OREANDA-NEWS. October 21, 2011. Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister, Economics Minister Valeriu Lazar today met the World Bank country director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, Martin Raiser.
 
The officials discussed the multi-annual development policies operations (DPO), a tool offered by the World Bank in the form of budgetary support, which is based on the actions stipulated in the policies framework and agreed upon by the sides. The policies set forth within the DPO framework are meant to increase the productivity and competitiveness, on the basis of three main pillars: the reform of the investment environment, the reform of the export competitiveness and the education reform.

In the context of this document, the sides tackled the fulfilment of concrete commitments, in particular, the adoption of laws on competition and state assistance, the consultations due to be held with the business associations, as well as the reform in the energy sector.

Valeriu Lazar noted that presently, a string of options on the reform of the thermal-energy sector are examined, from the municipal heating provider Termocom to the dispatch system and the gas supplier. The principle we have stuck to is the creation of a competitive energy market, Economics Minister Valeriu Lazar said. The recent surveys on the possibilities to reform the energy system had been worked out with the World Bank's support, which has committed to further assist Moldova in this respect. The reform of the energy system is also to be approached via the third energy package of the European Union, to which Chisinau had also subscribed. The blueprint also sees the separation of the energy generative capacities from the delivery ones.

For his part, Martin Raiser advocated the involvement of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in the reform process and the modernization of the energy system, the Economics Ministry's communication and press relations department has said.