Cooperation shall focus on the development of efficient and accountable public administration in the Republic of Moldova, with the aim of supporting implementation of the rule of law, ensuring that state institutions work for the benefit of the entire population of the Republic of Moldova, and promoting the smooth development of relations between the Republic of Moldova and its partners. Particular attention will be given to the modernisation and development of executive functions, with the goal of providing quality services to the citizens of the Republic of Moldova.
Article 24.
Cooperation shall cover the following areas:
(a) the institutional and functional development of public authorities, in order to increase the efficiency of their activity and to ensure an efficient, participatory and transparent decision-making and strategic planning process;
(b) modernisation of public services, including the introduction and implementation of e-Governance, with a view to increasing the efficiency of service delivery to citizens and reducing the costs of doing business;
(c) creation of a professional civil service based on the principle of managerial accountability and effective delegation of authority, as well as fair and transparent recruitment, training, assessment and remuneration;
(d) effective and professional human resource management and career development; and (e) the promotion of ethical values in the civil service.
Article 25.
Cooperation shall cover all levels of public administration, including local administration.
Chapter 2. ECONOMIC DIALOGUE
Article 26.
1. The UK and the Republic of Moldova shall facilitate the process of economic reform by improving the understanding of the fundamentals of their respective economies. Cooperation between the Parties shall aim to promote economic policies pertinent to functioning market economies as well as the formulation and implementation of those economic policies.
2. The Parties shall remain committed to a functioning market economy in accordance with the guiding principles of sound macroeconomic and fiscal policies.
Article 27.
To those ends, the Parties agree to cooperate in the following areas:
(a) exchange of information on macroeconomic policies and structural reforms as well as on macroeconomic performance and prospects, and on strategies for economic development;
(b) joint analysis of economic issues of mutual interest, including economic policy measures and the instruments for implementing them, such as methods for economic forecasting and elaboration of strategic policy documents, with a view to strengthening the policy-making of the Republic of Moldova;
(c) exchange of expertise in the macroeconomic and macrofinancial sphere, including public finances, financial sector developments and regulation, monetary and exchange rate policies and frameworks, external financial assistance, and economic statistics.
Article 28.
A regular dialogue may take place between the Parties on the issues covered by this Chapter.
Chapter 3. COMPANY LAW, ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Article 29.
1. Recognising the importance of an effective set of rules and practices in the areas of company law and corporate governance, as well as in accounting and auditing, for creating a fully-functioning market economy and for fostering trade, the Parties agree to cooperate in relation to:
(a) protecting shareholders, creditors and other stakeholders;
(b) using relevant international standards at a national level, and developing appropriate domestic systems, in the field of accounting and auditing;
(c) further developing of corporate governance policy in line with international standards, in particular the OECD Principles on Corporate Governance.
Article 30.
The Parties will aim at sharing information and expertise on both existing systems and relevant new developments in those areas. In addition, the Parties may seek to improve information exchange between the business registers of the UK and the national register of companies of the Republic of Moldova.
Article 31.
A regular dialogue may take place between the Parties on the issues covered by this Chapter.
Chapter 4. EMPLOYMENT, SOCIAL POLICY AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
Article 32.
The Parties shall strengthen their dialogue and cooperation on promoting the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Decent Work Agenda, employment policy, health and safety at work, social dialogue, social protection, social inclusion, gender equality and anti-discrimination, and social rights, and thereby contribute to the promotion of more and better jobs, poverty reduction, enhanced social cohesion, sustainable development and improved quality of life.
The Parties agree to cooperate in the field of social policies.
Article 33.
Cooperation, based on exchange of information and best practices, may cover a selected number of issues to be identified among the following areas:
(a) poverty reduction and the enhancement of social cohesion;
(b) employment policy, aiming at more and better jobs with decent working conditions, including with a view to reducing the informal economy and informal employment;
(c) promoting active labour market measures and efficient employment services to modernise the labour markets and to adapt to labour market needs;
(d) fostering more inclusive labour markets and social safety systems that integrate disadvantaged people, including people with disabilities and people from minority groups;
(e) efficient management of labour migration, aiming at strengthening its positive impact on development;
(f) equal opportunities, aiming at enhancing gender equality and ensuring equal opportunities between women and men, as well as preventing and combating discrimination on all grounds;
(g) social policy, aiming at enhancing the level of social protection, including social assistance and social insurance, and modernising social protection systems, in terms of quality, accessibility and financial sustainability;
(h) enhancing the participation of social partners and promoting social dialogue, including through strengthening the capacity of all relevant stakeholders; and
(i) promoting health and safety at work.
Article 34.
The Parties shall encourage the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, including civil society organisations and in particular social partners, in policy development and reforms in the Republic of Moldova and in the cooperation between the Parties under this Agreement.
