The Liberal Party has 2 fundamental goals:

- internally – to eradicate poverty, the main problem of the majority of the population of Moldova, by installing an economic climate based on free initiative, legal stability in the field, minimum regulations by the State, new laws to stimulate economic growth, attracting foreign investments and developing the economic infrastructure – in equal conditions for everybody – and not just for those in power and their clans. The main instrument of the State in economic policy is the fiscal policy – taxes. Only by applying an intelligent fiscal policy and laws inspired by European legislation, in a state with independent and uncorrupted Justice, with a fair, democratic, neutral, non-communist governing, can we eradicate poverty.
- externally – the adherence of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union, which is a space of civilization, democracy, rule of law, prosperity, security and sustainable development. The Liberal Party will restore the credibility of the Republic of Moldova in front of the European and international authorities, will strive to obtain the free circulation of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova in the EU and the simplification of the mechanism of regaining Romanian citizenship by the Moldovan citizens entitled to it.

We vote together for a better life!

We vote for the Liberal Party!

CONTENTS

The current state of affairs in the Republic of Moldova

The Election Program of the Liberal Party

I. Consolidation of the Rule of Law

II. Economic development

III. Foreign Policy

IV. Research and Education

V. Youth and Sports Programs

VI. Healthcare

VII. Family, Social assistance, Equality of opportunity

VIII. Culture

IX. Environmental protection

X. The Transdniestrian problem

The current state of affairs in the Republic of Moldova

The Liberal Party considers that the Communist Administration which has been governing Moldova for the past 8 years has led the country to bankruptcy. The multiple crises deeply affect all the fields of the political, economic and social life: the economy does not work well and does not produce goods, especially goods with high added value; the cost of living increased threefold, while the salaries and pensions increased insignificantly; agriculture and rural areas are kept in a chronic state of underdevelopment; healthcare services have become inaccessible to the majority of the population; the research and education system is uncompetitive and inefficient; the infrastructure is in an advanced state of degradation; the national energy security is precarious and prone to blackmail, since the country is dependent on a single source – the Russian Federation; the Transdniestrian conflict continues to represent a threat to the security of the Republic of Moldova and the regional security; the rule of law, democratic institutions and fundamental human rights are gravely destabilized by the totalitarian communist governing method; the authority of the State and the institutions of central administration are affected by corruption; poverty has become a generalized social phenomenon; the country is confronted with massive unemployment and emigration of the population. All these come to endanger the sheer existence of the Republic of Moldova.
The Communist Party has undermined the separation of legislative, executive and judiciary powers in the State, subordinating them to the President of the country, who is also the president of the Party. The Parliament, transformed in a communist voting machine, has adopted an antidemocratic legislation, and the civil society has been marginalized from the legal consultancy process. The rights and freedoms of the population have been drastically reduced; the activity of the political parties has been obstructed and limited. The status of the force structures has been increased and they have been given excessive prerogatives that led to abuses against citizens, opposing political parties and civil society. The Party instituted a monopoly over the Coordinating Council of Audio and Video Broadcasting and the public media and thus limited the exercise of democracy in a political pluralism. The judiciary power has been embezzled by the Governing authorities, since the judges and Presidents of the Courts are named, abusively, by the President of Moldova.
At present, the Republic of Moldova is the poorest country in Europe, having the lowest salaries and GDP per capita. The external debt is enormous – 4 billion dollars – and future generations will have to pay for it. The economy is facing great problems, such as: exclusive dependence on the energy imported from Russia; local production unable to meet the demand of the domestic market; the domestic market depends on imports, and the trade balance is negative; poor management of public finances and dependence of the economy on foreign financial assistance; poor and underfinanced infrastructure; lack of opportunities for the development of a healthy business environment and labor market. The villages and especially the agricultural sector were the ones to suffer most from the incompetent policies of the communists. Currently, only 15% of the rural localities have the resources and are able to develop independently. Moldova has become an importer of alimentary products, whereas it used to be a major exporter. Only 40% of the rural population is connected to the public water system and only 17% have sewerage systems. Over 40% of the rural localities lack paved or asphalted roads that allow access to the republican network of roads, and the majority of communal roads are severely damaged. The emigration of the population searching for a refuge from poverty and from the current administration has reached a peak, and over 1 million people are working abroad now.
The social insurance system does not assure pensions and allocations big enough to cover the minimum of existence for the disabled, the pensioners and other disadvantaged categories of population. Medicine has become so expensive that only a minority in the society can afford it. Generally, the healthcare system is outdated, and the medical institutions – physically and morally timeworn. Out of over 1000 rural localities, 300 do not have family doctors. The compulsory medical insurance, introduced by the communist administration, has proved a failure. One of the main effects of the crisis in this field is a mortality rate higher than the birth rate. The population is declining.
In the field of research and education, the Communist Administration has constantly applied marginalization policies toward the intellectuals, and the sector has been permanently underfinanced, and thus has become uncompetitive. The salaries of university and school teachers and the student stipends are among the lowest in the region. The same destructive politics has been applied in the cultural field.
The Communist Party has promoted an external policy of isolation and subordination of the State interests to foreign interests. This policy had the effect of distancing the country from a European direction and further postponing its adherence to the European Union, deteriorating its relations with the EU countries, losing prestige and credibility in the eyes of the European structures and international organizations, worsening its relations with Romania and Ukraine, and overly emphasizing the partnership with the Russian Federation.

