Automation of permitting functions of control bodies, which was supposed to radically ease the “walking through the pains” for entrepreneurs, has not become a panacea for more than 25 years of its existence. The need to return again and again to this still unsolved problem is an indicator not so much of the provision of e-government with modern management technologies as of the persistence of the Accounting Chamber in controlling the effectiveness of available resources of the state.
The issue is all the more urgent because the rain of digitalization of everything and everything that has fallen on Moldova in recent years requires a more careful approach to the use of borrowed funds, which are deposited in the country’s debt piggy bank. The AIS MIAD integrates the most modern information technology (IT) tools, but has not become the optimal way for many agencies to maintain the Register of Authorization Documents (RAD).
The “Single Window” does not open completely
During the audit it was concluded that in general the measures taken and resources invested in the development of this information system paid off only partially. There are certain opportunities for its improvement, which depend on the timely updating of the regulatory and legal framework, updating of tasks when used by the responsible authorities. Including – for the management of the system, which is carried out by the Agency of Public Services.
Auditors believe that although there is some progress for so many years of operation, the expected effect from the introduction of the “single window” has not occurred. “Some bodies and institutions issuing authorization documents refuse to use AIS MIAD. Others use the information system in parallel with traditional methods of issuing permit documents,” the auditors say. In other words, entrepreneurs, especially in the trade sector, still “run” between instances and coordinate paperwork, while the system is used as a “barn book” where final information is entered.
In this context, three years ago the Accounts Chamber presented 26 recommendations, obliging the responsible authorities to report on their implementation within a year and a half. According to the reports, something has been implemented, something is outdated, something has been included in the Government Action Plan to finalize the system. But, in general, according to the results of the monitoring mission, the overall degree of implementation of the recommendations amounted to 27%.
What is done, what is not
“Popularity” of the AIS UWRD among the authorities and state institutions has increased, the regulatory framework has been clarified, and the range of services has been expanded. It could not be otherwise for so many years of use. But all these processes, especially the issues of interaction between the authorities, lasted so long, and the current problems with the system promotion only grew, that the importance of the final goal was overshadowed.
Although a number of measures were taken, some of the problems previously identified in the audit remained. Factors such as the complexity of the area and the length of the legislative process, fragmented communication between authorities, lack of promotion and monitoring of the GEAP SIA by its owner, limited institutional capacity, and planning for the launch of the second version of the AIS MIAD were contributing factors.
The current audit revealed new systemic problems in the functioning and use of the system. Thus, “the lack of adjustment of the regulatory framework and the absence of a clear mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the performance of government agencies in the process of issuing authorization acts and notification of the commencement of trade activities impedes the effective use of the system”. In addition, the expansion and active use of AIS MIAD at the local level remains limited.
The measures taken to archive, destroy and manage electronic files were insufficient, the audit report said. Therefore, there is a constant risk of overloading, which affects the performance of the system. At the same time, there is still a problem of inefficient data exchange mechanism related to bank payments for issuance of authorization documents.
“Despite the development of security procedures and delegation of technical authority to the National Center for Control, Regulation and Supervision (STISC), there is a need to further strengthen system security and improve the security and data protection compliance monitoring mechanism,” the auditors said. In addition, the DRD does not guarantee the completeness and integrity of the official database, and permits managed through the authorities’ own systems are not fully transferred to the AIS MIAD.
Solid inconsistencies
The audit was conducted at the State Chancellery, Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development, Ministry of Finance, e-Government Agency, Public Services Agency, World Bank Competitiveness Project Implementation Unit, as well as other authorization issuing bodies included in the Nomenclature of Authorization Acts. The control mission was conducted in accordance with the Framework of INTOSAI Professional Declarations and the internal regulatory framework of the Court of Accounts.
As a result of the audits conducted, no effective provision of data exchange in the AIS MIAD system from the AIS system “State Register of Weapons”, AIS system “Waste Management”, etc. was identified. At the same time, the verification did not reveal a description of the query methods used to provide or use data, target data structures, technical characteristics of data exchange, and features of logbook maintenance. All these elements should be established by the decision on data exchange via MConnect platform issued by the competent authority for the above mentioned information systems.
In 2023, ANSA issued 42.1 thousand phytosanitary certificates for export and re-export, the Ministry of Interior issued permits to 19.3 thousand gun owners, and the Ministry of Agriculture issued 0.3 thousand permits for waste management, export and transit. There is no information on these permits in the AIS MIAD system during the reporting period. The Environmental Protection Agency claimed that the SIA MD information system used for issuing waste management permits is available at siamd.gov.md, which currently does not ensure automatic data exchange with the AIS MIAD. The above-mentioned system is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment Protection, therefore the Agency requested the necessary adjustments for its development. Due to changes in legislation and lack of funding, the project was not implemented.
ANSA stated that the AIS MIAD was officially abolished in 2024 and all active processes were transferred there. Archiving of historical data was accomplished by transferring the STISC archive with associated documentation. At the same time, the systems (State Register of Animals, Directorate of Sanitary and Veterinary Measures, Directorate of Laboratory Activities) are not used for issuing authorizations and are excluded from the scope of AIS MIAD according to Law no. 160/2011.
In the same vein, the audit revealed that the AIS MIAD recorded a total of 15.3 thousand authorization acts issued by ANTA since the launch of the IT system, of which 9.9 thousand acts were provided from e-Transport Authorization SIA through data exchange with the AIS MIAD. At the same time, when comparing the data of statistical reports on issued authorization acts for 2024 and 2025 (5 months), summarized from the mentioned IT systems, a discrepancy was revealed between the actual information recorded in e-AT SI and the information transmitted through data exchange to AIS MIAD.
Arguing this discrepancy, ANTA referred to the existence of synchronization errors between the e-AT SI and the AIS MIAD. Due to these errors, there are currently 32.3 thousand files registered in the e-AT IS with the status “pending” that are not reflected in the AIS MIAD, and the data discrepancy is caused by technical errors, since several organizations are involved.
