DATA ASSESSMENT REPORT FOR THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Data assessment report REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA DATA ASSESSMENT REPORT FOR THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA Michel POULAIN, Anne HERM, Maria VREMIS and Viorica CRAIEVSCHI TOARTA 1

Data assessment report REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA The analyses and findings of this report, the interpretations and conclusions expressed herewith belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the European Commission and the International Organization for Migration. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. s an inter-governmental body, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. The present report is the result of a study performed by International Experts, Michel Poulain and Anne Herm, as well as Local Experts, Maria Vermiş and Viorica Craievschi-Toartă, within the framework of the IOM project Supporting the implementation of the migration and development component of the EU-Moldova Mobility Partnership, funded through European Commission s European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument. This report is the outcome of a large joint effort of data-gathering and analysis to which many institutions of the Republic of Moldova and individuals have contributed in different but equally important ways. In that regard, we want to express our gratitude and thank all of the Technical Working Group members and observers for their active participation and important provided inputs. We d also like to thank specifically Elena Vătcărău at the National Bureau of Statistics and Ştefan Carauş at the State Resource Information Center Registru State Enterprise for their most helpful support and information and critical comments provided. Martin Wyss, Ghenadie Cretu, Silas Rapold and Oxana Maciuca at the IOM Moldova office provided intellectual guidance, encouragement and support throughout the project. Funding for this study has come through the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument. IOM Mission to Moldova 36/1 Ciuflea St. Chisinau, MD-2001 Republic of Moldova Tel. + 373 22 23-29-40; + 373 22 23-29-41 Fax: + 373 22 23-28-62; 2011 International Organization for Migration (IOM) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. 2

Data assessment report REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA Table of content Introduction Terminology and Abbreviations Section 1. General overview of the data collection in the field of international migration in Moldova Section 2. Current and potential future data providers and main statistical data producers 2.1. The National Bureau of Statistics 2.2. The Integrated Automated Information System SIIAMA 2.3. The State Register of Population 2.4. Other potential future data providers Section 3. The compliance with the international and European standards on international migration statistics 3.1. Statistics on international migration, resident population and acquisition of citizenship (Art. 3 of the EU Regulation) 3.1.1. Country of residence and population stock relevant to international migration 3.1.2. Flow of international immigrants and emigrants 3.1.3. Requested statistics 3.2. Statistics on international protection (Art. 4 of the EU Regulation) 3.3. Statistics on the prevention of illegal entry and stay (Art. 5 of the EU Regulation) 3.4. Statistics on residence permits (Art. 6 of the EU Regulation) 3.5. Statistics on remittances (not included in the data set requested by the EU Regulation) Section 4. Other available statistical data related to international migration 4.1. Stocks of Moldovan citizens living abroad 4.2. Labour migration 4.3. Statistics on repatriates 4.4. Statistics on invitations Section 5. Conlcusions and Recommendations Relevant documents 3

Data assessment report REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA Annex 1. Summary of legislation of European Commission on international migration statistics Annex 2. Concepts and definitions: recommended by UN and EU compared to those used in Moldova Annex 3. The EU request of data and their availability in Moldova 4

Data assessment report REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA Introduction This Data Assessment Report (DAR) aims at assessing all primary and statistical data produced by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), various Ministries and other institutions of public administration in Moldova in the field of migration. Such assessment concerns: (i) the accuracy, reliability and validity of the data, (ii) the methodology and the coverage of the data collection, (iii) the frequency of the data collection and the timeliness of the dissemination, (iv) the relevance and usefulness for users for policy support (v) the comparability and compatibility with international standards and (vi) the accessibility and transparency of these data. Accordingly the DAR will assess the effectiveness of the current data collection by identifying the lack of data and existing gaps with international/eu standards as far as the development and updating of the Migration Profile is concerned. The present DAR is divided in five sections: The first one is presenting a general overview of the situation on statistical data collected in the field of international migration in Moldova as potential support for the forthcoming Extended Migration Profile The second section presents the main producers of statistical data that are the National Bureau of Statistics and the SE SIRC Registru (based on the State Register of Population or within the SIIAMA system) The third section confronts the currently used methodologies and available statistical data with those requested by Eurostat and recommended by the UN Statistical Division on international migration statistics. The gaps will be identified and the statistical tables to be modified or newly produced will be detailed. The fourth section presents and discusses the relevance of other statistical data, currently available (or potentially available in future) produced by different ministries and institutions. The conclusion of this DAR will identify the gaps considering the three key qualities of statistical data needed to support the Extended Migration Profile and the development of efficient evidence-based policies in the area of international migration in Moldova: statistical data availability, reliability and comparability with international standards. 5