As a conclusion:

During the 8 years of communist governing, the Republic of Moldova has been transformed from a democratic state into a totalitarian communist dictatorship, where power has been concentrated in the hands of just one person – the President of the Communist Party of Moldova. This turned the country into the poorest in Europe, with the lowest salaries and GDP per capita; external debt has reached the astronomic figure of 4 billion dollars; there have been consciously applied policies to impoverish the people, depopulate the country and stimulate the emigration of over 1 million citizens, isolate the country and submit it to the interests of the Communist Party and its ideology, thus breaking the Constitution and following the occult goal of finally dismissing the political independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova and transforming it into a puppet-state.
This policy of the governing Communist Party has led to the general failure of the state and society and the citizens must reject it with all their power and conviction, as it currently represents the main threat to our lives and future.

The Election Program of the Liberal Party

The Liberal Party has 2 fundamental goals:

- internally – to eradicate poverty, the main problem of the majority of the population of Moldova, by installing an economic climate based on free initiative, legal stability in the field, minimum regulations by the State, new laws to stimulate economic growth, attracting foreign investments and developing the economic infrastructure – in equal conditions for everybody – and not just for those in power and their clans. The main instrument of the State in economic policy is the fiscal policy – taxes. Only by applying an intelligent fiscal policy and laws inspired by European legislation, in a state with independent and uncorrupted Justice, with a fair, democratic, neutral, non-communist governing, can we eradicate poverty.
- externally – the adherence of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union, which is a space of civilization, democracy, rule of law, prosperity, security and sustainable development. The Liberal Party will restore the credibility of the Republic of Moldova in front of the European and international authorities, will strive to obtain the free circulation of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova in the EU and the simplification of the mechanism of regaining Romanian citizenship by the Moldovan citizens entitled to it.

The Liberal Party will eliminate the negative consequences of the communist dictatorship, which has profoundly affected the functioning of the rule of law, central State institutions, public authorities, civil society, democratic liberties, economy, external relations and, last but not least, will fight to eradicate corruption, a phenomenon that has become chronic during the Communist governing. The Liberal Party will act efficiently in order to defeat the communist ideology and bring the Republic of Moldova closer to the European civilization and standards.
The Election Program of the Liberal Party is realistic, taking into account the social and economic particularities of the Republic of Moldova. The main axis of the Program follows the European values on all dimensions: political, judicial, economic, educational, social, cultural and media. The Program is based on the fundamental principle of liberty, including the liberty of election that the citizens will exercise when they will decide who to vote for in the Parliament elections of 2009. This program can be applied on the basis of a legislative mandate offered to the Liberal Party by the population.
The Election Program of the Liberal Party is the program that will ultimately separate the Republic of Moldova from its totalitarian communist past, modernize it as a state and place it on the European road to prosperity. It will offer people the dignity and the trust in their future that they deserve.
 

I. Consolidation of the Rule of Law

By applying and respecting the EU Acquis and having in mind the perspective of adhering to the European Union, the Liberal Party undertakes to guarantee human rights by Constitution and create a judicial framework adequate to the rule of law that would stimulate positive economic evolution, in order to increase the standard of living. The liberty of mass-media, political pluralism, a separation of the functioning of powers in the state, the independence of Justice and protection of the citizens’ interests by the institutions of Law, are all firm, non-negotiable commitments. Thus, the actions of the Liberal Party in this aspect will be as follows:

Adopting a new Constitution, starting from the current constitutional framework and improving it by following the principles stated below:

- The reform of the Parliamentary immunity, according to the recommendations of the Venice Commission;
- Respect for human rights, especially the inviolability of home residence and communications privacy, and restriction of these rights only in cases stipulated by the Constitution and in strict accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights;
- Legalization of Romanian as the official language;
- Integration in the Euro-Atlantic structures;
- Assuring the transparency of the formation, administration and control of public finance;
- When a citizen suffers material losses as a result of someone else’s breaking the law, the State will cover these losses (and in its turn, will recover losses through subrogation against the guilty party).
- Introducing the right to legal inheritance for relatives of any degree and depriving the State of the right to legal inheritance.

Independence of the judicial system

- Assuring independence of activity for the judges
- Modification of the status of the Superior Council of the Magistracy (SCM) in order to make it comply with article 1 of the Law regarding SCM, according to which SCM is an independent authority, formed in order to organize and regulate the functioning of the Judicial system, and it is the guarantor of the independence of Judicial authority.
- Election and naming of the Presidents of Courts through contest, by the SCM;
- Restructuration of the specialized Courts, through the introduction of a unique system of Courts of Common Pleas, thus avoiding the time lags in examining the lawsuits.
- Liquidation of the institution of admissibility in trials, which limits the right of the parties to an effective appeal.
- The introduction of a transparent mechanism for the proposal and selection of candidates for judge seats in the SCM.

