tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-272439962011-11-27T00:45:33.231+01:00Politics - policies - politics: a vicious circle or a continuously constructive tension that brings about change and development in the public (political) and private (individual) spheres of our lives? This blog is a forum for discussing various policies in Moldova and abroad.<br><strong lang="ro">Bine ati venit pe blogul Public Policy Watch - Politici Publice in Moldova, unde va invit sa discutam diferite politici publice din Moldova si lumea intreaga.</strong>Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.comBlogger841100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-72437142064285192962008-09-10T15:45:00.004+02:002008-09-12T17:02:41.013+02:00

Finally, some of my ideas have begun materializing. For now, in a new blog. As promised, I am inviting you to visit my new blog which is about corporate social responsibility entitled Corporate and Responsible Blog .

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-50361745840487205662008-08-05T13:52:00.006+02:002008-11-18T06:34:23.980+01:00

I haven’t done much blogging in the last months. There are several reasons for such an extreme case of procrastination. First, I’m not aware of any policy or initiative undertaken by prime-minister Greceanii and her government worth talking about. Secondly, I’ve been using Facebook to share my personal adventures and pictures during what is, most likely, my last summer in Moldova. Thirdly, I’ve

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-42667426289986985112008-04-01T09:37:00.015+02:002008-11-18T06:34:24.177+01:00

After a seven-year-long disappointment with the leadership of Moldova's government - provided by the most-longevive Prime Minister, Mr. Tarlev - I can finally indulge in some optimism. The reason for such optimism is Moldova's new Prime Minister, Mrs. Zinaida Greceanii and her handpicked Cabinet of Ministers. Beside being a woman and bearing a physical resemblance to Margaret Thatcher , there

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-16231761127341466522008-03-28T16:27:00.003+01:002008-03-28T16:46:23.299+01:00

Financial Times makes an analysis of the serious political impasse faced by Romania. In its effort to fight wide-spread high-level corruption, the public decision making process has suffered the most and has come to a deadlock. Public servants are so afraid of being subject to allegations of corruption that they’ve been abstaining from making any type of spending decisions. Civil servants are

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-33529276589347106682008-03-13T14:45:00.008+01:002008-03-14T01:24:45.010+01:00

The Moldovan President's recent interview to the Russian daily Kommersant made the headlines this week in local media. He announced that Moldova is soon to finally resolve the Transnistrian conflict with Russia's full support. Russia requires Moldova to do just one more thing: to prepare a declaration of neutrality and invite US, EU, OSCE, Russia and Ukraine to co-sign it. In other words, to

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-6713819800419839542008-02-21T09:57:00.006+01:002008-02-23T21:28:45.474+01:00

As someone interested in world politics, I find the Kosovo case extremely interesting from several points of view. It is unique. No other conflict in Europe attracted so much attention, involved so many interests and raised such controversy in the post-communist era. It is new. This example of contemporary history in making brings about unprecedented combinations of events, decisions and

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-43070800422563308482008-02-08T12:21:00.000+01:002008-11-18T06:34:24.438+01:00

Today I came across an article about something I, too, have been pondering lately, namely a relatively recent fashion of identifying and ranking Moldovan VIPs, practiced by local mass media outlets. In this article, Vadim Tataru of the Civic Action wonders whether such ratings, instead of acknowledging real achievements and performance, in fact manipulate public opinion by creating the illusion

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-11329137349845483522008-01-28T14:17:00.000+01:002008-01-28T17:08:03.381+01:00

The timeframe allowed for the implementation of the EU-Moldova Action Plan (EUMAP) is bound to expire soon. This makes Moldovan analysts and think-tanks attempt to reveal the reasons why the implementation of EUMAP has failed. To date, there is an overall consensus regarding the complete failure of the EUMAP. The latest study undertaken by analyst Dumitru Minzarari and IDIS Viitorul is a

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-23606616750908174732008-01-12T19:50:00.001+01:002008-11-18T06:34:24.577+01:00

Foto:www.deca.mdNow that the long Moldovan holidays are over, besides such events as abundant snowfall that made the traffic even more difficult, and the car accident caused by Mayor of Chisinau, I hear people talking and writing about failures. Failure to successfully implement laws, policies and plans, failure to reform public institutions, failure of Moldovan citizenry to demand a better

