A state of emergency should be declared in Moldova to allow Energocom to take decisive actions. This opinion was expressed by political commentator Victor Ciobanu during the public debate titled "The Energy System of the Republic of Moldova: Between Economy and Politics. The Energy Crisis as a Factor of Social Conflict and Scenarios for Its Resolution", organized by IPN News Agency.

"Currently, this 'hot potato' will be passed around from one party to another. I am not sure that after these parliamentary hearings, anything clear will be communicated. Everyone will shift responsibilities, but in the end, the ordinary citizen will pay the price. We need to reinstate the state of emergency so that Energocom can take responsibility and make purchases", said Victor Ciobanu.

One scenario concerning the Transnistrian region involves Chisinau authorities seeking help from development partners, noted Ciobanu.

"We need to go 'cap in hand' and explain to them that, based on our calculations, we need 400 million euros to support the Transnistrian region somehow. However, we don’t have this money - a scenario that, in fact, should already have been in the works," the political commentator added.

According to Victor Ciobanu, it was a political statement when it was claimed that Moldova had finally achieved energy independence and escaped dependency on the Russian giant Gazprom -a claim made for the third consecutive year. In this context, the expert also referred to the visit of Moldova’s Energy Minister to Russia.

"With this visit to Russia, the government undermined the foreign policy Moldova has pursued since 2022. We keep saying that we are not dependent on Gazprom and that we do not buy gas from terrorists. Yet, following this visit, we heard nothing new. Russia's entire strategy revolves around winning the 2025 parliamentary elections. For this, the Kremlin will not stop at anything and will simply shut off the gas supply," Ciobanu said.

The public debate on "The Energy System of the Republic of Moldova: Between Economy and Politics. The Energy Crisis as a Factor of Social Conflict and Scenarios for Its Resolution" is part of the project "IPN News Agency for Social Cohesion and Pro-European Moldova," funded by IMS.