Moldova, Russia to negotiate new draft agreement on labour migration

Chisinau, 13 October /MOLDPRES/ - The cabinet of ministers on 12 October approved a decision to provide powers to an official delegation to negotiate an agreement on cooperation in the labour migration sector with Russia.
According to the latest official data unveiled by the Russian Federal Migration Service, about 50,000 Moldovan citizens were working in Russia based on an activity licence. “This data refer to the documented migrant workers, with their total number being much larger and cannot be estimated accurately, as the overwhelming majority of the Moldovan citizens prefer working seasonally,” the Labour, Social Protection and Family Ministry said.    
Unofficial sources show that about half a million of Moldovan citizens work in Russia, while other sources estimate their number at 250,000-300,000.
Given the lack of an efficient monitoring of the migration flows between the competent bodies, “the figures are estimated in different ways, which does not allow managing them efficiently.” At the same time, the procedures of getting the licence are complicated; for these reasons, it is necessary to resume the bilateral dialogue which regulate the labour relations, the Labour Ministry noted. 
Under the agreement suggested for negotiation, the sides will cooperate in the field of regulating the migration flows and creating conditions for carrying out legal work. The agreement will be signed for a five-year period. The bilateral dialogue with Russia on the draft agreement was started back in 2009 and the domestic procedures on the accord were completed in 2012. Yet, the document was not signed, on grounds that the Russian side showed no willingness to do this. Given that Moscow showed openness after a long period of time, the agreement is to be renegotiated and adapted to the present requirements in order to be signed, the Labour Ministry added.    
(Reporter V. Bercu, editor M. Jantovan)