Within this overall context, it outlines the World Bank's proposed assistance to the country. This reflects the World Bank's mandate as an international development institution and what it is most capable of contributing - its comparative advantage. It includes all the Bank's planned operations in the country - lending, analytical work, and technical assistance - for the period covered by the CAS. The CAS is publicly available after the World Bank's Board has given its approval, and with the consent of the borrowing country. NEW WORLD BANK’S COUNTRY ASSISTANCE STRATEGY FOR MOLDOVA FOR 2005-2008 This Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) sets out the World Bank Group’s planned lending and non-lending support to the Republic of Moldova over the period 2005-2008. It is aligned with the priorities detailed in the country’s Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (EGPRSP - Moldova’s version of the PRSP). The CAS has been prepared in consultation with the Government of Moldova, representatives of civil society, the private sector, and development partners active in Moldova. The key challenge for Moldova is to sustain and improve upon the recent gains in economic growth and poverty reduction by committing to and sustaining a consistent policy reform and governance improvement agenda. The overall objective of this CAS, therefore, is to assist Moldova in reducing its high level of poverty, the highest in Europe, by focusing on the following three pillars: • Promoting Conditions for Economic Stability, Growth, and Employment Creation. The CAS will target actions to reduce the cost of doing business, to improve corporate governance, broaden financial intermediation, and improve the maintenance of basic infrastructure to facilitate investment and economic activity. In addition, the CAS will support the development of the rural economy, where most of the poor live, and will place emphasis on removing internal barriers that limit the export capacity of the country. • Improving Access to Social Services, Capital and Community Infrastructure, and Minimizing Environmental Risks. The CAS will support actions to strengthen human, social, and physical capital. It will target social assistance to better reach the poor and facilitate their access to quality health, education and social protection services. Bank assistance will seek to address the deterioration in critical infrastructure, such as housing, public utilities, and transportation. The Bank will also assist the government in mitigating significant health risks derived from ground water pollution. Lastly, assistance will be provided to address the serious risks posed to rural communities from weather-related events. • Improving Public Sector Governance and Combating Corruption. The Bank will place emphasis on improving transparency and accountability in the management of public funds, expenditure programming and evaluation practices. It will support greater involvement of civil society in exercising accountability over public action and the delivery of public services, focusing attention in particular on community-driven development and stronger local government ownership and leadership. Planned new lending over the period FY05-08 will total US$90 million for the base case, and will consist of selected interventions to improve the quality of and access to social services and community infrastructure, foster a good investment climate, and address public sector governance issues. Progress in implementing the benchmarks outlined in the EGPRSP, including a solid track record on improvements in the business environment and public sector governance, would trigger a high-case lending scenario. Under the High Case, IDA would be in a position to resume support of structural reforms, possibly through development policy lending and complementary investment credits, with an additional US$47 million in lending. The Bank’s non-lending program is tailored to provide the analytical underpinnings for lending, and would include studies to improve pro-poor targeting of IDA resources. A CAS Progress Report (mid-term review) will be undertaken after around 24 months of implementation to evaluate the continuing relevance of the strategic thrust of the program and, if necessary, to adjust the program to new and emerging realities. In addition, the indicative lending and analytic programs will be subject to periodic reviews with the authorities to ensure continued relevance and alignment with the EGPRSP. The new 2005-2008 Moldova CAS was approved by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on December 14, 2004 (please see the Press Release on new CAS) Download the new Moldova CAS 2005-2008 New 2005-2008 Moldova Country Assistance Strategy ( 289 KB, PDF File) Also download old CAS and related CAS reports: Moldova Country Assistance Strategy , April 1999 (3 MB, PDF File) Moldova - Country assistance strategy progress report (CASP) (3 MB, PDF File) CAS Public Information Notice (CPIN) (147 KB, PDF File) | 
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