Data assessment report REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA Terminology and abbreviations BGS Border Guard Service BMA Bureau of Migration and Asylum CCTP Centre for Combating Trafficking of Persons CNAM National Company for Insurances in Medicine CNAS National Social Insurances House DAR Data Assessment Report EEA European Economic Area ESC European Statisticians Conference EU European Union HBS Household Budget Survey ID Identifier IDNP Identification Number of Person ILO International Labour Organization IOM International Organization for migration LFS Labour Force Survey MFAEI Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration MLSPF Ministry of Labour Social Protection and Family MITC Ministry of Information Technology and Communication MJ Ministry of Justice MoEd Ministry of Education MoEc Ministry of Health MoH Ministry of Health MoIA Ministry of Internal Affairs NBM National Bank of Moldova NBS National Bureau of Statistics NCPD National Commission for Population and Development NEA National Employment Agency NGO Non-Government Organization OMAI - Obligatory Medical Assistance Insurance REVIND State Registry of individual evidence in the public system of social insurances RM Republic of Moldova RSUD State Registry of Legal Entities 6

Data assessment report REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA SE SIRC Registru State Enterprise State Information Resources Centre Registru of MITC SIA Automated Information System SIAAOAM Information Automated System of Medical Assistance Obligatory Insurances. SIIAMA Integrated Automated System Migration and Asylum SIIOD Integrated Information System of Law enforcing Authorities SIISG Integrated Information System of the Border Guard SIMI Integrated Medical System SPES Swedish Public Employment Service SRP State Registry of Population UN United Nations UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe UNHCR UN High Commissioner for Refugees UNSD United Nations Statistics Division 7

Data assessment report REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA Section 1. General overview of the data collection in the field of international migration in Moldova The political and socio-economic changes that took place in Moldova and in the World in recent decades have caused essential changes in population migration. Migration processes have a considerable influence on social, economic and demographic domains in the country, as well as the stability and state security. International migration is a key problem in Moldova and has an important impact on the development of the country and the improvement of the welfare of its population. Among European countries Moldova is experiencing the highest level of emigration of nationals and, potentially in the near future, (return) immigration could increase thus influencing the increase of transit migration and illegal migration which are considered already important topics to deal with. More precisely the emigration is part of the daily life of many Moldovan citizens and any decision of the government in this field could have a considerable impact on the economy of the country and on the development of the Moldovan society. Currently, at least 10 ministries and institutions deal with various international migration issues. In addition most of the local delegations of international institutions, numerous NGO and several foreign embassies are involved in programs where international migration is a major component. Numerous administrative databases exist where information and data to describe and evaluate the impact of international migration can be found. The present assessment on the availability, reliability and comparability of statistical data in the field of international migration aims at supporting directly the Migration Profile. It demonstrates which data are available from statistical surveys and various administrative databases. The major survey operations like census, labour force and household budget surveys are carried out by the National Bureau of Statistics. At the same time, some more limited surveys have been initiated by other institutions, including IOM in collaboration with the ministries concerned. Beside these statistical surveys, several ministries have developed administrative databases that either are directly linked to the international migration issues or include variables on individuals that are related to the latter s migration experience. The majority of these databases are computerized and some statistical aggregated data are produced, part of these being publicly accessible. To enhance the statistical data production related to international migration based on administrative data sources is one of the objectives of the integrated automated information system SIIAMA that has been developed in order to increase the cooperation between ministries in the field of international migration. Advanced technologies developed by the SE SIRC Registru, MITC, allow linking several individual databases for operational investigations in order to increase the cooperation between involved Ministries. The SE SIRC Registru also collects data, produces and updates 24 statistical tables designed to summarize the data produced by each ministry involved in SIIAMA. These SIIAMA tables should allow a direct benchmarking of the different aspects of the migration policy in Moldova. In addition a more policy-oriented consultative committee near the Prime minister of Moldova has been instituted, the National Commission for Population and Development (NCPD), whose mandate includes identifying mechanisms of collection and exchange of disaggregated data on the main demographic indicators, including in the field of migration. The basic NCPD tasks are to 8