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-81729723962631734102007-12-10T15:40:00.000+01:002008-11-18T06:34:25.060+01:00

Once upon a time, Chisinau Mayor issued a decision to have a beautiful Christmas tree installed in the central square of the city. The city agency in charge of such activities purchased the tree and installed it in the square. The municipal police was charged to guard and protect the Tree. However, in the morning, the Mayor and other city residents witnessed a miracle: the Christmas tree has

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-45583919725710378882007-12-10T10:39:00.000+01:002008-11-18T06:34:25.333+01:00

In the previous posting I discussed Furman's opinion regarding the quality of democratic institutions in Moldova. One thing I agree with him is the existence and continuous exacerbation of the Moldovan identity crisis. It is like an active volcano that occasionally erupts and triggers chains of decisions, events and actions in the public sphere, both domestically and internationally. One such

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-4532831009688339632007-12-05T13:56:00.000+01:002007-12-05T16:45:47.147+01:00

I came across an interesting, yet somewhat controversial article Amazing Moldova by D. Furman. The author looks at the situation of democracy in Moldova from a different perspective and finds that Moldova's metamorphosis from a Moscow-ruled Soviet republic into an independent country is profoundly unique in the midst of the NIS area. Although Moldova has become neither a truly democratic state,

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-10192929185721077782007-11-09T16:18:00.000+01:002008-11-18T06:34:25.632+01:00

Eurasia Foundation, American Chamber of Commerce and United Nations Development Programme in Moldova joined their efforts and organized an international conference Corporate Social Responsibility for Moldova on November 8 in Chisinau City. An outstanding fact is that this project was financed primarily from corporate sponsorship. Eurasia Foundation came with the idea, attracted two like-minded

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-10989457742058018622007-10-20T22:47:00.000+02:002008-11-18T06:34:25.742+01:00

Lately, I’ve had a pressing desire to find reliable facts on several issues of public interest, or what media likes to call “scandals”. When I feel such need for truth, I remember a story of several blind men who attempted to describe an elephant. Each of them touched a different part of the elephant, and concluded that the elephant was, in fact, something that resembled 1) a big snake 2) a

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-13258063994277191292007-09-17T14:56:00.000+02:002008-11-18T06:34:26.259+01:00

High level EU officials paid an official visit to neighboring Ukraine for the EU-Ukraine Summit last Friday, 14 September. The delegation included the European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and EU's top diplomat, Javier Solana. The mere fact that these two EU leaders visited Kiev is pretty important both for Ukraine and Moldova. Apparently, Ukraine emerges as a regional leader in EU

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-56008392156120926962007-09-10T09:12:00.000+02:002008-11-18T06:34:27.152+01:00

Transnistria is a must-see destination for foreigners visiting Moldova. At least this is what the guidebooks say. So, my friends and I decided to spend our Sunday visiting Tiraspol, the capital city of Transnistria. Today, Tiraspol is a quiet and green city of about 160,000 inhabitants, located on Nistru River. It was established by Alexandr Suvorov in 1792 as a fortress protecting the Christian

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-87636417358709398242007-08-30T20:01:00.000+02:002008-11-18T06:34:27.629+01:00

Moldova’s Independence Day – 27th of August – serves an occasion for Moldovans to assess their level of patriotism and define their attitude towards their country of citizenship. A couple of local TV stations conducted random interviews with Moldovans, and the general conclusion was that too many people had a wrong idea or no idea at all about this important holiday. After sixteen years of

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-53184346342358869802007-08-20T16:42:00.000+02:002008-11-18T06:34:27.739+01:00

An unusual event was launched today in Chisinau: Amprente Art Exhibition , which provides young people with disabilities the opportunity to display and sell their works of art and handicraft. This event is part of a broader Disability with Ability Campaign supported with American and Norvegian funds. Everyone who is interested in enjoying the creativity of Moldovan youth, and seeing the

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-21775066336817569532007-08-13T20:52:00.000+02:002008-11-18T06:34:28.315+01:00

Greece was the destination of my vacation this summer. Still overwhelmed with the poetic beauty of the Cycladic Islands, I'd like to share my favorite pictures that will talk for themselves. Santorini islandColorful boats Oia at duskWorld-famous sunsetsDonkeys still around For more pictures, please see this slideshow