Reformation of the Prosecuting Authority, Police and other services

- Adoption of a new law regarding the Prosecuting Authority, according to European standards;
- Election and naming of the prosecutors through contest, by the SCM;
- Granting the prosecutors the status of magistrates and demilitarization of the Prosecuting Authority;
- Limitation of the competences of the prosecutor exclusively to conducting the penal investigation and representation of the State in trials;
- Tuning the law regarding the Police and the Information and Security Service (ISS) to European standards;
- Adoption of a Lustration Law and public access to the archives of ISS;
- Establishment of a Department for the Study of Security Service Archives;

Efficiently fighting against corruption

- Checking the efficiency of the measures for fighting corruption carried out until now; improving efficiency and reorganizing this activity;
- Fighting corruption, with special focus on high-ranked functionaries and state officials;
- Fighting against the underground economy;
- Ending the practices of persecuting natural and legal persons under the motive of fighting against corruption;
- Publication of complete information about the wealth of the deputies, ministers and other high-ranked functionaries and their families, as well as the strict monitoring of their wealth during their mandate;
- The expertise of the greatest privatization contracts concerning the goods of the State Patrimony, carried out during the Communist administration.

Public administration

- The direct application of the EU Acquis;
- Optimizing the structure of the public administration at all levels, especially at central level, in order to lower bureaucracy costs;
- Modification of the law regarding the public workers so that double citizenship does not constitute an obstacle for the occupation and exercise of the function, and that the hiring procedure does not require approvals at Government level;
- Establishing the guaranteed minimum salary of the public functionaries to 2000 lei, and keeping the minimum salary at a level 25% above the Minimum Consumption Basket;
- Implementation and promotion of electronic processing means in the institutions of the public administration, in order to facilitate the citizens’ access to information and a better and faster processing of the documents;
- Reduction of the State control over the local budgets; allocation of funds to the territorial-administrative units of first level from the territorial-administrative units of second level and the Government according to economic, not political criteria;
- Support for the implementation of investment policies for improving the development opportunities of the localities;
- Complete transfer of the local public patrimony to the local public administration;
- Depoliticization of the public services by hiring public functionaries on the basis of open contests, thus assuring transparency and compliance to the principle of meritocracy in the process of selection.

Freedom of speech and the independence of mass-media

- Assuring the independence of mass-media;
- Real and effective guarantee of the right to opinion, freedom of speech and correct information for every citizen;
- Guarantee the access to information for all the journalists, regardless of the mass-media they represent;
- Creation of conditions for the development of written and electronic press;
- Assurance of the editorial independence of the public Radio and TV stations;
- Depoliticization of the Coordinating Council of Audio and Video Broadcasting and assuring maximum transparency in the contests for frequency allocation and broadcasting licenses;
- Support for the development of regional mass-media;
- Creation of a legal and normative framework that would guarantee equal economic conditions for all the actors on the mass-media and editorial activity markets, thus eliminating the discriminatory practices of the Communist regime;
- Creation of conditions for the development of the informational and advertising markets;
- Integration of the Republic of Moldova in the European informational space;

II. Economic development

An open economy and the liberalization of commercial transactions are essential components of economic liberalism. The economic policy of the Liberal Party is oriented towards long-term economic growth. The strategies of economic development and the action plans for achieving them are elaborated having in mind the goal of integrating the Republic of Moldova in the European Union. The equilibration of income distribution and improvement of living standards for the disadvantaged are the main social priorities of the economic policies of the Liberal Party.

Sustainable development through economic liberalism

- Increasing the population’s standard of living by assuring decent economic conditions for the creation of jobs, unemployment reduction and internal consumption growth;
- Stimulation of the export of local products through informational, fiscal, monetary and fair competition protection policies, so as to achieve the base objectives of: high export profitability and easy access to external markets;
- Boosting the volume of foreign investments and generating increased economic interest towards the Republic of Moldova by creating an economic environment adequate to the expectations of foreign investors and ensuring a free and transparent economic activity;
- Stimulation of local producers, especially for those categories of products and services that are largely imported;
- Improvement of the economic legal framework, with the objective of increasing the flow of liquidities between economic agents, and building trust in their partnerships and the financial mechanisms implemented by the state;
- Attracting cheap financial resources in the banking system through a better involvement of the foreign banks in the economic life of the Republic of Moldova;
- Eradication of corruption.

A stimulating fiscal and budgetary policy

- Equilibrating the distribution of income, improving the living standard of the economically disadvantaged;
- Applying fiscal instruments for stimulating and motivating an active entrepreneurship in order to create new jobs and diversify production and services, by offering fiscal facilities;
- Reduction of VAT quotas and customs taxes for the imports of high technology equipment; introduction of pesticides and fertilizers in the list of VAT-free products.
- Diversification of fiscal facilities for stimulating the activity of local farmers;
- Assuring the stability of fiscal provisions by setting a fixed term for their implementation and avoiding legislative changes during the accounting year;
- Elaboration of a mechanism for redistributing the income from VAT between the Local Public Authorities and Central Public Authorities;
- Increasing the fiscal administration and tax collection capacity, and reducing the burden of these tasks on the population;
- An evenly distributed fiscal burden for the population and equilibration of the expenses structure in the State budget;
- Offering fiscal subventions to natural persons by excluding long-term investments from taxable income. Such investments could be: expenses for the acquisition of information processing units, life insurances (personal and for the family members), interest paid on home loans, expenses for higher-education taxes.