Data assessment report REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA coordinate the process of elaboration of population policies including the ones having direct relation with international migration. Information, data, statistics and indicators For a better understanding of this DAR, the following hierarchy of concepts has to be considered: 1. Individual information collected by public administration at individual level through administrative forms or paper reports. 2. Individual primary data referring to a group of structured individual information collected according well-defined metadata detailing all variables included, their possible values, their coverage and their reliability. Such individual data are generally organized in ad hoc databases. 3. Aggregated statistical data are obtained by grouping and cross-tabulating individual raw data extracted from the database. These are absolute figures or frequencies that are usually presented in statistical tables. 4. Indicators represent direct support for policy development in the field under concern; these indicators are usually single numerical values that could be absolute figures, relative figures like proportion, standardized indexes built for comparative purpose or qualitative indicators that will appear as a dichotomous (yes or no) or categorical variable (e.g. low, moderate, high). The present DAR will deal with data but more specifically with aggregated statistical data to support on a continuous way the development and updating of the Migration Profile of the Republic of Moldova. Data sources and providers Several ministries and institutions of Moldova are possessing information that is related to international migration or is relevant to migration policies: 1. National Bureau of Statistics central statistical authority that manages and organizes the statistical activity in Moldova. 2. Ministry of Information Technology and Communications, SE SIRC Registru - is responsible for providing statistical data that are part of the SIIAMA. SE SIRC Registru is also the owner State Register of Population. 3. Border Guard Service - provider of information on state border crossing (entry/exit RM) 4. Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family - Prevention of Violence and Insurance of Gender Equality Policy Department, Protection of Family and Children s Rights Department, Migration Policy Section, National Coordination Unit of the National Referral System for Assistance and Protection of Victims and Potential Victims of Trafficking (NRS), National Employment Agency 5. Ministry of Internal Affairs - Bureau for Migration and Asylum in charge of the SIIAMA and the Centre for Combating Trafficking of Persons 6. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration 7. Ministry of Education 8. Ministry of Health 9

Data assessment report REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA 9. National Company for Health Insurance 10. National Social Insurance House 11. National Bank of Moldova - Balance of Payments Department However, only few of these institutions are producing statistical data on the basis of information collected. Aiming to support the Migration Profile of Moldova by identifying relevant and reliable statistical data and indicators the focus of this data assessment report is on the two main data producers that are NBS and the SE SIRC Registru (within SIIAMA and also on the base of SRP). In addition other institutions are managing ad hoc databases but are not producing any statistical data except for their own internal use Migration flows and population stocks For a more qualitative interpretation of the different available data and to support the Migration Profile, it is important to establish a clear distinction between flows and stocks related to international migration. Statistical data related to international migration may be classified in two main categories, flows of migrants and stock of persons related to international migration. The migration flow consists of immigration and emigration flows and includes events usually counted on annual base or sometimes monthly base. According to international recommendations immigration means arrival of foreigners having the intention to reside at least 12 months in Moldova. The same immigration flow also includes emigrated Moldovan citizens returning to their home country with the intention to stay in Moldova at least 12 months. As for emigration flows these are mostly constituted by Moldovan citizens leaving for abroad with the intention to reside abroad at least 12 months. However immigrated foreigners leaving the country for at least 12 months or those whose residence permit has expired and was not renewed should also be included in the emigration flow. The population stock related to international migration is composed of all persons who immigrated at least once and are living in the country at a given time, by rule on 1 st January of each year. In the case of Moldova the emigrant stock is also of interest: it is composed of all persons who ever emigrated from Moldova and are residing abroad at the time of observation. Such population stock is not easy to be identified as these persons are living abroad. Only indirect estimation is possible. This topic is usually ignored in international statistical recommendations. 10