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-77880101072974936072007-08-09T15:28:00.000+02:002008-11-18T06:34:28.637+01:00

Although the biggest role in the implementation of EU-Moldova Action Plan is reserved for the Government, Parliament and Judiciary of Moldova, there is still a lot that non-profit organizations could do to help bring Moldovan society closer to European values, practices and standards. What could and should be done is up to the non-profits to figure out. For now, I will talk about an innovative

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-42022490844601371882007-07-19T09:50:00.001+02:002008-11-18T06:34:29.114+01:00

Am traveling to Belgrade, Serbia this week on a project that aims to develop a tool for assessing institutional and organizational capacities of non-profit organizations - or the non-governmental organizations - in the Western Balkans region. After first testing this tool among Serbian non-profits, the Serbian counterpart, ProConcept selected Moldova to test, and adjust this tool called INGOC

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-85281845627191806582007-06-27T08:31:00.000+02:002007-06-27T10:50:44.552+02:00

For the last several years, anyone interested in understanding the Moldovan national development priorities and objectives, has been referred to the famous Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (EGPRSP), developed with the support of the World Bank. There is an entire site dedicated to this document. Initially, the Strategy was intended for 2 years (2004-2006) but due to already

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-51516574274012458222007-06-18T08:32:00.000+02:002008-11-18T06:34:29.412+01:00

The results of the runoff elections for the mayor of Chisinau City are as follows:For Dorin Chirtoaca (pictured), the Liberal Party candidate, voted 61,17% of the electorate(130,181), and for the Communist candidate - 38,83 % (82,653 people). It is indeed a stunning result, Chirtoaca winning with over 22%! Given that my biggest concern was that the participation in the runoff elections would be

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-74101481142494821792007-06-11T17:00:00.000+02:002007-06-14T15:37:24.468+02:00

The EU Observer published an interesting article on Moldova's role in the EU-Russia tensions. EU special envoy to Moldova, Kalman Mizsei, thinks that there are two scenarios for solving the Transnistrian problem: positive and negative - both with high stakes for EU and Russia. This means that EU keeps a strict eye on what's going on in Moldova in terms of Transnistrian conflict resolution, and

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-2244143173196614042007-06-05T09:51:00.000+02:002007-06-09T02:55:36.635+02:00

The general local elections in Moldova held on Sunday, June 3, brought about the following developments: 1.Overall participation in the elections was low in comparison with previous years, and represented 48%. In Chisinau City participation was even lower (30%) 2.Although still the top-choice of Moldovan electorate, the popularity of the ruling Communist party is declining. (From 40% of mayoral

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-52220209591076025222007-06-03T17:47:00.000+02:002007-06-03T20:39:18.362+02:00

This weekend, a new project was launched in Moldova Youth Leaders for Community Development through Internet Governance . It was funded by GKP, organized by CMB Training Center in partnership with DIPLO Foundation , APTI, RWCT, Better World JL Institute, AEGEE Beograd. I participated along with other 14 Moldovan professionals from various areas in a 3-day workshop focused on Internet

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-18546271315781427792007-05-25T21:21:00.000+02:002007-05-25T23:27:14.555+02:00

Now that Moldova is living the frenzy of local elections, it is in vogue to talk about how Chisinau City can be transformed into a more beautiful, developed, comfortable, friendly European capital city. As many as 19 candidates to Chisinau Mayor’s Office are sharing their visions about Chisinau, so I thought the City’s residents and visitors could share their visions as well. I invite the readers

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-64157121353018113172007-05-14T19:33:00.000+02:002007-05-16T09:00:39.626+02:00

Monday started with two articles on Moldova in the British The Economist and Sunday Telegraph . The Telegraph article is a variation on the same old topic: Transnistria and its role in the East-West relations, while The Economist deals with the Romanian-Moldovan relations. Perhaps the British media’s increased interest in this conflict zone is due to Moldova’s recently becoming an immediate

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-55865305063828795892007-05-09T15:36:00.000+02:002007-05-10T23:16:06.727+02:00

Local elections are scheduled to take place in Moldova on June 3. There are over 930 local governments in this 4-million-people country. Moldovans will elect the local council and mayors in the city/town/village of their residence. Local non-governmental (Coalitia 2007) and international organizations such as OSCE have already begun monitoring the electoral activity throughout the country. The

