Chișinău council to get 15% stake in tech park
The Chișinău Municipal Council (CMC) will participate as a founder in the establishment of the company that will manage Moldova's Hi Tech Park and will hold a 15% stake, following a draft decision approved by the CMC on Thursday, 21 August.
The draft decision was presented to the municipal councilors by Vladimir Mitru, advisor to the capital's mayor, Ion Ceban.
"Moldova's Hi Tech Park will be a place where the Chișinău City Hall, as a founder, will have several partners: the Stăuceni City Hall, the Public Property Agency, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and the Technical University of Moldova. The park's purpose is to develop fields such as information and communication technology, business services, business process outsourcing, creative industries, digital and financial services, advanced engineering, microelectronics, medical industry, green technologies, research and development. It will be more research-oriented than a simple office park. A regulation will be approved later that will establish the eligibility criteria for companies interested in becoming residents. They will have to present a business plan and an action plan to obtain resident status," said Vladimir Mitru.
He clarified that the park would not offer tax incentives to companies, and the shares that the city would hold would be 15%.
The leader of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) faction in the CMC, Zinaida Popa, who chaired the meeting, said that by supporting the Moldova IT Park, the government had given a clear signal that the future is digital, and the Republic of Moldova is a key player in this future.
"The government has taken a phenomenal step, demonstrating once again that it understands where the world is heading and what Moldova's place is in it. (...) Our role today, in this council, is a crucial one. We have the chance to transform this governmental vision into an even stronger reality. Our vote today is not a formality; it is an act of support for the most dynamic sector of our economy. (...) Through our vote, we are showing that we are reliable partners in this effort to modernize the country. We support an ecosystem that has put Moldova on the global map of innovation," said Zinaida Popa.
The municipal councilors were urged to vote "for" and contribute to turning the governmental vision into a tangible reality that will modernize the capital and the entire country.
"Let's show we are united in building a prosperous and technologically advanced Moldova. Let's finish what the Government of the Republic of Moldova has started. We support the future. The council stands with innovation," she added.
The socialist councilor, Dinari Cojocari, criticised Zinaida Popa's speech, arguing that in addition to presenting the draft decision, she gave the government "unjustified credit."
"It's a good thing, it will be an IT project. A smaller stake was allocated to the city, which is a bad thing; I'd prefer it to be more. (...) At the same time, I can't understand, Madam Chair, why you praised that government that increased our gas prices, our expenses, our inflation?" said the councilor.
The deputy leader of the socialist faction in the CMC, Alexandr Odințov, expressed his support for the project but objected that it leaves many aspects unresolved and undebated publicly.
"As for the project itself, I support it, but the devil is in the details. The first question: why now? Is it because the election campaign is approaching, and on the eve of the campaign, you are starting to create an IT park? The IT park is important, including for Chișinău residents - we have 6% of the GDP from the IT sector. But in this way, you are destroying other branches and not saying anything about it: about the fact that we have 33% poverty in the republic, 67% inflation in four years. An IT park is good, but at the same time, you are destroying the rest - energy resources, the real economy," said Odințov.
He also drew attention to the urban impact: the construction of about 7,000 apartments in Stăuceni and a massive complex in Băcioi, as well as the creation of over 20,000 jobs within the new park, raising questions about road infrastructure.
"Who will build the necessary intersections and road junctions to avoid traffic jams? The project does not provide clear solutions, and the city alone cannot bear the entire financial burden. We can't do everything just for the campaign image. We must develop the country and the city constantly and responsibly," he concluded.
Corneliu Pîntea, the deputy leader of the MAN faction in the CMC, welcomed the initiative, saying it was one of the few projects that showed collaboration between central and local authorities, which he said had been lacking in recent years.
"The more projects of this type there are, the better Chișinău and the entire Republic of Moldova will develop," stated Pîntea.
The draft decision was approved with the support of 45 councilors.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
