Moldovan PM delivers speech at launch event of Future Technologies Project

Chisinau, 18 November /MOLDPRES/- Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița attended the launch event of Future Technologies Project, and delivered a speech, the government's communication and protocol department has reported.

The speech:

"I am happy to be here, at the launch of such an important project for the innovation and digitalization sector in the Republic of Moldova.

It is a strategic investment for which we are grateful to the US Government. The valuable assistance provided is a major step towards economic resilience and the consolidation of our country's democracy.

The crisis of 2007 has taught us two important lessons. Moldova then lost its main market for wines, a traditional market. And in the following years we all discovered that we can adapt to change, we are flexible and we can become competitive in other markets. This was the first lesson. The second lesson that the crisis taught us was that Moldova has friends. The United States of America, the European Union, the neighboring countries helped us to emerge stronger from that crisis.

Crises teach us important things. But it is not necessary to wait for a crisis to accelerate change. Yes, we already know that we can change for the better after a crisis, but I think it's time to learn to transform before the crisis comes. I believe that today's event falls into this paradigm. Moldova is accelerating on the path of change and in this effort we are counting on our friends.

I also said today during the joint press conference with the Power Administrator and I will repeat even now, the US Government is a strategic partner for the Republic of Moldova.

Together, in recent years, we have accelerated Moldova's advancement in the sectors of winemaking, tourism, light industry, creative, ICT, engineering. We are pleased to see the continuity of investment in key sectors of the economy, with a new focus on digitalisation, creativity, innovation and sustainability. We appreciate the coalition of the efforts of USAID's development partners and the Government of Sweden for the Future Technologies Project, or through partnerships and common goals we will have a systemic impact.

The times we live in require us to approach the economy and society according to new, innovative models. Digitalisation and innovation are the key elements that make states globally competitive and our country joins this movement. For Moldova, technologies are a valuable economic opportunity with a visible impact on quality of life. The IT industry, being among the most prosperous economic sectors in Moldova - creates high value-added, well-paid jobs, especially for young people, offering them employment opportunities at home.

Digitalisation and innovation are key priorities for the Government, and are also found in the 2021-2022 Action Plan. The COVID-19 pandemic gave only the necessary impetus for this purpose and determined the decision makers to realize the importance of accelerating the process of digital transformation of our country.

Digitizing public administration and digitizing the economy will help us create an integrated system in which businesses can interact with each other and with state institutions, reducing wasted time, bureaucracy and saving financial resources.

For the first time, I have appointed a Deputy Prime Minister solely responsible for digitization. We believe that we must act quickly, move forward and not waste time. We are a small country and we can outdo ourselves by taking advantage of new technologies.

We recently adopted the Digitization package to improve the regulatory framework, which is an important first step in creating an environment conducive to digital transformation. These changes ensure that entrepreneurs can register their business online only by using a qualified electronic signature. EU electronic signatures will be recognized in Moldova, which will allow easy interaction with state authorities online, create a one-stop shop for certain services provided to citizens and businesses and eliminate the need to request various paper documents, which prevents the development business.

And this is just the beginning!

We want to transform Moldova into a truly attractive country where digital solutions are a normality, an implicit solution and not an exception.

I know, from my own experience, the power of innovation for the country. The 4 years (2015-2019) in which I worked for the Global Innovation Fund were decisive in seeing the impact of innovation for the development of a country. We live in a unique historical moment in which the opportunity folds perfectly for the moment. Time to start innovation - together. Together with colleagues in Parliament and the Government, together with Universities and academia, together with the private sector, and together with the United States Government, Sweden and international partners. "

photo - government