Data assessment report REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA Section 2. Current and potential future data providers and main statistical data producers The national statistical institutions are traditionally the most important statistical data providers in all European countries and so it is in Moldova. The NBS produces and disseminates official statistics on the field of population, including the international migration. The NBS develops its own independent data collection systems but also uses some data collected for the administrative purposes by other institutions. In addition to the NBS, the state-owned enterprise SE SIRC Registru under the umbrella of the SRP and SIIAMA is producing and disseminating some statistical data related to the international migration. These data are collected for different administrative needs and are managed by the authorities responsible on the relevant administrative tasks mentioned in the previous section. SE SIRC Registru is also the owner and manager of SRP. SRP is intended to collect, store, and update and analyze data on natural persons, subjects of registration, information that is submitted to Moldovan public authorities and to other natural persons as provided by the law. Other potential future data providers will be presented at the end of this section. 2.1. The National Bureau of Statistics Data on demographic processes, including migration, are produced and / or consolidated, aggregated and disseminated by the NBS based on the Law on Official Statistics No. 412-XV from 09.12.2004. The Law on Official Statistics establishes the main tasks of the NBS that are similar to the ones in EU countries. The Law states the obligation to follow the international standards and promotes the collaboration with international organizations in the field of statistics. The principles of impartiality, statistical deontology, relevance, transparency, confidentiality, cost-efficiency, national level coordination and international collaboration, shall ensure that the statistical data produced and disseminated by the NBS will be relevant, reliable and in agreement with international recommendations. The statistical system of the Republic of Moldova developed by the NBS provides population data resulting directly from their own statistical surveys (Population and Housing Censuses, Labour Force Survey, Household Budget Survey and other specific surveys) or is produced from administrative data sources managed by the following ministries: Ministry of Information Technology and Communications (SE SIRC Registru ); Ministry of Internal Affairs (BMA responsible for SIIAMA). Ministry of Justice (Civil Registry Service); Ministry of Health (National Center of Management in Health); The statistical data collection that could provide information on international migrations are (i) the population census (ii) the Labour Force Survey (iii) the Household Budget Survey (iv) the annual population statistics including international migration statistics. The results of these data collection and data processing activities are disseminated through publications, which are predominantly available on the website of the NBS. 11

Data assessment report REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA Population census 2004 Censuses are carried out every ten years. The last census was held in 2004. Despite of such low frequency, the census is among the most important statistical data sources in the field of population. While having limited possibility to collect data on international migration flows, census is still an important source for the population data relevant to international migration as it can identify among the total population specific subgroups. In Moldova the census is currently the only source for data on the composition of the resident population by general demographic characteristics as well as specific characteristics relevant to international migration like citizenship and country of birth. Also, census is the starting point for annual updates of the population figure and has direct influence on the annual statistical production not only in the field of demography but also in labour force and other fields. Consequently the census data should be considered as important for the Migration Profile despite the fact that these data cannot be updated annually. The 2004 census enumerated separately the population permanently living in Moldova and the persons temporarily present but having their permanent residence in another country. The persons who lived since several years abroad but were still considered as household members and were keeping their permanent residence in Moldova were included in the permanent population figure. At the opposite persons, mostly foreigners, who had permanent place of residence abroad and lived in Moldova temporarily even more than one year were excluded. Census documents included a special questionnaire on persons who are permanent residents in another country but were temporarily in the territory at the time of census (formularul No. 3S). Such persons had to inform on their basic demographic data (date of birth and sex) as well as country of birth, citizenship, country of permanent residence, reason for stay in Moldova, including work, asylum, studies and other. As the consequence, the 2004 census data concern the permanent population which means the population with permanent residence in Moldova living or not de facto in Moldova at the time of census. The present population (including temporary present but permanently living in another country and excluding permanent residents of Moldova who were temporarily abroad at the time of census) is also identified and some statistical tables were produced on that population. A large number of statistical tables with census data are disseminated through paper publications or are accessible on the NBS website while additional cross-tabulation could be obtained on request for the purpose of the Migration Profile. Labour force survey The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides data for international migration statistics as among additional areas of investigation some data are collected on the labour force migration. The sample size for a quarterly wave is of 12,000 dwellings. The country of citizenship and the presence or absence of person in household including reasons of absence is among the characteristics collected for each person. The country of birth is not asked. Among the persons not present at the time of interview, persons absent temporarily having left abroad for less than one year 12

