National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology of the Republic of Moldova

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is available to assist the Moldovan side in the development and implementation of strategies for broadband, transition from analogue to digital, for other projects related to communications and information technology development in the R. Moldova.

It was the message conveyed by Paul Moffatt, the EBRD's Senior Legal Adviser at a meeting on Wednesday, July 21, with Sergiu Sitnic, Director of the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI). The two officials discussed the results achieved during the technical assistance project „Communication Regulatory Development”, offered by the EBRD to the Agency and the timetable of the main activities planned for the second semester of this year.

Sergiu Sitnic highly appreciated the aid provided by EBRD experts to the Agency team in developing and implementing the regulatory acts regarding promotion and protection of competition, particularly those aimed at identifying the relevant markets, market analysis and determination of operators with significant market power on relevant markets. He said that the Agency intends to conclude, by the end of this year, market analysis and impose special ex-ante remedies on SMP providers to protect competition.

The EBRD official positively assessed the results of the project, stressing also that the EBRD is ready to provide additional assistance to the Moldovan side. He said that the project experts will assist the Agency in the review of the Law on Electronic Communications in order to bring it in line with the amendments to EU electronic communications Directives, applied in 2009, and in the development of a medium-term regulatory strategy.

The project „Communication Regulatory Development”, was launched in October 2009 and is intended to provide technical assistance to the Agency in implementing the Law on Electronic Communications and harmonization of national regulatory practices with European Union norms and standards. The project is estimated at 898,300 euros and its duration is two years.

The “Communications Regulatory Development” project is the second technical assistance project offered to ANRCETI. The first project was offered to the Agency at the beginning of its existence- in 2000 – 2002, by USAID.

July 22, 2010