Moldovan parliament rules to establish emergency state on gas market for 60 days

Chisinau, 20 January /MOLDPRES/ - The parliament today approved the establishment of emergency state on the natural gas market for a period of 60 days. The decision was adopted by 58 MPs as a response to an appeal by Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita after the Commission for Emergency Situations on 19 January had asked the government to initiate the procedure of emergency state, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.      

The decision was voted with the unveiling of a report on the need to declare emergency state, worked out by the Infrastructure and Regional Development Ministry. The main reason which imposed the taking of quick measures by the government was a letter sent by Gazprom on the ceasing of gas supplies as of 21 January 2022, if the 50-per cent advance for the consumption for January is not paid in term.     

„Moldovagaz, the major stockholder of which is the same Gazprom, did not manage to find solutions to pay the consumption fully and in time. Unfortunately, Gazprom, instead of coming up with measures for the stock company which it controls to be able to fulfill its contractual obligations to the consumers and provider, threats to leave the consumers without gas,’’ PM Natalia Gavrilita said.    

On the period of the emergency state, the Commission for Emergency Situations (CSE) will issue instructions for the fulfillment of a string of measures, among which:

1) Adoption of decisions necessary, in order to ensure quick actions of supply with natural gas, including by derogation from normative provisions;

2) Adoption of decisions on empowering the system providers and operators to act in order to buy, carry and distribute natural gas and other energy resources all over the country;

3) If needed, the establishment of a special regime of purchasing natural gas quickly and allocating financial means for this.

4) Carrying out of actions necessary, in order to prevent, diminish and liquidate the consequences which triggered the emergency state.

Based on a decision by CSE, the Labour and Social Protection Ministry will make the payment in advance to the Moldovagaz stock company of the compensations of the price difference for the consumption of natural gas provided to the household consumers, according the forecast made and presented by the Moldovagaz stock company for January-March 2022, amounting to about 469 million lei. At the same time, through derogation from the provisions of Moldova’s Customs Code, the postponing of the payment of the value added tax owed by Moldovagaz to the state is allowed.       

All these measures will ensure the full payment, till the end of the day of 20 January 2022, by the Moldovagaz stock company of 50 per cent of the cost of the contracted volume of gas for January 2022 to the Gazprom giant, thus ensuring the supply of natural gas to consumers.  

The full text of the decision can be accessed here: https://gov.md/sites/default/files/document/attachments/dispozitia_cse_nr.1_20.01.2022.pdf