Data assessment report REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA and person left abroad for one year or more can be distinguished including the purpose of their stay abroad (for studies, work, looking for a job, or for other reasons). LFS results and analyses are published in the statistical yearbook and in a dedicated annual publication. Data are also available on the website of the NBS. Upon request, data are processed to answer more specific needs. In addition to the regular questions asked in the LFS on household members abroad, an ad-hoc Labour Force Migration Survey (LFMS) was carried out in 2008 with particular focus on international migration. The purpose of the survey was to obtain additional characteristics concerning the persons who left abroad for work or in search of work, such as: the reason of leaving, ways to emigrate for labour, emigration costs, ways to look for a job and work conditions, status of residence in the destination country, etc. The sample of the survey was formed of the basic LFS sample for the 2nd quarter of 2008 and an additional sample of LFS households that in 2007 had at least one member who was abroad for work or looking for a job. Two questionnaires were used for data collection: the first for absent migrants that were defined as persons who were absent in the household at the moment of the interview, and the reason of absence was leaving abroad for work or looking for a job, and the second one for returned migrants, that is persons who at the moment of the interview were in the household and who stated that during the last 12 months prior to the interview had been abroad for work or looking for a job. 1 The information on absent migrants was provided by present members of the household during the interview. Based on the basic sample of 2009, the NBS estimated that 295 thousands persons (average of the four quarterly survey waves) were working or looking for a job abroad. Household Budget Survey The NBS is also responsible for the Household Budget Survey (HBS). There is a common sampling framework of the LFS and HBS, a single network of interviewers and controllers. The net sample for Household Budget Survey consists of 9768 households annually. The Household Budget Survey (HBS) provides information on living standards in Moldova through the collection of households income and consumption data, as well as some non-monetary characteristics of households and household members including data relevant to international migration statistics. Two types of data of this survey can be of interest to the Migration Profile. Firstly, the HBS collects data on remittances as a part of household income. All general tables produced by the NBS publish data on household income including the remittances under the other sources of income. Secondly, the HBS questionnaire also allows to collect data on household members who are absent and living abroad, including the reason, duration of absence and country of current stay. The latter data are not currently published. According to information provided by the NBS the estimated number of these persons were 226 thousand in 2009. 1 Similar information is also in the regular LFS, as answer to question 76a. What is the main reason which prevents you from starting to work in the next 15 days? Although the answer Is going to leave abroad for work (or recently has came from abroad) does not distinguish between in and outbound migrants, it gives an idea on overall labour mobility on a more frequent basis. 13

Annual Statistics on International migration The NBS produces statistical data on international migration on the basis of aggregated data received from the State Register of Population and from the BMA. These aggregated tables contain information on both immigrants and emigrants with the indication of their basic demographic characteristics (age, sex, marital status, level of education, country of previous residence or destination, purpose of arrival, country of citizenship or more simply distinction between nationals and foreigners). These annual statistics are available in the Statistical Yearbook and on the NBS website. Currently the distribution of the population stock by characteristics referring to international migration (country of birth and country of citizenship) is not available as a part of annual population statistics. Assessment In conformity with the Law on Official Statistics the NBS is the central body for producing national statistics, including those on international migration, that are relevant, reliable and in agreement with international statistical recommendations. As in all European countries the statistical institution is deemed to be neutral from any political influence on contents and methodologies used for producing statistics that is the precondition for following the requirements of the above mentioned Law. Accordingly the NBS is the internationally recognized body for producing and disseminating statistics in Moldova. Ministries and other public institutions producing and disseminating statistical data are not obliged to follow strictly these rules, more specifically as far as international statistical recommendations are concerned. Currently there are several other institutions in Moldova that process and distribute statistics on international migration to policy makers directly, without statistical quality check performed by the NBS. The main objective of these statistical data is the monitoring of the functioning of administrative departments for which the extraction and aggregation of raw data directly from their own administrative database (number of processed documents, number of solved problems, etc.) may be fully appropriate. Nevertheless using such data for producing statistical data on population and more specifically migration without implementing traditional statistical rules and methods could be misleading. In this light, the role of the NBS as the final producer and disseminator of the statistical data is not currently fully validated. Any data disseminated in parallel to those produced and disseminated by the NBS should be considered with extreme caution as far as the statistical quality is concerned. Recent documents elaborated by NBS 2 and by Statistics Norway 3 following their support visit in December 2009 present a clear assessment of the production of population and migration statistics by NBS. These assessments, comforted by contacts with NBS specialists within the framework of the current project, have proved the existence of capacity and motivation among NBS staff to develop migration statistics that are reliable, internationally comparable, reflecting accurately the migration processes in the country and relevant for policy needs. 2 NBS (2009). Regarding the development of the System for Demographic Statistics, Nota Informativa accessible on the NBS website. 3 Statistics Norway (2010). Similarities and differences between Moldova and Norway regarding the conditions for demographic statistics a discussion paper. Notat 10 February 2010; Support to develop demographic statistics, Notat 23 February 2010. 14