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-64938877893170464082007-05-03T13:18:00.000+02:002007-05-03T17:56:45.293+02:00

The Estonian-Russian diplomatic crisis has rapidly escalated in the last days. The government of Estonia – an independent EU country, formerly a Soviet republic – makes a decision to relocate a World War II monument - the Bronze Soldier – from the downtown to a place in the outskirts of the city of Tallinn. Common sense tells me that, whatever the reasons, this is a type of decision that a

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-34894712677292292302007-04-26T20:36:00.000+02:002007-04-26T21:13:43.003+02:00

One Romanian blogger was wondering why Moldovan bloggers did not react in any way to the political crisis in the neighboring Romania.For those interested, I recommend reading blogger Kosmopolit's recent posting which contains an interesting collection of opinions on this issue. I personally think what is going on in Romania is a shame ... A very bad exampple of democratic practices. A very

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-91481958131064717152007-04-20T09:52:00.000+02:002007-04-26T20:16:28.667+02:00

The Economist published an article about an alleged deal between the Moldovan President and Moscow regarding Transnistria. It has to do with disolving the Parliament and organizing anticipated Parliamentary elections to include representatives and voters from Transnistria. This initiative is another "suprise-suprise!" action which is not being open to public debate. Until recently, available

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-12348133815203196442007-04-15T09:40:00.000+02:002007-04-20T19:07:05.503+02:00

Previously on this blog I discussed the regional development policy in Japan. Last week I had the opportunity to learn first-hand about regional development in Romania in a study tour to the North-Eastern Development Region. Regional development in Romania was initiated in 1998 with passing of a related law, establishing 8 development regions. The process was driven by the availability of

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-58562812593439024502007-04-04T15:42:00.000+02:002007-04-19T15:06:23.079+02:00

An international conference entitled "Settling the Transnistrian conflict in the context of Moldova's europeanisation" took place in Chisinau on 26-27 March. The Conference was organised by the Foreign Policy Association of Moldova in cooperation with the Peace Building Framework Project.Among the key speakers at this conference was Vladimir Socor, a well-known political analyst of the

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-41956741488071676792007-03-22T10:30:00.000+01:002007-05-11T01:14:46.324+02:00

Leading a busy professional lifestyle, I rarely get a chance to attend cultural events. Last night was an exception. The National Philharmonic of Moldova presented a wonderful concert of American music performed by the Moldovan Philharmonic Orchestra, and conducted by a distinguished American conductor, Charles Ansbacher of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beside enjoying a well-selected repertoire,

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-33751081024943682702007-03-17T15:29:00.000+01:002007-03-18T01:55:06.694+01:00

Industrial parks are back in fashion. A draft law on industrial parks was prepared by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of Moldova. An industrial park is an economic development tool, similar to free economic zones, five of which are already functioning in Moldova. The main difference is that an industrial park is designed to encourage and facilitate manufacturing activities. So far, so good.

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-51967977592215519552007-03-13T07:36:00.000+01:002007-05-11T01:14:01.695+02:00

Although I am very well aware that the previous poll is not the ideal way of depicting the public’s opinion on a certain issue, nevertheless the majority of those who voted think that Romania is not interfering into Moldovan internal affairs as the Moldovan government claims. However, accurate information (which should be the basis for any rational decision and opinion) on this issue is scarce,

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-56147196544956176842007-03-11T16:46:00.000+01:002007-03-17T17:24:21.458+01:00

The latest official declaration of the Moldovan government regarding Romania's alleged interference with the country's internal affairs took many people by suprise, including myself. It can be accessed in Romanian here and in English here and here. This poll intends to determine how many people share this official opinion. Later addition: For those interested in this issue, have a look at this

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-64795098562717284632007-03-06T08:26:00.000+01:002008-11-18T06:34:30.356+01:00

The Moldovan diaspora in the USA celebrated a traditional Moldovan holiday - Martisor. Martisor is the celebration of beginning of spring, life and love in Moldova. Moldovans give each other red-and-white martisors, and wear them close to their hearts throughout March.This celebration was organized by the Moldovans' Community in DC, Moldovan Embassy in the US with the support of several companies

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-71566974219792932792007-03-02T15:25:00.000+01:002007-03-02T15:37:11.103+01:00