Article 35.
The Parties shall aim at enhancing cooperation on employment and social policy matters in all relevant regional, multilateral and international fora and organisations.
Article 36.
The Parties shall promote corporate social responsibility and accountability and encourage responsible business practices, such as those promoted by the UN Global Compact and the ILO tripartite declaration of principles concerning multinational enterprises and social policy.
Article 37.
A regular dialogue may take place between the Parties on the issues covered by this Chapter.
Chapter 5. CONSUMER PROTECTION
Article 38.
The Parties shall cooperate in order to ensure a high level of consumer protection.
Article 39.
In order to achieve that objectives, the cooperation may comprise, when appropriate:
(a) promoting exchange of information on consumer protection systems, including consumer legislation and its enforcement, consumer product safety, including market surveillance, consumer information systems and tools, consumer education, empowerment and consumer redress, and sales and service contracts concluded between traders and consumers;
(b) promoting training activities for administration officials and other consumer interest representatives; and
(c) encouraging the development of independent consumer associations, including non-governmental consumer organisations (NGOs), and contacts between consumer representatives, as well as collaboration between authorities and NGOs in the field of consumer protection.
Chapter 6. STATISTICS
Article 40.
The Parties shall develop and strengthen their cooperation on statistical issues, thereby contributing to the long-term objective of providing timely, internationally comparable and reliable statistical data. It is expected that a sustainable, efficient and professionally independent national statistical system shall produce information relevant for citizens, businesses and decision makers in the UK and in the Republic of Moldova, enabling them to take informed decisions on that basis. The national statistical system should respect the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics,, taking into account international standards and best practice, in order to align the national statistical system with internationally comparable norms and standards.
Article 41.
Cooperation shall aim at:
(a) further strengthening the capacity of the national statistical system, focusing on the sound legal basis, production of adequate data and metadata, dissemination policy and user-friendliness, taking into account various groups of users, including public and private sectors, the academic community and other users;
(b) fine-tuning of data provision, taking into account the application of relevant international methodologies, including classifications;
(c) enhancing the professional and management capacity of the national statistical staff to facilitate the application of statistical standards and to contribute to the development of the statistical system of the Republic of Moldova;
(d) exchanging experience between the Parties on the development of statistical know-how; and
(e) promoting total quality management of all statistical production processes and dissemination.
Article 42.
The Parties shall further cooperate, inter alia, on the areas of:
(a) demographic statistics, including censuses, and social statistics;
(b) agricultural statistics, including agricultural censuses and environment statistics;
(c) business statistics, including business registers and use of administrative sources for statistical purposes;
(d) macroeconomic statistics, including national accounts, foreign trade statistics, and foreign direct investment statistics;
(e) energy statistics, including balances;
(f) regional statistics; and
(g) horizontal activities, including statistical classifications, quality management, training, dissemination and use of modern information technologies.
Article 43.
The Parties shall, inter alia, exchange information and expertise and shall develop their cooperation, taking into account the already accumulated experience in the reform of the statistical system. The emphasis in the statistical data production process shall be the further development of sample surveys and usage of administrative records, while taking into account the need to reduce the response burden. The data shall be relevant for the designing and monitoring of policies in key areas of social and economic life.
Article 44.
A regular dialogue may take place between the Parties on the issues covered by this Chapter.
Chapter 7. MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC FINANCES: BUDGET POLICY, INTERNAL CONTROL, FINANCIAL INSPECTION AND EXTERNAL AUDIT
Article 45.
Cooperation in the field covered by this Chapter will focus on the implementation of international standards as well as good practice in this field, which will contribute to the development of a modern public finance management system in the Republic of Moldova, and international principles of transparency, accountability, economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
Article 46. Budget and Accounting Systems
The Parties shall cooperate in relation to:
(a) improvement and systematisation of regulatory documents on the budgetary, treasury, accounting and reporting systems and their harmonisation on the basis of international standards;
(b) continuous development of multi-annual budget planning;
(c) exchange of information, experiences and good practice, including through personnel exchange and joint training in this field.
Article 47. Internal Control, Financial Inspection and External Audit
The Parties shall also cooperate in relation to:
(a) further improvement of the internal control system (including a functionally independent internal audit function) in state and local authorities by means of harmonisation with generally accepted international standards and methodologies;
(b) the development of an adequate financial inspection system that will complement but not duplicate the internal audit function and will ensure adequate control coverage of government income and expenditure during a transitional period and thereafter;
(c) effective cooperation between the actors involved in financial management and control, audit and inspection with the actors for budget, treasury and accounting to foster the development of governance;
(d) strengthening the competences of the Central Harmonisation Unit for the Public Internal Financial Control (PIFC);
(e) the implementation of internationally accepted external audit standards by the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAD); and
(f) exchange of information, experiences and good practice through, inter alia, personnel exchange and joint training in this field.