The NBS has high competence to carry out statistical surveys based on ad hoc statistical data collection but NBS has less experience in using data derived from administrative databases for statistical purposes. It is well known among statisticians that using administrative data for producing reliable and relevant statistical data requires implementing specific methods that are different from those for censuses and sample surveys. Like in all fields of population statistics where the raw data are the result of the administrative registration, the best results for the international migration statistics in terms of reliability could be obtained by allowing the national statistical institution to use directly individual data in the statistical data processing. This is not yet the case in Moldova. The NBS is aware of their limitations in terms of capacity. Nevertheless NBS has planned a number of activities including the development of its own information system and the specific training for data analysis. Moreover as NBS will be the most important final data producer for the Migration Profile the NBS staff is willing to support this project as a priority. Specific assessment for the main statistical data sources managed by NBS Census Census as an important data source in the field of population statistics is equally relevant for the international migration statistics and hence, for the Migration Profile. The basic information on population composition by migration related variables are available through census. The particular value of the 2004 census in Moldova in relation to international migration statistics stands on the fact that it collected data on Moldovans living abroad that cannot be done effectively by other data collection methods. However the definitions and the coverage of population groups have to be considered with attention. The household questionnaire of the Census 2004 included information on temporarily absent household members. There was no maximum time limit for temporary absence of persons, and thus persons who lived abroad more than 12 months (the minimum length for inclusion in usual resident population of a country by UN recommendations) could be still considered as temporarily absent in Moldova and counted among household members. Accordingly, the permanent population enumerated by census included a number of persons living abroad already long time. It did not include, however, persons who live abroad, even for short time, but who did not have any household members left in Moldova. Regarding the general definition of population applied in census the enumerated population did not meet the international standards for counting total population of the country as will be shown in Section 3. Due to political reasons population of the left side of the Nistru River and in Bender municipality were not enumerated that results in the partial coverage of the population and in an unknown number of population for the country as whole. Labour Force Survey The Labour Force Survey data can provide an estimate of the number of emigrants abroad and their characteristics. However, there is an unknown level of under coverage because only those persons who have some household members in Moldova can be covered by the survey. Also, even if the duration of absence is included, it cannot be used effectively for estimating the annual emigration 15

flow: the number of persons abroad for more than one year will include all persons ever emigrated still living abroad while persons living abroad for less than one year will include also short-term migrants who will return within 12 months. A strong recommendation consists in executing every year a special module on international migration within the LFS as it was done in 2008. Also household sample surveys like the LFS cannot satisfactorily cover foreign immigrants. The sample design is based on addresses of dwellings so that foreign immigrants are included. However due to their small number the results of these surveys are not statistically significant for the foreign population. Household Budget Survey The HBS brings limited information on international migration. Information on remittances is collected but only as a part of total income for all households. There is no estimation either on the total absolute numbers of households who receive remittances or on the socio-economic composition of these households. Therefore, it is impossible to estimate the amplitude and the impact of the phenomenon for the Moldovan society as it will be difficult to assess the effect of these remittances on the wellbeing of households receiving remittances compared to others. Data on household members who are absent and declared by other household member as living abroad are not published by NBS. Preliminary investigations show that estimations on total number of absent household members identified by the HBS are different from those based on data collected by LFS. According to HBS the number of such persons is about one third smaller. In order to profit at maximum from both survey results it is needed to clarify the background and reasons of these discrepancies. Different data sources (LFS, HBS, SE SIRC Registru and SIIAMA based on Border Guard database) propose estimates of the number of Moldovan citizens living abroad that differ considerably. Annual statistics on international migration By the end of 2010 the definitions used for annual migration statistics were those stated in the Law on Migration which was replaced by the Law on the regime of foreigners. 4 The new Law does not include anymore general definitions on migration. Also, starting 2011 the national regulatory framework, as well as the statistical framework have to be adjusted to these newly adopted norms. Thus, the definitions previously meeting the most urgent needs of data for relevant policies have been lost. The general concept on migration has to be adjusted in accordance with the international recommendations on international migration statistics as will be seen in Section 3 hereunder. Currently, some administrative data are used by the NBS for statistics on international migration flows. These data are aggregated and provided according to predefined rules by the administrative data holder, accordingly the NBS faces difficulties to manage the data quality. Without validation of the raw data the NBS cannot ensure the reliability of the statistics produced. Receiving only predefined aggregated data the NBS also cannot provide any extra desegregation. Also, the coverage of the migration phenomenon in these data is limited and not compliant with international 4 Law no. 200 of 16.07.2010 in force starting December 24 2010 16