Monetary policy

- Coordination of economic, fiscal and budgetary policies with the monetary policy;
- Diversification and adjustment of the monetary instruments in order to achieve lower inflation goals;
- Strict control on the calculation of prices for utilities and energy products;
- Elaboration of an official methodology for price calculation, in order to prevent the speculative practices of the natural monopolists;
- Improvement of the juridical framework for regulating the relationship between the consumers and service providers;
- Establish state reserves for the most consumed alimentary products that have significant weights in the Consumer Price Index;
- Stimulate the development of a bond market in order to increase the attractiveness of the investment climate. Offer optimal interest on the credits for investment projects;
- Consolidation of local autonomy in order to ease the access of the local public authorities to the capital markets;
- Contribute to the development of the agro-industrial sector, and increase the number of export transactions;

The agricultural sector development policy

- The setting up of an integrated management system at country level in order to assure a market for the agricultural producers;
- Connecting the agricultural sector to the “industry – distribution - consumption” system in order to supply the internal market, but also to the “processing industry – modern logistics – export” system, in order to increase external trade;
- The State will offer equilibrated support for the two main voluntary forms of agricultural activities - private/family and land consolidation/common;
- Adjustment of the Moldovan  legislation to the requirements of the European Union, in order to obtain the European stamp (oval stamp), for enabling dairy and meat product exports in the EU;
- Subvention of the agricultural activities by a 30% quota per cultivated hectare, according to the mean quota of agricultural subvention of the EU;
- Subsidizing agriculture with 800 lei from state budget and an annual bonus of 30 liters of diesel per cultivated hectare;
- Support the agricultural producers and investors to reduce energy consumption and replace the traditional fuels with biofuel and alternative energy sources (wind, solar, water and biodiesel);
- Promote and develop ecological agriculture;
- Collaboration with the EU agricultural producers for the development and production of seeds of types “super-elita”, “elita” and “I reproduction”;
- Stimulation, by fiscal methods, of the renewal of the tractors and machine-tools stock and the reduction of fuel consumption from 100-110 liters of diesel per hectare to 55-60 liters per hectare, according to the EU standards;
- Stimulation, by subsidies, of the development of zootechnics and increasing its weight in the total agricultural production to 50% by 2013;
- Attracting foreign and local investments for raising homologated and non-homologated breeding livestock on the territory of the country;
- Implementation of the AITS (Animal Identification and Traceability System) program until 2012;
- Support and subvention of the livestock breeding sector, by creating family farms, in which every livestock owner will care for no less than 5 cows and pigs;
- Supporting the local producers in the field of processing, drying up and refrigerating fruit and vegetables, through various legislative mechanisms and normative acts, as well as protecting the internal market from the massive imports of compound feed from other countries;
- Development and support of the Scientific and Production Associations “Selection” and “Porumbeni”, the Zootechnics and Veterinary Medicine Institute, and the Viticulture and Winemaking Institute;
- Ensuring transparency and equity in subvention management, in order to assure total assimilation of the allocated financial resources, in fields like fruit-tree growing, viticulture, apiculture and machine-tools for horticulture;
- Promotion of arable land consolidation policies and support for the renewal of the irrigation systems, following the principles of voluntary choice;
- Stimulating foreign investments aimed at reviving medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation, fish farming and apiculture;
- Creation of innovative agro-industrial centers that would serve as models from which agricultural associations and peasant households could learn how to apply international practices and modern technologies in their field.

Silviculture

- Stopping the practice of renting forests from the State Forest Fund to natural persons;
- Halting the process of industrialization in the unique areas of the Forest Fund, such as the Prut and Dniester valleys and the natural reserves;
- Conservation of the national rural landscape;
- Increasing the surface covered with forests on the account of degraded land;
- Assuring the integrity of the forest fund, protecting all the forests and forest vegetation, especially the protection bands of the agricultural fields and the vegetation from the valleys of rivers.

Rural development and village modernization

- Acceleration of the rural development process;
- Assuring access to public roads for all the localities of the country;
- Building roads that detour localities, having in mind a strategic perspective of future development;
- Rebuilding and development of the basic infrastructure – roads, water pipes, sewerage systems, connection to gas networks and waste management;
- Modernization and development of the energy networks, promotion of the usage of renewable energy resources specific to the rural area;
- Offering facilities to young specialists in order to make rural workplaces attractive for them;
- Directing foreign and country investments to the rural localities;
- Organization of free re-qualification courses for the rural population, in order to reduce unemployment and dependence on agricultural production;
- Stimulating the diversification of the economic activities other than agricultural, and of services in the rural area;
- Extend the healthcare services in the rural area, by creating offices for family doctors and stimulating those who choose to establish their residence there;
- Development of agritourism, ecotourism, promotion of popular arts and local cultural traditions;
- Correlate the public policies of sectorial development: infrastructure and transports; increasing employment; rural development, education and healthcare, environment and promotion of the public-private partnership, in order to reduce the difference between the standards of living of the rural and urban areas;
- Rehabilitation, maintenance and promotion of the natural and historical sites;
- Making connections between urban and rural areas in order to capitalize on their joint potential;

