Moldovan PM threatens business lobbyist ban from government meetings
Moldovan Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu sharply criticized Ana Groza, the new president of the National Confederation of Employers, during a cabinet meeting on June 3. The dispute arose over amendments aimed at consolidating state intervention mechanisms in the energy market.
The Prime Minister condemned Groza's public reaction to the executive's proposals, stating he "expected more expertise than that of a postman who delivers letters." Munteanu explicitly stated that he would not tolerate "irresponsibility, incompetence, lies, and the promotion of petty interests" within the executive meetings.
The conflict escalated over representations involving Law 164 and an official letter from the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham). Addressing Groza directly, Munteanu noted that the government has historically maintained an unprecedented level of openness toward business associations.
"Either you review your position, or you register as a lobby company and then you have a different status, or you have no business attending this meeting," Munteanu concluded.
Ana Groza did not respond to phone calls from Teleradio-Moldova seeking comment.
The tension follows a previous executive meeting on May 27, where Groza criticized a lack of public consultations. She had accused the Ministry of Energy of failing to invite sector companies to discussions before proposing amendments to prevent capacity blockages in the electrical grids.
According to the employers' association chief, energy sector representatives do not dispute the rationale behind the changes. However, they demand strict adherence to legislative procedures.
"We discussed with representatives of the energy sector, private companies, and they confirmed they were not invited by the ministry to these discussions," Groza previously remarked.
Prime Minister Munteanu denied any lack of transparency. He emphasized that the government cannot allow situations where "major investments are blocked by acts that halt them, or when attempts are made to manipulate a free market."
Translation by Iurie Tataru