recommendations as will be demonstrated in section 3. For the improvement of demographic statistics including statistics on international migration in Moldova more intensive use of the primary data extracted from the State Register of Population and other administrative databases is needed. These administrative data sources are among the most appropriate to meet the international requirements for international migration statistics and to support policy development. Therefore, in order to fulfill successfully its obligations the NBS should intensify cooperation with other public authorities which collect administrative personal and economic data. In Moldova, the relative importance of the labour emigration requests an additional attention to the field of emigration statistics, a topic that is generally weaker in all countries and where good examples of efficient data collection are rare. Improving the data sources for annual emigration flow based on border crossing data in combination with data extracted from the SRP compared with figures from LFS on emigrant stock, would be profitable The NBS understands the importance of data exchange at the international level that is the most efficient modality to assess the quality of the national statistics on international emigration. Such collaboration may help estimating the volume of unregistered emigration and the characteristics of emigrants. In the light of the importance of the international migration in Moldova and considering the current situation in the production of annual statistical data on international migration including the needs for the potential future processing of primary administrative data, the limited human and technical resources can be for the NBS among the main obstacle for concrete improvement. Involvement of other institutions human and technical resources would be much saluted at this point. 2.2. The Integrated Automated Information System SIIAMA SIIAMA, Integrated automated information system "Migration and Asylum, is a conceptual information system adopted in order to integrate different databases or automated information systems to achieve the state policy on migration and asylum. SIIAMA is owned by the Bureau of Migration and Asylum of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. SIIAMA is planned to include the following sources of information: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family trough National Employment Agency, Ministry of Finances trough Custom Service, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Information Technology and Communications, Ministry of Justice trough subordinated institutions, National Bureau of statistics, Border Guards Service, National Social Insurance House, National Company in Health Insurance. The information resources under SIIAMA would supply data in different areas related to migration including those on foreign citizens, stateless persons and refugees. More precisely the goals for setting up the SIIAMA are the following: to integrate the information resources about migration and asylum of different public authorities and administrations; 17

to ensure the monitoring of the migration flows, as well as the control the foreigners and stateless persons stay regime on the territory of the country; to ensure the public administration authorities, empowered with taking decisions in migration and asylum area, with operative information. The following databases are planned to be integrated in SIIAMA: 1. A subsystem Migration and Asylum managed by Bureau of Migration and Asylum under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and including 5 databases: Immigration Asylum Repatriation (see Section 4.3) Invitations Contraventions 2. State Register of Population (Ministry of Information, Technologies and Communication) (data on internal migration, information of the citizenship, person s identification, providing documentation services with identity documents, perfecting documents for leaving abroad, processing, updating and keeping data based on the information collected form various ministeries and public institutions ) 3. State Register of Legal Units (RSUD) (MITC in cooperation with Ministry of Justice). 4. Integrated information system of law enforcement (SIIOD) (Ministry of Justice). 5. Civil Registry Services (MITC and MJ) 6. Integrated medical information system (SIMI and its subsystems) (Ministry of Health) 7. Educational information system (Ministry of Education) 8. Information System of Labour Market (National Employment Agency of the Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family) 9. Integrated Information System of Border Guard Service (SIISG) 10. Integrated information system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MFAEI Consular Registry) 11. Integrated customs information system ASYCUDA (Custom Service of the Ministry of Finance) In the framework of SIIAMA, MITC, more precisely, SE SIRC Registru is in charge of producing systematic statistical reports based on all information included in the databases integrated in SIIAMA. Currently a set of 24 statistical tables (Table 1) are available but only seven from eleven ministries and administrative authorities listed above make their data available, two by direct linkage of their databases (SRP and SIISG) and the five others by transfer of ready aggregated data. The templates of these statistical tables have been elaborated in common agreement with the NBS and each Ministry involved.. 18