Assuring energy security

- Elimination of the energy monopoly of the Russian Federation and diversification of the external suppliers of energy;
- Guaranteeing the energy security of Moldova is a priority for the economic and social development of the country. From the point of view of energy security, sustainable development requires a guarantee that the society can have access to energy resources at reasonable prices, comparable to the tendencies of international markets;
- Modernization of the transport and distribution system, development of interconnections and diversification of the import sources for natural gas and other energy resources;
- Installation of counters in order to strictly control the volumes of imported natural gas;
- De-monopolization and assurance of fair competition for a good functioning of commercial transactions and services;
- Stimulation of the development of renewable energy sources: wind, solar, biomass and urban waste energy;
- Implementation of measures to reduce the costs of energy consumption by lowering the expenses of energy transportation to the final consumer;
- Modernizing the thermal power stations according to their economic viability and transferring the management of these stations to the local public authorities; excluding intermediaries from the process of energy transportation to the final consumer;
- Adopting strict methodologies for a correct calculation of the price of energy delivered to the population and monitoring the activity of the importers by ensuring correctness and transparency;
- Elaboration of a strategy for the eventuality of a natural gas crisis;
- Establishing legal ownership for the investments in fixed assets made by home consumers (around 3 billion lei) as part of the implementation of the Gas Network Expansion Program of 2001-2002;
- Development of the infrastructure and assurance of strategic reserve stocks, interconnection and cooperation with regional energy systems, including the construction of Iasi-Balti-Drochia gas pipe;
- Construction of the railway Chisinau-Ungheni-Iasi with a European rail gauge (it currently has Soviet rail gauge from Chisinau to Ungheni, and European rail gauge from Ungheni to Iasi).

Policies for the stimulation of the business environment

- Guaranteeing the right to personal security, private property, to freely conclude agreements and carry on economic activities, without negative influences from the State;
- Stimulation of the business environment based on fair competition and the development of enterprises, especially small and medium-sized;
- Creation of business incubators on the basis of partnerships between universities and businesses, in order to attract, place and implement the newest technologies;
- Fighting against all forms of monopoly;
- Promotion and stimulation of exports by increasing economic performance, modernization of products and technologies and adherence to international standards;
- Creation and development of strategic alliances for transferring and using know-how from internationally-renown companies, in order to maintain the current markets for our products and enter new markets;
- Identification of the competitive sectors and fields in the local industry in order to extend the structure and geography of exports;
- Elaboration and implementation of a national economic policy for crediting small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), in collaboration with commercial banks that would offer recommendations for individual projects with this goal;
- State subsidies and guarantees offered for long-term low interest bank credits for the SMEs;
- Developing a partnership between the State and the international financial organizations, in mixed projects of crediting and guaranteeing foreign and subsidized investments in the business environment, especially for the SMEs;
- Improving the juridical framework of the creditor-debtor relationship, so that the pledge contract gains executive title, in order to simplify the procedures for obtaining credits for SMEs.
- Attracting foreign investments in order to improve the agro-alimentary industry through lower-cost agreements, which will allow for a diversification of the products, intensification of the export transactions, and development of the labor market;
- Offering preferential credit and financial support in order to bring the local production to international ISO standards; stopping the practice of doubling the European certificates in Moldova.

Tourism development policies

- Improving the legal and institutional framework in tourism and implementing quality standards for tourism services, by harmonizing the Moldovan tourism laws with the EU legislation.
- Facilitating the investments of large international hotel chains in Moldova;
- Developing partnership relations with the EU countries in order to promote the image of Moldova as an international tourist destination;
- Creating medical tourism offers, by promoting services in dentistry, spas, therapies and others;
- Extending the calendar of events taking into account the international food festivals (in collaboration with the developed countries of the EU), special concert and artistic events, conferences, seminars and others;
- Capitalizing on the historical and cultural patrimony and elaborating transboundary tourism routes;
- Increasing the accessibility of the natural reserves to tourists, in order to help develop ecological tourism, but respecting the norms and limiting the number of accommodation places, in order to prevent a negative impact on the environment;
- Diversification of fiscal, financial, instruction and consultancy instruments, in order to support the SMEs in rural tourism;
- Modernize the general infrastructure in the new tourism areas and develop resorts in the traditional areas of recreation: Vadul lui Voda, Soroca, Cahul, Calarasi and others;

Trade development policies

- A more efficient correlation of production with consumption, liberalization of commerce;
- Promotion of an external trade policy capable of generating economic growth in the agro-alimentary, processing and light industries;
- Development of internal commerce and thus of several fields of activity in the national economy – industry, agriculture, services;
- Develop more efficient state control mechanisms in checking the quality of goods and services offered to the consumers;
- Organize a useful information system for the consumers;
- Assuring a safe access to justice for the consumer, by guaranteeing the right to recuperate the equivalent value of the product, according to the consumer protection policies of the EU;
- Create a State Agency for Consumer Protection in order to guarantee the observance of consumer rights;
- Stimulate trade development in rural areas by organizing various forms of retail commerce: independent, associated and integrated trade;
- Extend the geography of exports and have permanent representation at the largest international fairs and exhibitions in order to promote the local products in countries that have consumer markets with high absorption capacity;
- Support the rural producers by promoting ecological product businesses and exports of agricultural and food products;
- Create a framework for the development of services on the basis of international trade;

III. Foreign Policy

The Republic of Moldova needs an active foreign policy, aimed at building alliances and partnerships that would guarantee the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, its adherence to the EU, mutually advantageous economic relationships and protection of the citizens working abroad.