According to the previous poll results, mentality and indifference of Moldovans are the major barriers in the way of the country’s development. Both have to do with the people’s attitude. How can these counter-productive attitudes be changed? In my view, this change should start and last in institutions and organizations of all types: private, governmental and non-governmental. The reason why

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-51526602990955963572007-02-27T16:20:00.000+01:002007-02-27T18:56:02.184+01:00

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-51756281242116059512007-02-14T12:58:00.000+01:002007-03-17T17:26:01.395+01:00

There is an interesting discussion on Sandu’s blog about the existing differences between the intellectual elite in the US and Moldova. In the US, and by extension, in the Western Europe, the academic and professional elite are open to change, inquisitive, simple and flexible. In Moldova, however the intelegentzia, including university professors and students, is arrogant, narrow-minded,

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-11053648666020694462007-01-31T13:00:00.000+01:002007-04-04T23:54:49.779+02:00

Since the first day of 2007, Moldova has become one of European Union’s neighbors. Moldova’s hopes related to EU integration are pretty clear and well-known, and its Government is actively pursuing a dialogue with the European Commission, the ultimate objective of which is an EU Association Agreement. However, this objective is yet far from becoming a reality. Today, negotiations between EU and

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-89531355959276711002007-01-28T08:38:00.000+01:002007-01-28T21:45:35.346+01:00

Last week it was unusually and disturbingly (at least for myself) warm in Moldova. On Wednesday, the outside temperature reached 14 degrees Celsius, thus making this January the warmest winter month since the first instrumental weather records in the country. I don’t see common Moldovan people being concerned by this phenomenon. At most they are just amazed, and sometimes pleasantly surprised

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-34769270776723189282007-01-21T10:02:00.000+01:002007-01-21T15:06:27.286+01:00

Until recently, revenues from property taxes throughout Moldovan cities and villages were merely symbolical and represented an extremely small share of already meager local budget revenues. A property tax reform, initiated in 2003, intended to change this situation. Firstly, all residential properties (so far, in cities only) were re-assessed so as to reflect their market value, considering a

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-40869754582427173202007-01-16T14:26:00.000+01:002007-01-16T15:18:46.627+01:00

A well-known journalist from The Economist who specializes in Eastern Europe and whom I highly respect, Edward Lucas, published an article “Stars and soggy bottoms” which contained a brief description of Moldova. Because I find his choice of words precise in describing our reality as perceived from abroad, I just want to quote it here without further comments: “Loser: Abandoned by the West, and

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-35221753107160712702007-01-11T14:57:00.000+01:002007-01-16T00:26:52.746+01:00

The recent electricity crisis that occurred in the rural areas of Moldova as a result of a strong snowstorm (3-4 January) revealed a high degree of vulnerability of the country’s electricity networks to extreme natural phenomena, which due to global warming, are expected to become more frequent and severe in the future. According to official data , about 500 settlements in the southern and

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1167060202240735062006-12-25T16:10:00.000+01:002006-12-25T16:23:22.250+01:00

Dear friends and loyal readers of this blog.There is no finer time than this holiday season to express my sincerest appreciation of your friendship and support, and to wish you the warmest Holiday Greetings now and throughout the coming New Year. Thank you visiting and making this blog interesting via your contributions. Season Greetings and Best Wishes for a Wonderful and Happy New Year!

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1166186229093669542006-12-15T12:50:00.000+01:002007-01-16T15:57:38.372+01:00

Just as I was wondering whether to write or not about my own frustration and disappointment with Moldovan media and journalists’ professionalism, I visited Sandu Culiuc’s blog where he addresses a similar issue. His story is that a well-respected media agency, Infotag , used some information from his blog to make a news article, distoring his name, position and the key message of his blog post.

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1166182955827273772006-12-15T08:15:00.000+01:002007-01-16T00:30:35.438+01:00

The President of Moldova announced that starting next year the Moldovan government will begin working on a 4-5-year national development plan. I took this as good news as I’m not very happy with the current national document that everyone refers to as Moldova’s major development plans: the Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy. This document is narrow in scope and, as the title suggests

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1164973281321330462006-12-01T12:33:00.000+01:002007-01-16T00:31:02.394+01:00

I try to make time and patience for the daily news program on TV Moldova 1, the only channel operated by the national public broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova . Time because there are many other things I would rather do after a long workday, and patience because it is so different from CNN – my favorite news channel. However, TV Moldova 1 is the only source of current information about public

