IMPRESSION OF THE DAY

Since industry is part of INBRASA's development matrix as an important and integral element of the Republic of Moldova's economic development, I considered it necessary to personally go and listen, to see how things are going in this sector from the words of the producers themselves and the public sector. The event was announced as a dialogue and was organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova on October 3 of this year.

I attended two panels which, in my opinion, were the most revealing (on innovation in industry and on the labor market), as well as the final speech by the speakers summarizing the conclusions from the heads of industrial sector associations and government officials.

This was quite enough to form an impression.

I must say that I did not see a dialogue. The audience simply listened silently to the speakers and became convinced that there had indeed been a mental rollback to the 80s of the last century (people exchanged opinions during the breaks between panels), and this did not evoke cheerful emotions.

The main message from the public sector - "industrial modernization," "Smart Moldova," and the long-term state vision for the country's development in the form of creating high value-added products - in 2025, indeed, sounded like an anachronism.

One of the entrepreneurs, unable to bear it, asked an official a direct question: "You often say the word 'smart.' Please explain how you understand it," to which he received the answer that "Smart Moldova is when you approach everything intelligently. For example, you wouldn't plant in the south what grows strictly in the north..."

Needless to say, in the age of technological development, such a formulation is not relevant? And along the way, a question arises - how was it in Moldova before? And in general, always?..

Not hearing anything substantial on the panel about innovation, I expected to hear solutions relevant for the development of the Republic of Moldova's economy within the framework of the panel on the labor market, and within the first 10 minutes, the answer was received from the first three speakers. A high-ranking state official from the Ministry of Labor, with pressure in his voice and gestures, said that we are following the European path, period. The moderator was taken aback by the brevity of such a forceful speech and said that we are, of course, moving forward, but our economy needs highly qualified personnel and gave the floor to a representative of recruitment agencies... and he said that yes, Moldova is oriented towards bringing people from abroad, with a primary focus on Asian countries... and the people who arrive here successfully fill positions as couriers, waiters, construction workers, salespeople, housekeepers, etc.

This is probably that very intelligent approach... to meeting the need for highly qualified personnel to build a Smart Moldova of the 21st century... but it didn't seem that way to me, and not only to me.

Moreover, it is unclear how, with such a regressive aggregate approach to the economy, one can stop the depopulation of the Republic of Moldova (we are among the top five fastest-emptying countries in the world) and create growth indicators (industry, which was 40% of the country's GDP just a couple of decades ago, has now fallen to 8%)?..

The only answer is a rethinking of everything. Because it has become more than obvious.

Respectfully,
Elena Radu,
Head of INBRASA.