Article 48. Fight Against Fraud and Corruption
The Parties shall also cooperate in relation to:
(a) exchanging information, experience and good practice;
(b) improving methods to combat and prevent fraud and corruption in the areas covered by this Chapter, including co- operation between relevant administrative bodies.
Article 49.
A regular dialogue may take place between the Parties on the issues covered by this Chapter.
Chapter 8. TAXATION
Article 50.
The Parties shall cooperate to enhance good governance in the tax area, with a view to the further improvement of economic relations, trade, investment and fair competition.
Article 51.
1. With reference to Article 50 of this Agreement, the Parties recognise and commit themselves to implement the principles of good governance in the tax area, ie. the principles of transparency, exchange of information and fair tax competition.
2. Nothing in this Agreement affects the rights and obligations, under any tax convention, of the United Kingdom and Moldova. In the event of any inconsistency between this Agreement and any such tax convention, the tax convention prevails to the extent of the inconsistency.
3. For the purposes of this Article "tax convention" means a convention for the avoidance of double taxation, or any other international taxation agreement or arrangement (including, for the avoidance of doubt, such a convention, agreement or arrangement which is made after this Agreement is ratified, or any amendment to such a convention, agreement or arrangement).
Article 52.
The Parties shall enhance and strengthen their cooperation, with the aim of ensuring effective tax collection and reinforcing the fight against tax fraud and tax avoidance.
Article 53.
The Parties shall develop their cooperation in counteracting and fighting fraud and the smuggling of excisable products. To that end, the Parties will strive to strengthen their cooperation within the regional context.
Article 54.
A regular dialogue may take place between the Parties on the issues covered by this Chapter.
Chapter 9. FINANCIAL SERVICES
Article 55.
Recognising the relevance of an effective set of rules and practices in the areas of financial services to establish a fully-functioning market economy and in order to foster trade exchanges among the Parties, the Parties agree to cooperate in the area of financial services in line with the following objectives:
(a) supporting the process of adapting financial services regulation to the needs of an open market economy;
(b) ensuring effective and adequate protection of investors and other consumers of financial services;
(c) ensuring the stability and integrity of the financial system of the Republic of Moldova in its entirety;
(d) promoting cooperation between different actors of the financial system, including regulators and supervisors; and
(e) ensuring independent and effective supervision.
Article 56.
1. The Parties shall encourage cooperation between relevant regulatory and supervisory authorities, including information exchange, sharing of expertise on financial markets and other such measures.
2. Special attention shall be paid to the development of administrative capacity of such authorities, including through personnel exchange and joint training.
Article 57.
A regular dialogue may take place between the Parties on the issues covered by this Chapter.
Chapter 10. INDUSTRIAL AND ENTERPRISE POLICY
Article 58.
The Parties shall develop and strengthen their cooperation on industrial and enterprise policy, thereby improving the business environment for all economic operators, but with particular emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Enhanced cooperation should improve the administrative and regulatory framework for both UK businesses and businesses of the Republic of Moldova operating in the UK and in the Republic of Moldova, taking into account internationally recognised principles and practices in this field.
Article 59.
To those ends, the Parties shall cooperate in order to:
(a) implement strategies for SME development. That cooperation will also include a focus on micro enterprises, which are extremely important for both the economies of the UK and of the Republic of Moldova;
(b) create better framework conditions, via the exchange of information and good practice, thereby contributing to improving competitiveness. That cooperation may include the management of structural changes (restructuring), the development of public-private partnerships, and environmental and energy issues, such as energy efficiency and cleaner production;
(c) simplify and rationalise regulations and regulatory practice, with specific focus on exchange of good practice on regulatory techniques;
(d) encourage the development of innovation policy, via the exchange of information and good practice regarding the commercialisation of research and development (including support instruments for technology-based business start-ups), cluster development and access to finance;
(e) encourage greater contacts between UK businesses and businesses of the Republic of Moldova and between those businesses and the authorities of the UK and the Republic of Moldova;
(f) support the establishment of export promotion activities in the Republic of Moldova; and
(g) facilitate the modernisation and restructuring of the industry of the Republic of Moldova in certain sectors.
Article 60.
A regular dialogue may take place between the Parties on the issues covered by this Chapter. That may also involve representatives of UK businesses and businesses of the Republic of Moldova.
Chapter 11. MINING AND RAW MATERIALS
Article 61.
The Parties may develop and strengthen cooperation covering mining industries and trade in raw materials, with the objectives of promoting mutual understanding, improvement of the business environment, information exchange and cooperation on non-energy issues, relating in particular to the mining of metallic ores and industrial minerals.