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1164703329363388712006-11-28T09:11:00.000+01:002007-01-16T16:13:35.411+01:00

I recently visited the City of Prague, also known as “the golden city of spires” on Vltava River. I found Prague very attractive, and the thousand-year history was visible particularly in the architecture. The touristy Old Town, the Prague Castle, the Little Quarter and the Jewish Town made a deep impression on me with beautiful medieval, gothic- and baroque-style churches and renaissance

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1164124283197327722006-11-21T16:16:00.000+01:002007-01-16T15:36:43.893+01:00

After a successful completion of the course on regional development in Japan, I'm back in Moldova. Today I attended a conference where the publishing of the Moldova National Human Development Report 2006 was announced, and public debate on the findings of this report encouraged. This analytical document was prepared by Moldovan experts and financed by UNDP. My first impression: it is a good

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1162982940568776242006-11-08T11:41:00.000+01:002007-01-16T15:37:47.016+01:00

Due to rapid changes in the global economy and the phenomenon of the aging society, the Japanese public budget is shrinking, at least in comparison with OECD countries. Today, Hokkaido’s share in the national GDP is 4%, while it absorbs 10% of the national public works budget. A negative outcome of the income-distribution approach is the high level of dependency of the region on central

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1162472195461830842006-11-02T13:32:00.000+01:002007-01-16T15:38:17.775+01:00

Back from a four-day trip in the central part of Japan, including Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nagoya and Toyota cities. With the Jauntlet (on the left) you can make the same trip, virtually, and see the places I visited, since they say that a picture is worth a thousand words. These destinations were chosen for a particular reason: each embodies one aspect of development efforts in Japan. Osaka is the

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1161781284413268212006-10-25T14:55:00.000+02:002007-01-16T15:39:09.021+01:00

Like many developed countries, Japan faces an important challenge – a rapidly aging society, which is caused by a low birth rate. In fact, Japan’s population is aging the fastest, followed by that of Germany, France, England and USA. In 2005, Japan’s population was about 127 million, and it is expected that in 2050, it will decrease by as much as 50 million, with 65-and-older population

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1161350907298327702006-10-20T15:20:00.000+02:002007-01-16T15:39:36.195+01:00

Our group had just returned from a field trip in Hokkaido countryside. In the course of four days, we visited Kushiro and Obihiro cities, as well as many other interesting locations and sites. You can find details on this field trip, as well as some pictures on the left, on Jauntlet.In the evenings, I’ve been reading a very good book on regional development, which I’m happy to have discovered,

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1160911367387293262006-10-15T13:18:00.000+02:002007-01-16T15:40:25.743+01:00

This past week, our group learned about agricultural policies and practices in Japan. Five decades ago, the Japanese government decided to make its northern region, Hokkaido, its main food supplier, and since then it has invested heavily in agriculture land improvement through large scale drainage, irrigation and fertility-enhancing projects. Since two thirds of Hokkaido’s 1.2 million hectares of

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1160559651707541922006-10-11T11:34:00.000+02:002007-01-16T15:52:23.762+01:00

During my training, I do not hear much about non-governmental or third sector in Japan. When I ask about the participatory aspect of the decision-making process in the public sector, it seems like, besides governmental agencies, and government-affiliated institutions, the only other stakeholders are university professors and business (association) leaders. My understanding is that the government

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1160296323234837132006-10-08T10:31:00.000+02:002007-01-16T15:52:50.341+01:00

The role of the Japanese government in shaping the country’s economy and ensuring a high level of development throughout the regions has been immense. I think Japan has been pretty fortunate in terms of its leadership and government, particularly after the II World War. In this sense, some countries are just luckier than others. I don’t mean to ignore other factors that contribute to a country’s

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1159954936631669812006-10-04T11:39:00.000+02:002007-01-16T15:53:42.701+01:00

In the last five decades, Hokkaido, one of Japan’s forty seven prefectures (second tier of government), has received a huge amount of funding for development from the central government. Development includes public works such as road improvement, ports, airports, railways, afforestation, housing, municipal services, agriculture, forestry and fisheries. In 2005, Hokkaido received USD 6.3 billion (

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1159802204893287852006-10-02T16:48:00.000+02:002007-01-16T15:55:23.325+01:00