The main guidelines of the foreign policy of the Liberal Party are:

- Fulfillment of the commitments taken in front of the European Council and the EU in the fields of consolidating democratic institutions, respect for the fundamental human rights, assuring mass-media and justice independence, as well as a higher local autonomy;
- Signing an Association Agreement with the EU by 2010;
- Deepening the Strategic Partnership with the USA and integrating in Euro-Atlantic structures;
- Developing and deepening bilateral relationships with Romania, including a Strategic Partnership Agreement for the adherence of the Republic of Moldova to the EU;
- Adherence of the Republic of Moldova to the EU in a short to medium time framework, by including the country in the Western Balkans group;
- The Moldovan diplomacy will take the necessary steps with the Romanian State Authorities to simplify and accelerate the process of regaining Romanian citizenship for the Moldovan citizens entitled to it;
- Facilitating the access of Moldovan citizens to Romania, and opening 2 Romanian consulates in Cahul and Balti;
- Developing deeper relationships with Ukraine and promoting bilateral and regional cooperation;
- Developing pragmatic bilateral relationships with the Russian Federation, having in mind the respect for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and unitary character of the country and striving to eliminate the Russian military presence in the Republic of Moldova;
- Exit the Community of Independent States;
- Establishing political and diplomatic partnerships with the member states of the EU that support the perspective of Moldova’s adherence to the European Union.
- Capitalize on the regional cooperation framework offered by the EU and actively participate in the Black Sea Synergy promoted by Romania, in the Polish and Swedish initiative regarding the Eastern Partnership and in the Neighborhood Program of the European Union;
- Implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan NATO-Republic of Moldova and start of negotiations for the Membership Action Plan.
- Signing bilateral agreements for protecting the rights of Moldovan citizens working in the EU states and the Russian Federation;

IV. Research and Education
The Liberal Party considers education a priority field and will apply policies for improving education in order to build a sustainable knowledge and research-based society. Secondary education will become compulsory, and high-school and university education accessible to all the citizens of the country.
- Rising the social status of the teachers by declaring education a priority field of society development and adjusting the educational system to the European norms and values, in order to integrate it in the European knowledge space;
- Allocation of a minimum 10% of the GDP to education, thus increasing from the current 1.8 billion lei to 7 billion lei, following the latest tendencies of the EU;
- Drafting a new Code of Education, according to the European norms and values and the international acts ratified by Moldova;
- Establishing a guaranteed minimum salary of 2000 lei and keeping it at a level 25% above the Minimum Consumption Basket;
- Reducing the workload of the school teachers to 10-12 hours and to 6-10 hours for university professors, depending on their scientific and pedagogic degree;
- Free of charge State-financed education;
- A complex reform of the educational system, by: regulating the quality of education at both pre-university and university levels; reorganization of the pre-university and university educational system; renewing the curricula.
- Supporting research in universities, following the priorities of the social and economic development and connecting research with sustainable economic development at regional and national level (diversification of energy resources; treating cancerous diseases; advancement of information and communication technologies; ecological agriculture; nanotechnologies and others);
- Redefining the status of the pre-university and university professors, bearing in mind the weight of education in the sustainable development of the society;
- Changing the salary policy for the teachers, by introducing a merit and performance-based scale;
- Redefining the role of scientific research according to the EU standards;
- Reorganizing the Ministry of Education and Youth in the Ministry of Education and Research that will have the function of monitoring the processes in the education institutions;
- A rethinking of the school curricula by decongesting them and basing the material solely on scientific truth;
- Reform of the concept of pre-university institution, by placing the pupil in the center of the educational process and creating civilized conditions for learning: hot water, autonomous heating, healthy food and medical services, including psychological assistance;
- De facto guaranteeing university autonomy and academic freedom for the accredited institutions of higher education; decentralization of the pre-university education system by granting institutional autonomy in managing budgets, human resources and elaboration of short and medium-term development strategies.

V. Youth and Sports Programs

The Liberal Party considers that the policies of the communist administration led to a massive emigration of young workforce abroad. The young specialists are not appreciated at their real value. Bearing in mind the social disequilibrium and the necessity of renewing the political class of the Republic of Moldova, the Liberal Party will promote young people and contribute to the formation of a new generation of politicians. The Liberal Party will encourage the public authorities and private sector to apply policies that will have impact on the young generation.

In this aspect, the Liberal Party has the following objectives:

- Increasing student stipends to a minimum of 50 Euro;
- Offering stimulating scholarships for the pupils and students with the highest performances;
- Encouraging the involvement of the young generation in the public life, including politics, and promoting them to executive functions;
- Application of informational and consultancy programs for the youth, as well as the creation of a regional and national network of consultancy, in partnership with NGOs.
- Easing the access of the youth to sources of credit for education, with payback after graduation and at advantageous terms and interest rates;
- Adopting a plan for building dwelling places for the young people that lack financial means;
- Applying a crediting system for the young people who want to start a business, and encouraging them to do so, by eliminating taxes for the first three years of activity, especially for projects in the rural area;
- Supplementing the number of university places financed by the State;
- Making sure that every student receives a place in the students’ hostels;
- Renovation of the current student hostels and building new such places in a public-private partnership;
- Encouraging and supporting investors for building private student hostels;
- Offering a temporary residence visa in the localities of study on the basis of students’ card, regardless of their living in hostels or not;
- Establishment and development of new partnerships between the universities of Moldova and foreign universities, so that an increased number of students will have access to trainings abroad and benefit from exchange programs, following the principle that “each student will have at least one year of study in another European university”.
- A reform in the scholarships system that will encourage legal persons in the private sector to financially support the pupils in professional schools and high schools, as well as students and candidates for doctor’s degree;
- Offering salary increments for the young specialists that choose to work in rural areas;
- Stimulating the economic agents that hire young specialists, by offering fiscal facilities;
- Assuring free transport for the pupils that go to school in a neighboring locality;
- Increase the investments in sports bases by involving the local public authorities and local entrepreneurs;
- Develop sports by promoting physical education in the school, family and society;
- Ensure free access to the public sports bases for the young people from disadvantaged families;
- Creating conditions so that people with disabilities can also practice sports; organize national competitions for sportspeople with disabilities, developing professional sports for these people and involving them in international competitions;
- Support and promotion of young people that have remarkable achievements in sports, in order to develop professional sports.