Table 1: List of statistical tables available in SIIAMA with indication of the data supplier and the periodicity of data provision No Statistical tables Supplier Periodicity F1.1 Statistical data regarding the number of requests for invitations issued to foreigners to enter the Republic of Moldova, by citizenship and goal of trip F1.2 Statistical data regarding the foreigners who obtained invitations to enter the Republic of Moldova by citizenship, sex, and age groups F1.3 Statistical data regarding the number of requests for invitation issued, withdrawn, rejected to foreigners and stateless persons, by citizenship F2.1 Statistical data regarding the number of people repatriated to the Republic of Moldova, distributed in administrative-territorial profile (yearly, last year by months) F2.2 Statistical data regarding the repatriated persons, by country of arrival F2.3 Data regarding the repatriated persons who arrived in the Republic of Moldova F3.1 Citizens of the Republic of Moldova who left abroad, by sex, age group, and place of residence (ATU) F3.2 Citizens of the Republic of Moldova left abroad, by sex, age groups and duration of absence F4.1 Foreigners who stay in the Republic of Moldova, by sex, age group, and country of citizenship F4.2 Foreigners who stay in the Republic of Moldova, by sex, age groups, and duration of absence F4.3 Statistical data regarding the number of expulsion decisions issued by the courts regarding foreigners and stateless persons F4.4 Statistical data regarding the number of decision to reduce the period of stay, issued by the police bodies in regards to foreigners and stateless persons F4.5 Statistical data regarding the number of violations of the stay rules committed by foreigners and stateless persons on the territory of the RM F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10 Employment of RM citizens to work abroad based on individual work contracts which were officially registered with the National Employment Agency Statistical data regarding emigration of RM citizens (with withdrawn residence) for getting settled with permanent residence on the territory of other states, distributed by sex, age groups and country of destination Statistical data regarding the foreigners and stateless persons with temporary residence in the RM, distributed by goal of stay and citizenship Statistical data regarding the foreigners and stateless persons staying on the territory of RM, distributed by type of issued documents and citizenship Statistical data regarding the foreigners and stateless persons residing on the territory of RM, distributed in administrative-territorial profile Statistical data regarding the issuance of the travel document by the diplomatic and consular missions of RM, by country, total number of persons including the minors. F11.1 Statistical data regarding the issuance of visas for foreigners by the diplomatic and consular missions of the Republic of Moldova F11.2 Statistical data regarding the issuance of visas by the diplomatic and consular missions of the Republic of Moldova, by type of visa F12 F13 F14 Statistical data regarding the RM citizens, detained, arrested or condemned to deprivation of freedom on the territory of the country of accreditation, by country, total number of detained persons, year, date, and place of detention Statistical data regarding the RM citizens deceased outside the state of origin, by country, total number of deceased persons, year of death Statistical data regarding the consular record keeping of RM citizens settled with permanent residence in other states through the MFAEI, by country of destination, total number of persons, year of settlement BMA under MIA MITC BMA under MIA MITC, BGS BGS BMA under MIA NEA under MLSPF MITC MFAEI MFAEI MFAEI Monthly Monthly Monthly Daily Monthly Monthly Monthly Monthly Monthly Quarterly Monthly Quarterly 19

The Information-Retrieval Access System to State Information Resources named ACCES developed by the SE SIRC Registru is designed for providing users with information from the databases integrated in the SIIAMA. This system provides to users the possibility to access on-line individual information on persons as well as the 24 statistical tables presented above. The ACCES tool allows choosing a given table and the original administrative data will be aggregated for a chosen fixed date or during a selected fixed period. Assessment The SIIAMA integrated information system is potentially a useful tool in term of efficiency for extracting individual information from all administrative individual databases that could be linked in the system. Nevertheless this system is still far from being fully operational The production of statistical tables, the so-called SIIAMA reports, is also an excellent initiative in order to support policy development and would be a rich potential source for indicators of the Migration Profile as well. The set of 24 statistical tables includes a large variety of information on the topics linked to international migration. Currently only tables based on the SRP and SIISG, more precisely tables 2.1., 3.1., 3.2., 4.1., 4.2., 6, 7, 8 and 9 are automatically extracted from the respective databases. The remaining tables are updated based on aggregated data transferred by mail. The statistical tables that are systematically extracted are not fully in agreement with the usual statistical best practices. In all administrative databases individual information is continuously updated. Moreover some events are recorded with delay (e.g. deaths) while others are subject to correction. Accordingly even if the system allows extracting data for a fixed time period or at a given date, the resulting table obtained will differ slightly depending on the time of the request. Every time a user requests data to be extracted from the system, even if this report corresponds to the same period or same time, differences will appear that may bring trouble for analysis and policy support. Concretely, the solution adopted in other countries is to extract at an appropriate fixed time a complete copy of the content of the database and to freeze it. A strict consistency of the tables produced could be ensured by using this frozen data and accordingly all statistical tables will be produced on the same basis for answering all data requests on a consistent way. This point is also crucial in order to produce comparable time series. Considering the different types of statistical data currently available among the 24 SIIAMA tables, stock data and flow data are found but it is not always clear which table displays stock figures at a given date or flow data for a given period of time. The situation is even more complex when considering Tables 3.1, 3.2, 4.1 and 4.2 based on border crossing data where the proposed figures are stock figures obtained by cumulated flow of entries or exits. As such most of the data in the 24 tables include cumulative figures of records included in the database. Up to now there is no precedent of providing data that are the result of linking different databases in the SIIAMA. Such a powerful system like SIIAMA should be used as effectively as possible and among other ways to do this is to link data from different databases. Currently all databases are independent. Some links between different databases are established only when processing 20