Today, our group met with the staff of the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, which is the local branch office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. After listening to each participant make a presentation on regional development structures and processes in their countries (Indonesia, Phillipines, Myanmar, Sri Lanca, Tanzania and Macedonia), I made the following conclusions:

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1159537213733759722006-09-29T15:25:00.000+02:002007-01-16T15:55:41.781+01:00

The training course General Management for Regional Development and Planning will take place primarily in Sapporo, Hokkaido (the region in Japan that benefited from central government-designed development), although several study visits to other regions are scheduled as well. The 2-day orientation organized by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) – the main implementation agency

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1159445349883981632006-09-28T14:05:00.000+02:002007-01-16T15:56:16.701+01:00

Konnichiwa from Japan! Moldova is one of many countries receiving official development assistance (ODA) from a number of higher-income countries, such as US, Japan, EU, Canada, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, etc. The philosophy behind ODA is that lower-income countries like Moldova need various types of assistance for their development, and the rich countries are willing to contribute. In past

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1158673387389241152006-09-19T14:57:00.000+02:002007-01-16T15:56:46.003+01:00

Perhaps everyone who reads this blog is aware of the illegal, widely-discussed and highly controversial referendum that took place in Transnistria last Sunday, 17 September. I watched several TV programs/talk shows on Moldovan television on this issue. The opinions regarding the significance, meaning and implications of this event vary greatly. On one hand, there is the

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1157526343378699582006-09-06T09:04:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:10:28.307+01:00

A regional development policy begins with the decision of a national government to provide additional support to less developed areas of a country. Everywhere in the world, even in the richest countries, disparities in the development levels of various regions exist. These disparities are generated by various geographic, historic, economic, social and cultural factors. The governments all over

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1157116111299673222006-09-01T13:57:00.000+02:002007-01-16T15:58:22.193+01:00

The 31st of August is an official holiday in Moldova. It is supposed to celebrate 'our language.' In 1989, 'our language' was considered the Romanian language, the mother tongue of the Moldovans of Romanian descent (about 70% of Moldova's population). At that time, such celebration of the Romanian language complemented the national revival of the Republic of Moldova. The mother tongue of the

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1156667905120355162006-08-27T10:37:00.000+02:002007-01-16T15:59:00.540+01:00

Today, 27th of August, Moldova is celebrating 15 years of independence. In 1991, the Moldovan government, supported by the majority of Moldovan citizens, proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union. It is an important event, of which the scale and scope of today’s celebration is proof. The President of Moldova, together with other high-level officials, are inaugurating new streets, cutting

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1156244137642343062006-08-22T12:30:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:00:03.087+01:00

Listening to various opinions about the same event/ situation might bring you closer to the truth. The report published by the International Crisis Group (ICG) "Moldova's Uncertain Future" http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4340&f=1 contains an interesting analysis of recent initiatives to approach several Transnistrian-related problems. One is the EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM)

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1155989119374226602006-08-19T14:04:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:01:26.570+01:00

The development needs of Chisinau City are enormous. According to some estimates, total capital investment needs amount to about $3 billion for the next 13 years. This is a huge amount for the capital city of one of the poorest countries in Europe where the average hourly wage is 70 times lower than in Denmark. Some people prefer to label this estimate as “impossible” or “unreal,” and accept the

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1155840403984472232006-08-17T20:44:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:01:54.255+01:00

Moldovan winemakers are attempting to conquer the European market, particularly after Russia’s ban on import of Moldovan wines. Even if Russia would allow Moldovan wines back on its market, their image has already been seriously damaged. As always, every problem is an opportunity. Moldovan wines need to be re-invented. For instance, an improved image and increase competitive capacity might be

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1155206321774550812006-08-10T11:59:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:02:48.289+01:00

The biggest and most important event in terms of Moldova's foreign policy is the recent official meeting of the Moldovan President Voronin with the Russian President Putin that took place in Moscow. Its importance derives from the fact that the relations between these two countries have been tense for the last three years, since Moldova's refusal to sign the Kozak Memorandum prepared by Russia,

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1155066540320895982006-08-08T21:27:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:05:08.241+01:00

The local government reform in Moldova has been heavily criticized by Council of Europe institutions such as the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. The major compaint is that after 15 years of reform, the local governments still rely heavily on transfers from upper tiers of government which limits local autonomy significantly. Oftentimes, local revenues

