DOC // Simpler rules and lower costs for entrepreneurs: draft measures to reduce bureaucracy published in Official Journal

Entrepreneurs in several sectors will benefit from simpler operating rules, clearer procedures, and lower costs following the implementation of a new set of measures to reduce bureaucracy, included in a draft approved by the Government and published today in the Official Journal.

The new rules target several areas, including passenger transport, pharmacy operations, waste management, rural tourism, and agriculture.

One of the draft's provisions concerns passenger transport operators. They will no longer be required to use yellow license plates, which will be replaced with white plates. Authorities estimate that the measure will generate annual savings of 36.6 million lei. In addition, tickets and fiscal receipts will no longer be required to include the vehicle registration number and seat number, simplifying advance ticket sales and the use of electronic tickets.

Regarding pharmacy operations, pharmacies will no longer be required to arrange a separate office for the manager and will be allowed to operate on floors other than the ground floor in medical institutions, shopping centers, train stations, and airports, provided that access and safety requirements are met.

The new rules also apply to agrotourism guesthouses. In their case, the requirement to present a classification certificate when applying for subsidies will be eliminated where the activity can legally be carried out without this document. In agriculture, an outdated regulation on plant protection products and fertilizers will be repealed.

In the field of waste management, certain separate approvals will be eliminated or integrated into existing procedures. Producers that individually manage their packaging-related obligations will be able to obtain approval of their plan and registration on the relevant list through a single procedure, within 10 working days of submitting a complete file. At the same time, medical institutions will be able to approve their own waste management plans without prior coordination with two authorities; only notification of those authorities will be required.

The amendments also provide for the elimination of the requirement for a separate fire safety approval for the activities concerned, without reducing the safety requirements that must be observed.

The Government decision will enter into force one month after its publication in the Official Journal of the Republic of Moldova.