VI. Healthcare

The Liberal Party believes that the good health of the population is vital for economic and social progress, thus the actions of our party will seek to improve the population health level through reforms of the system, paying special attention to raising the standards of medical services in villages and communes and providing family doctors for everyone.
- Establishing the guaranteed minimum salary of the doctors to 2000 lei, and keeping it at a level 25% above the Minimum Consumption Basket;
- Allocate 7% of GDP to healthcare;
- Compulsory health insurances will cover all the diagnose and treatment costs, except dentistry services and the surgeries done abroad;
- Opening regional diagnose centers, equipped according to the latest standards in the field;
- Adequately supply the hospitals with technical equipment and specialized transport units;
- Decentralize the health system and involve the local public administration more in hospital management;
- Changing the paradigm in healthcare policies by shifting the main efforts from treatment to prevention and encouragement of a healthy life style;
- Declare the health sector, especially the primary medical assistance in rural areas, a national priority sector by organic law.
- Promotion of a transparent and equitable policy for pricing and registering pharmaceutical drugs;
- Involving the private sector in the development of medical services, especially hospital services;
- Adopting a National Plan for Human Resources in the medical field;
- Assuring the necessary human resources needed for a quality medical service by adopting measures to increase the incomes of doctors;
- Establishing a salary scheme according to which the medical personnel will be paid depending on the efficiency and finality of the medical act;
- Stimulation of private health insurances by clearly separating state and private medical care;
- Assuring state financing for scientific research in the medical field;
- Intensification of preventive medicine measures and promotion of educational and health programs among the population;
- Rethinking the motherhood assistance system, having in mind an increase in birth rate and decrease in infant and mother mortality;
- Eradication of infant morbidity, diseases and invalidity through state-supported programs;
- Set up the Office for the promotion and protection of patient rights;
- Set up the Office for the promotion and protection of the medical worker’s rights;
- Set up the Office for the evaluation of medical technologies;
- Adoption of a normative framework for the activity of private medicine;
- Development of a quality management system in the healthcare field;
- Creating professional medical centers in order to increase the access to highly-specialized medical assistance for the population of the whole country;
- Improve the normative framework for evaluation and accreditation in the healthcare system;
- Transferring the department medical institutions to the Healthcare Ministry.

VII. Family, Social assistance, Equality of opportunity

The family has a fundamental role in building a healthy society. Thus, the Liberal Party promotes the principle of solidarity and social cohesion, considering that the State is obliged to promote efficient social assistance policies. The Liberal Party pleads for the promotion of the principle of gender equality and considers that the role of women in the civic and political life of the community is very important.
- Promotion of a policy of budgetary austerity by reducing the expenses for the administrative apparatus;
- Establishing the minimum pension at the level of a Minimum Consumption Basket of 1500 lei;
- Setting the guaranteed minimum salary to 2000 lei and keeping it at a level 25% above the Minimum Consumption Basket;
- Establishing the unemployment benefits at the level of the Minimum Consumption Basket of 1500 lei.
- Establishing a “once-off” family allowance for the birth of the first, second and third child to 5000, 10000 and 15000 lei, respectively;
- Establishing a monthly family allowance set at 50% of the average income of the last 6 months, but no less than 50% of the country’s average salary; 
- Freezing the salaries of high-ranked public functionaries until the elimination of large salary discrepancies in the society;
- Changing the Law regarding the rehabilitation of the victims of the communist regime, in order to simplify the juridical and administrative mechanisms of giving back the goods confiscated by the Soviet State;
- Adjusting the social standards and practices to the EU standards and practices;
- Reorganizing public spending in order to substantially reduce child poverty and increase the rate of primary schooling;
- Developing measures for protecting children, based on the principle of neighborhood watch, especially in rural localities;
- Increasing the efficiency of assistance for disadvantaged families;
- Eliminating the factors that limit the access to education for children from disadvantaged families and improving their access to primary and secondary education, especially in the rural localities;
- Introduction of private pension funds;
- Development of an anti-unemployment program to establish the real number of unemployed people, in order to engage them on the labor market and retrain them for the jobs most needed in the economy;
- Creating conditions for hiring young people, including fiscal advantages for the economic agents that offer jobs to young specialists;
- Promoting social mortgage;
- Use financial mechanisms based on the principles of market economy (for instance, loan and savings associations) in the field of constructions, which would allow for building apartments (especially for the young generation) with long-term payment periods of 15-20 years; create jobs in the construction industry;
- Assuring equal opportunities for economic independence of men and women, by creating new work places for women;
- Equal representation in decision-making and promotion of women to managing positions, on the basis of general competence criteria;
- Eradication of all forms of gender violence, by promoting educational programs, adopting rules in this field, collaborating with the mass-media and civil society;
- Elimination of gender stereotypes through family, school and society education.