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1154529222135470152006-08-02T16:22:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:09:58.826+01:00

I ran across a very interesting article about Moldovan foreign policy, particularly concerning the relationship with Russia. The author, Igor Botan, executive director of Association for Participatory Democracy “ADEPT”, attempts to explain why the Moldovan Parliament postponed adoption of the recently reviewed national security and foreign policies, in the context of Russia’s recent political and

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1154181167347874912006-07-29T14:44:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:07:45.371+01:00

On February 22, 2005, the Moldovan Government signed the EU-Moldova Action Plan (AP), and commited to implement all its provisions in three years. The AP, along with the Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EGPRS), has become a major instrument which governs various types of reforms in the political, social and economic life in Moldova.To my delight, my own observations allow me to

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1153427754051778022006-07-20T21:59:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:11:05.461+01:00

On Thursdays, Moldovan national radio broadcasts live Parliamentary sessions. Today the topic of hot debates was education. More specifically, something should be done regarding an continuously increasing number of private institutions providing educational services of low quality in unacceptable conditions (e.g. overcrowded classrooms, basement location, unsanitary conditions, lack of teaching

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1153307194812580662006-07-19T12:27:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:11:29.960+01:00

In the higly centralized educational system in Moldova, the Ministry of Education establishes the numbers of students that may enroll in higher education institutions. Particularly, this is a problem for students that want to pursue undegraduate studies in popular areas such as Law, Economics, etc, since the demand for educational services in these areas is greater than universitities are

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1152893397225061942006-07-14T18:08:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:12:35.092+01:00

Life slows down in Chisinau in the summer. Everyone seems to be on vacation. Even my favorite weekly, Economic Overview, has been on vacation for three weeks. There are many differences between life in Moldova and the US, but the way Moldovan organizations approach lunchtime and vacation is most striking to me.I’m sure the saying ‘time is money’ is well-known in Moldova. However, Moldovan banks,

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1152705836619450752006-07-12T14:02:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:13:18.679+01:00

I have just returned from a vacation in Europe. I was a tourist in Italy and France for about two weeks. In Italy I traveled in Tuscany and Umbria, and in France I discovered Paris and Brittany (the Crozon Peninsula). Tourism is well-developed in both countries, and supported by both national and European governments. Overall, my traveling experience was very satisfying, regardless of annoying

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1151301909043427502006-06-26T08:01:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:14:11.998+01:00

Public transportation is one of the most serious problems in Chisinau. National experts agree with the problem, and apparently they agree with the solution. Recently, the City Council discussed the Roads & Transport Infrastructure Strategy. The document proposes approaching the current problem by unloading the most concentrated roads intersections, for example Stefan cel Mare Boulevard and its

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1151133178529182892006-06-24T09:07:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:15:03.847+01:00

The number of state-owned companies in Moldova ranges from 356 to 465, according to different sources. Such companies include public utilities, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and cultural institutions. Their financial situation and performance has been deteriorating over the last decades. Therefore, the Moldovan Parliament intends to introduce a new approach in state company

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1150490588538897052006-06-16T22:41:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:15:44.632+01:00

I successfully completed the Muskie Program – a program designed to provide young professionals from the NIS countries with graduate American education and financed by US Department of State. I returned to Moldova, my home country, with the aim to find a job. Open Society Institute (OSI) – one of the organizations that co-sponsored this program offers the 2006 Muskie graduates an opportunity to

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1148954504672656842006-05-30T03:46:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:16:18.131+01:00

Finally, the Moldovan Government is doing something smart: cancelling the visa requirement for citizens of EU, Switzerland, USA, Canada and Japan (Moldova Azi http://www.azi.md/news?ID=39391) As of January 2007, visitors from these countries will not need a visa to enter Moldova. This is good news for the stagnating tourism industry, as well as for the Moldovan economy in general. I keep my

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27243996.post-1146277814136973842006-04-29T04:22:00.000+02:002007-01-16T16:16:49.699+01:00

I'm doing some research on Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in New York City. I was told that public officials from all over the world come to New York to learn about them, and whether they can work in other cities of the world as well. So, I thought about my native city, Chisinau in Moldova and what there is to take home from the experience of the Big Apple. The following is the article I

Luciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11741209960003411470noreply@blogger.com1