Two new vulnerability categories, maximal, primary, to be established in Moldova

Chisinau, 21 June /MOLDPRES/ - Two new categories of energy vulnerability – maximal and primary – are to be established through a draft on legislative amendment, considered by the members of the parliament’s commission for social protection, health and family today.     

The goal of the draft proposed by the head of the aforementioned commission, MP of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), Dan Perciun, is to as efficiently as possible target the vulnerable strata, in the context of providing compensations for the payment of energy invoices.     

Besides the completion of the vulnerability categories, the draft proposes the integration of those two instruments of citizens’ backing on the cold period of the year and namely – compensation of invoices and the assistance for the cold period of the year – into a single mechanism. The author specifies that, during the previous cold period, about 170,000 families benefited from both payments, by filling in two separate applications, in two different information systems.  

Another problem suggested to be settled through the enforcement of the provisions set is the low impact of the measure for the residents of the rural areas, who are not connected to sources of energy for heating. Depending on the circumstances of the household, the latter is supposed to benefit either from compensation in invoice, or from payment in cash from the Energy Vulnerability Fund.   

Additionally, to have a better image of the families’ incomes, the lawmaker proposes giving access to data on the family’s financial situation, held by banking institutions, credit offices and other financial institutions. According to the author, this measure is imperative, given that there is a high quota of undeclared or under-declared labour in the national economy.   

To implement the measures, the law on the fund for reducing the energy vulnerability and the law on social benefit are to be amended. The draft will be unveiled for discussions at the parliament’s plenary meeting.  

Photo: Parliament