The Study looks at how the tool of reporting to Parliament ensures the confidence and accountability of independent institutions and regulatory agencies. The performed assessment revealed a number of loopholes in terms of governing and using the public authorities’ reporting to the Legislator as a scrutiny tool.

Authors: Ion Butmalai, Viorel Pîrvan

Published in: 2022

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The report aims to evaluate the applicability, but also the effects produced on the business environment as a result of the implementation of Law no. 174/2021. The analysis includes a brief summary of regional and international investment valuation practices and rules; the current situation in Moldova regarding foreign direct investment, but also of the final beneficiary; assessing the impact of the war on trade between Moldova, Ukraine and Russia; such as conceptual recommendations and proposals to the Government.

Authors: Viorel Pîrvan

Published in: 2022

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The Study pursues the goal to review how transparency requirements apply to law-making in the Moldovan Parliament in light of the legal framework in place and participation of private sector, associative structures, experts and general public in parliamentary decision-making. This is an updated version of the Study developed in 2019.

Authors: Ion Butmalai, Tatiana Lariushin, Ion Preașca

Published in: 2021

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The analysis aims to assess the Russian economic presence in Moldova from 2008 to 2018. The report follows similar analyses developed for the Western Balkans, specifically Ukraine and Armenia.

It shows how Russian-origin corrosive capital has penetrated Moldova’s strategic economic sectors and how Russia has leveraged such capital to gain political influence. Russia’s tools to exert its influence range from investments to political pressure to cultural, media, and religious campaigns.

Authors: Ion Butmalai, Ion Preasca

Published in: 2021

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The Russian capital is strongly present in Transnistria, but also the local one that is camouflaged and connected to Russian circles is huge. Soviet companies in the field of electricity and steel sector have been privatized and now are owned by Russian state companies. Due to the lack of public data, it is difficult to quantify the presence of Russian capital in the region, but it is obvious that it remains in control of important assets in the region. This allows it to influence the negotiation process and to leverage its position. It is important to mention that Russia aims to decrease its costs of supporting the region, this is why it tries to put this burden on the EU as a settlement cost in the negotiation process. It is without a doubt that business, small one and the big one represented by Sheriff take full advantage of DCFTA, but anyway, the pro-Russian rhetoric still persists.

Authors: Ion Butmalai

Published in: 2021

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The key findings of the analysis reveal that, despite the relatively small presence of Russian capital in Moldova, it is used as a lever to influence the country’s political and social processes. In addition to the fact that Moscow is actively using the Transnistrian conflict to show its influence in the regional and geopolitical context, through companies under its control (MoldovaGaz, Moldavskaya GRES, media sources), and which were active on the banking market in the past, it also threatens the national security. Furthermore, Russia managed to make Moldova cover the partial support of separatism, through MoldovaGaz and Moldavskaya GRES. Corrosive capital can be associated not only with a government or political circles, but also with organized crime groups and money laundering networks. The massive presence of the Russian capital during the Laundromat, the inaction of state institutions, as well as the corruptibility of the judiciary system created conditions for the legalization of dirty money from Russia, and later for the theft of the billion. This report aims to initiate discussions on the screening of direct investments as a measure to protect national interests and to identify dual-purpose investments.

Authors: Mihai Manoli

Published in: 2021

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The Paper presents the Case Study of JSC “MoldovaGaz” in light of its compliance with the Corporate Governance Standards, and the impact thereof on the Company financial status. According to the Study titled “Russian Economic Footprint in Moldova”, developed by CAPE, the presence of corrosive capital has been attested in the Republic of Moldova, which purpose is to adversely affect the economic and political processes in our country. The Joint-stock Company (JSC) “MoldovaGaz” has been identified as one of the largest Moldovan companies with private-public (Russian-Moldovan) capital. The huge debts incurred by “MoldovaGaz” towards “Gazprom” in the amount of USD 7.55 billion at the end of 2020, which accounts for circa 80% of Moldova GDP, impose a severe unprecedented risk on the country economic and social security. “MoldovaGaz” discloses no detailed information on consolidated financial statements, nor any information of public interest, which would enable us to carry out an assessment of company efficiency and observance of the national interest.

Authors: Ion Butmalai

Published in: 2021

Read the full report here: Romanian

In the last year, there is a growing demand for the digitalization of the economy, through a complex approach. This report aims to define a set of recommendations that would drive the path to the digitalization of the economy, namely the development of the business environment, increasing the degree of competitiveness but also the transparency of the decision-making process through qualitative public data. Therefore, this report is addressed to public institutions and the business environment, in particular the relationship between them, as well as the role of data in the decision-making process.

Authors: Ion Butmalai, Tatiana Lariushin, Ion Preașca

Published in: 2020

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A recent analysis by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) revealed a new trend related to financing private and public sectors of countries in geopolitical spheres of interest to authoritarian regimes. Based on sectoral case studies, this report further examines Moldova’s key governance gaps that corrosive capital can and have exploited.

Authors: Viorel Pirvan, Mariana Kalughin

Published in: 2020

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This study assesses how the government, central and local public authorities of the Republic of Moldova comply with the requirements of transparency in the process of drafting and approving normative acts under current legislation.

Author: Corina Dragomirescu

Published in: 2020

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The manual on public consultations aims to stimulate a culture of transparency and efficient public consultations in the public administration of the Republic of Moldova and to increase the legitimacy of the public decision-making process, at all levels of public administration.

Authors: Viorel Pirvan, Mariana Kalughin

Published in: 2019

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This Study comprises several recommendations aimed to improve the regulatory framework and implement the transparency requirements existing in Parliament, which would take forward transparency in the work of the Parliament.