According to employers, the regulatory requirements set forth in the government resolution regarding the collection, treatment, and discharge of wastewater into the sewer system and/or drainage channels for urban and rural settlements, are technically unfeasible and prohibitive for business entities without an adequate transition period and financial support.
The essence of the employers’ complaints lies, first and foremost, in the unrealistic deadlines. The established timelines for implementing the new standards do not take into account the actual technical condition of the infrastructure or the technological complexity of the modernization.
This will require enormous costs. According to expert estimates, compliance with the new standards in the urban sewerage sector alone will require investments in the billions (approximately 2.04 billion euros), which far exceeds the capabilities of both the government and the private sector.
The business community points to the threat of excessive fines and administrative pressure in a situation where companies and local authorities lack financial buffers and alternative technical solutions.
Industry associations note the lack of a comprehensive preliminary regulatory impact assessment that would take into account the socioeconomic risks for industrial and utility operators and propose their own vision for addressing these issues.
For this reason, in a statement sent to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development—the draft’s author—the CNPM requested that it be revised in accordance with the proposals outlined.
The Confederation is prepared to organize consultations with the business community so that “the regulations are clear, well-founded, proportionate, and applicable under the actual conditions in the Republic of Moldova, and to ensure a balance between environmental protection goals and the maintenance of a predictable investment climate,” according to the CNPM’s official statement.
