OREANDA-NEWS. February 06, 2013. The State Chamber of Registration (CIS) registered 6,274 enterprises in 2012, decreasing by 7 per cent against 2011, according to data put out by the CIS.

More than half of registered enterprises are operating in the wholesale and retail trade, 6 per cent of them – in the agriculture and 3 per cent – the construction sectors.

After a slight growth of the number of new businesses in 2005-2007, reaching 11,480 in the year before the 2007 crisis, there have been fewer seekers for initiating their own affairs over the next three years. In 2011, an increase in the registered enterprises was set again, and the 2012 slowdown in economy and respectively, the reduction in entrepreneurship cut the desire to open new businesses.

According to the CIS data, the last year registration number is the second lowest size over the past ten years, down by 6,000 enterprises which were recorded in 2003.

The number of enterprises registered with the Chisinau-based CIS decreased by 2.6 per cent in 2012, whereas the territorial offices recorded by 13 per cent less firms.

Experts explain this discrepancy by the fact that the business environment was affected by the economic slowdown less in Chisinau than in other Moldovan regions. In this context, the access to financing and other resources has become more difficult for the business people from other regions.

On the other hand, if the last year was a difficult one for many companies, the number of enterprises which suspended activity was down. Thus, about 3,218 enterprises were erased from the state register during the year, against 3,430 in the previous year. At the same time, the companies that have suspended business or have been reorganized increased. The companies are erased from the state register in case of bankruptcy, reorganization or other problems.

On 1 January 2013, about 163,700 enterprises were recorded in Moldova, 81,059 of which are limited companies, 65,813 – individual enterprises, 4,803 – stock companies, 1,504 – state-owned enterprises and others.