What are the main problems facing the Republic of Moldova
The high poverty rate, the exodus of citizens, the ever-decreasing labour force and the ageing population are some of the main problems facing Moldova, say experts who participated in a public debate organised by the IPN news agency. According to them, the problems listed are of such magnitude that they cannot be overcome with domestic resources, and a solution would be European integration and access to European funds.
Social exclusion has a negative impact on poverty, especially among children, affecting education and access to other services, says Tatiana Puiu, Vice-President of the European Committee of Social Rights.
When we talk about poverty, we should not only focus on access to food, hot water. We need to focus on one important aspect, namely social exclusion, because when you take three jobs at once you lose interpersonal relationships. This affects children.
Today, in our country, there is a social system developed enough to ensure the protection of citizens, says the executive director of the Institute for Strategic Initiatives, Vadim Pistrinciuc.
"In 20 years, we have had the same kind of circuit when the politicians try to compensate for the loss of income the population has had since the break-up of the Soviet Union. The response of the state, the welfare system, and the social services system is much more complex than the response of the status quo about how we become richer."
A medium- and long-term solution to a low poverty rate is European integration for Moldova, says Dan Perciun, chairman of the parliamentary committee on social protection, health and family affairs. According to the MP, our country cannot face these challenges without external resources.
"The magnitude of the problems we are facing can unfortunately not be overcome with internal resources alone. A massive capital inflow is needed. We are talking about investments to generate jobs. In the last three years, the share of social protection expenditure in GDP has risen from 11 to 14.5%."
Dan Perciun added that a balance between social protection measures and investment is needed, as the country's well-being depends directly on economic growth. According to the lawmaker, in 2021 there was a reduction in the absolute poverty rate from 25.8% to 24.5%.