VIII. Culture

The Liberal Party considers that the cultural field has been disadvantaged by chronic underfinancing, and the authentic cultural values have been socially marginalized.

The priorities of the Liberal Party in this field are the following:

- Establishing the guaranteed minimum salary of museum, libraries and cultural workers to 2000 lei, and keeping it at a level 25% above the Minimum Consumption Basket;
- Renovation and construction of cultural centers;
- Supplementary allocation from the state budget of the necessary financial means needed for the reconstruction and modernization of the cultural centers;
- Future transformation of the cultural centers into multifunctional cultural centers that would show films and plays and undertake artistic and cultural activities for children and youth;
- Promotion of the cultural development of villages;
- Financial support of the national cultural institutions for the organization of drama plays in villages;
- Establishment of a unique annual budget allocation to mayoralties for the organization of “Village Parish Fair” celebrations in every village;
- Encouraging the rural communities to return to cultural traditions such as the horas;
- Promoting cultural policies based on the unity of culture, history, patrimony, traditions and language of the Republic of Moldova and Romania;
- Protection and promotion of the culture of national minorities;
- Reforming the financing system for cultural activities;
- Assuring favorable conditions for cultural creativity and protection of the cultural patrimony;
- Encouraging young talents;
- Rising the social status, rewarding and recognizing the value of the great personalities of culture;
- Promoting the projects of the artists’ unions;
- Promoting cultural tourism, by supporting traditional crafts and products;
- Integration of the national cultural patrimony in the European system of values;
- Equipping all the public libraries with computers and upgrading the book fund with Romanian and foreign literature;
- Starting the restoration of the objects of natural patrimony (museums, monasteries, churches and other buildings of national value);
- Reassessing and updating the State Register of Monuments;

IX. Environmental protection

European standards require an increased attention to environmental protection and abiding to environmental norms is a necessary condition for the country’s integration in the European Union.

The efforts of the Liberal Party are concentrated on the following directions:

- Adjusting the environmental legal framework to the EU requirements, directives and standards;
- Supporting the environmental and sustainable development programs and strategies elaborated in the Republic of Moldova and making them integral parts of the country’s Governing Program;
- Creating conditions for the functioning and observance of the environmental legislation and principles of sustainable development by the central and local authorities;
- Ecological and sustainable administration of natural resources;
- Supporting a national program for soil conservation and ecological reconstruction of the pieces of land exposed to landslides;
- Supporting the extension of the forest fund to 17-20% of the territory of Moldova;
- Supporting the elaboration and implementation of Local Environmental Action Plans (LEAP) by every locality of the country;
- Stimulating transboundary, regional and continental cooperation involving the Moldovan ecologists;
- Building the capacity of the NGOs (by allocating 10-15% of the National Ecological Fund and local ecological funds), supporting the environmental non-governmental community and integrating it in the European ecological community;
- Promotion of a law regarding the national and local ecological funds, according to which 50% of their budgets will be directed towards crediting environmental activities at zero interest rate. These activities include collecting and recycling waste, building sewerage systems and water treatment plants, planting tree strips and foresting degraded lands, extending green recreational areas in cities and villages, creating national, raional and local ecological education and instruction centers;
- Eliminating taxes for the imports of non-polluting technologies and equipment for alternative energy sources;
- Supporting the extension of protected areas, creating a system of administration for protected areas and founding transboundary natural parks in the Prut and Dniester river basins;
- Supporting a national program of ecological awareness and education;

X. The Transdniestrian problem

The Liberal Party considers that the only solution to the Transdniestrian problem is the immediate, full and unconditional retreat of the Russian army from the raions on the left side of the Dniester, according to the international commitments assumed by the Russian Federation at the OSCE summit of Istanbul in 1999. Having this in mind, the Liberal Party will act as follows:
- Attracting the citizens of the Transdnietrian region through economic development, creation of better living standards for the population, binding to the EU standards, building confidence and offering safety and good perspective for the future;
- Striving to increase international presence in the region, by applying a European mechanism for solving the conflict and inviting international peacekeepers to replace the current peacekeeping structure;
- Promoting the 5 plus 2 format of negotiations, in which the EU and the USA will have full member status, rather than their current observer status, thus seeking to unblock the negotiations and further look for efficient solutions;
- Signing a partnership agreement with Ukraine for solving the Transdniestrian problem;
- Applying these measures will lead to the demilitarization of Transdniestria, organization of free and democratic elections, and active involvement of the civil society in solving the problems of the region;
- Our fellow citizens from the Transdniestrian region must be culturally, informationally, civically, socially, economically and politically integrated in the public life of the Republic of Moldova. The active involvement of the population on the left side of the Dniester in the political processes of the Republic of Moldova will bring us closer to solving the Transdniestrian conflict.

We vote together for a better life!

We vote for the Liberal Party!