VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHCH #0485/01 1731347
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221347Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY CHISINAU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8087
INFO RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 3276
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0644
RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 4332
RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA 0694
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC 0752

UNCLAS CHISINAU 000485 
 
STATE FOR EUR/UMB, EUR/ACE, EEB/OMA 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EFIN EINV EREL ETRD MD
SUBJECT:  CRITICAL ECONOMIC TIMES:  IMF MISSION PACKS UP AND GOES 
HOME 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please Protect Accordingly 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  An IMF mission visited Moldova from May 28 to 
June 8 to negotiate a new agreement.  Following unproductive 
discussions with Government of Moldova (GOM) officials, the mission 
departed without a new arrangement.  The IMF projected that 
Moldova's GDP would decrease nine percent or more for 2009 and noted 
that the Moldovan government budget was facing a severe deficit 
because of mismanagement.  The linchpins of economic growth in 
Moldova for several years, remittances and foreign direct investment 
(FDI), have dropped dramatically.  The National Bank of Moldova has 
intervened heavily in the foreign exchange market to support the 
national currency, the Leu.  The strong Leu, together with the 
impact of the economic crisis on the region, has made Moldovan 
exports too costly for export markets.  The ruling Party of 
Communists (PCRM) is focused solely on new elections and the 
short-term economic developments.  END SUMMARY 
 
GOM MISMANAGEMENT LED TO BUDGET CRISIS 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The GOM is facing a sharp drop in GDP and a budget deficit 
of 11 percent or more in 2009.  While the IMF mission noted that the 
regional economic decline was partly responsible for Moldova's 
economic troubles, it pointed to the GOM and its misguided policies 
as the principal culprit for the budget catastrophe.  The government 
had taken counterproductive measures since summer 2008 by raising 
salaries and pensions, as part of an effort to maintain popularity 
in the run-up to the April elections.  Further, the GOM had 
consistently refused to reduce staff or substantially cut spending 
as revenues plummeted.  The GOM was already delaying payments of 
salaries, services and pensions.  The IMF projected that the 
government would need $550,000,000 immediately, followed by another 
$250,000,000 from bilateral donors, to fill the revenue void in the 
budget.  The GOM is unable to raise money through bonds because 
Moldova is a high risk.  Commercial loans would be prohibitively 
expensive should the GOM be able to find banks willing to provide 
support.  Paris Club members are unlikely to consider deferring 
payments on outstanding loans or issuing new loans to a country 
without an IMF agreement. 
 
REMITTANCES AND FDI COLLAPSE 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Remittances and foreign direct investment (FDI) have 
spurred Moldova's economic growth, averaging over six percent annual 
growth since 2001.  Remittances from the approximately one million 
Moldovans working abroad equaled 37 percent of GDP in 2007 and FDI 
surpassed USD 600 million in 2008.  The IMF had long advised the GOM 
to be prudent, noting that remittances could be a volatile revenue 
source.  Remittances have dropped 40 percent in 2009, proving the 
folly of the GOM's reliance on this fluctuating source.  The GOM 
derives approximately 70 percent of its revenues from tariffs levied 
on imports which, in turn, are financed primarily by remittances. 
In addition, FDI has fallen 70 percent in the first five months of 
2009, adding to Moldova's economic woes. 
 
THE NATIONAL BANK AND BANKING SECTOR 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) The National Bank of Moldova's (NBM) policy of foreign 
exchange intervention has eroded the competitiveness of Moldovan 
products and drained liquidity from the financial system.   Moldovan 
banks' already weak ability to offer credit to the economy has been 
further eroded.  The IMF was very concerned that one of the sixteen 
banks in Moldova was near bankruptcy.  On Friday, June 19, the NBM 
withdrew the license of Investprivatbank. Should the GOM fail to 
handle carefully the liquidation of Investprivatbank, the government 
could easily incite a run on banks by mishandling the crisis. 
Dozens of protestors waited in front of Investprivatbank on Monday 
morning, June 22, demanding the return of their deposits. 
 
WHAT MOLDOVA COULD, SHOULD, BUT WON'T DO 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) One option the GOM could consider at this time would be to 
approach the Paris Club for debt relief.  However, the IMF mission 
considered this step unlikely, since the government would need to 
disclose its lack of an arrangement with the IMF.  Bilateral support 
from western countries is also highly unlikely without an IMF 
agreement.  Russia may be a possible creditor, since it may consider 
increasing its influence in a former republic of the Soviet Union 
 
more important than following standardinternational lending 
practice.  The GOM could brrow from the National Bank or print 
money, but the IMF considered it unlikely that the government would 
take either of these measures.  The IMF underlined that Parliament, 
which is responsible for approving and adjusting the budget, needed 
to rectify the budget and balance government consumption and 
revenues.  The IMF deemed it important for the GOM to preserve 
social spending and strengthen investment.  The IMF mission's 
statement noted that, unless Moldova implemented budget 
rectification and legislative changes, the prospects for a deep and 
prolonged recession would continue to grow. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The previous IMF agreement expired at the end of May 2009. 
The IMF mission stated before its departure that it stood ready to 
support Moldova, should a new government request it.  A new 
government and political stability would need to precede a new IMF 
mission in the autumn to negotiate a new agreement.  The IMF 
predicted that the GOM could continue to ignore the pending budget 
crash and to pay pensions for another two or three months.  The 
parliament elected on April 5 failed to elect a new president and 
Moldova has been mired in a political crisis, with repeat 
parliamentary elections to take place on July 29.  The strategy of 
the ruling PCRM will be to maintain that the economic situation is 
not as serious in Moldova as in neighboring countries and to 
campaign on the slogan that a vote for the PCRM is a vote for 
stability.  The PCRM may speculate that pensioners who form a strong 
base for the party will be home in August while many others, more 
likely to support the opposition, will be away on vacation. 
Meanwhile, the Moldovan economy continues unhindered towards a 
crash. 
 
KEIDERLING