Moldovan deputy parliament speaker says leadership manages to bring Moldova closer to Europe, invest in people in four years

Moldova in recent years has managed to handle multiple crises and achieve remarkable progress in the European integration process, in women's rights, and in internal development. Deputy Parliament Speaker Doina Gherman has made statements to this effect in an interview given with MOLDPRES at the end of the  mandate of the parliament of the 11th legislative period.

According to the cited source, in just four years, Moldova has not only become a candidate country for accession, but has also managed to open the negotiations.

"Moldova has already completed the bilateral screening process for three chapters: Cluster I – Fundamental Values, Cluster II – Internal Market, and Cluster VI – External Relations. The proximity to the EU has also come with unprecedented financial aid for infrastructure and development. In the last three years, the utilized external aid was four times higher than in the 2016-2018 period. Most of the external funds, over 35 billion lei, have been used for paying salaries, pensions, construction of roads, schools, kindergartens and energy compensations. As much as 17.5 billion lei was used for investment projects, such as water supply projects, modernization of ten hospitals, cultural heritage rehabilitation and supporting economic agents," Gherman said.

The deputy parliament speaker reiterated that Moldova had recently received the largest financial package for investment and economic growth, amounting to 1.9 billion euros from the EU.

"I can proudly say that the 11th legislative period of Moldova’s parliament has made most progress in promoting women's rights and has pushed for family-friendly policies with children. To ensure the protection and safety of women, we ratified the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, as well as the International Labour Organization Convention on violence and harassment in the workplace. These documents provide a solid framework for protecting women, both in public and private life. Another important step was the creation of the National Agency for preventing and combating violence against women and family violence. This agency represents a central pillar in our efforts to eliminate any form of violence, and we will continue to work together to ensure the efficiency of this institution. Thanks to our partners' support, we have created shelters for domestic violence victims, providing concrete support to survivors," Gherman added.

She noted that, during the current legislative term, the double quota in the Electoral Code was introduced, allowing us to have 40 per cent women in parliament and over 40 per cent women local councilors following the elections held in autumn of 2023.

"This represents a significant step towards a more equitable representation of women in politics. Our legislation now includes laws that provide women with more opportunities to find a balance between work and family life. The regulation of flexible working hours was another important step in providing women with more freedom in professional and family life. Women have got the right to work and retain maternity allowance during maternity leave, offering more flexibility and economic security. We introduced the possibility of sharing childcare leave, for more active involvement of fathers, thus promoting responsible fatherhood. This not only supports women, but also strengthens family relationships and contributes to a fair distribution of responsibilities. We have also adopted a law to encourage the opening of alternative childcare services at the workplace, thus facilitating women's access to jobs. This not only helps women continue their careers, but also contributes to overall economic development. To ensure fair treatment on the labor market, we introduced by law more transparency in equal pay for equal work between women and men. This is an essential measure to combat salary discrimination and promote equity in the workforce. With a special law, we regulated the activity of nannies and family-type childcare services, providing women the opportunity to offer qualified childcare services. This not only supports working women, but also creates new jobs in our communities. We voted for amendments to extend the carrying out of tourist activities under the patent system, thus supporting entrepreneurial women in developing their businesses. This is an essential measure for women's economic empowerment and sustainable development of rural areas," Gherman said.

The deputy speaker specified that, despite multiple crises, in the last four years, the Moldovan leadership had achieved: three times more money than in the last ten years combined for villages and towns, twice the budget for families with children, nearly three times the minimum pension (in 30 years, they managed to increase the minimum pension to 1,188 lei; we increased it to 3,055 lei in 4 years), salary increases for people forgotten by other governments - doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers, culture workers, the largest investment in health - 3 billion lei, the largest amounts for education since declaration of Independence: 500 million lei for universities and colleges and another 1.3 billion lei - in the Model Schools network, tens of billions of lei for social measures and compensations year by year.

Doina Gherman was elected deputy parliament speaker on February 1, 2024. The parliament of Moldova is led by a parliament speaker and two deputy speakers, of whom one is appointed by the opposition.