According to the expert, the current administrative system does not allow many local authorities to effectively exercise their duties. He argues that over 70% of the 898 first-level administrative-territorial units fail to finance their own administrative apparatus, which limits their ability to provide public services and implement projects for communities.

“People’s question is: why do I need an authority that cannot provide me with the necessary services?”, said Iurie Tap. He mentioned that numerous localities fail to provide basic services, such as water supply and sewage. In his opinion, a functional local administration should be able to cover at least half of its budget from its own revenues.

Regarding the second level of local public administration, Iurie Tap believes that sufficiently strong structures need to be created to manage services that cannot be efficiently organized by each community individually, such as education, health and institutional social protection. According to him, decentralization represents both an efficient method of administration and a political reform intended to contribute to the democratization of the state and society.

In this context, the expert advocates for the organization of the country into three administrative regions – North, Center and South -, which should have their own competencies in the field of regional development. These are expected to be governed by councils elected by citizens and accountable to them. In his opinion, such an organization could contribute to reducing development disparities between regions.

At the same time, Iurie Tap criticized the transfer of some competences from the local level to the territorial structures of the central public administration, mentioning that the establishment of new agencies does not automatically guarantee more efficient public services.

In the expert’s view, the future administrative-territorial units should be balanced in terms of population, area, and financial capacity, taking into account demographic, economic, territorial and cultural criteria. He believes that the reform can be prepared in the remaining period, but its success depends on the existence of a clear vision and the will to implement it.

Disclaimer: This material was developed by the IPN Press Agency, within the project “Local Government Reform in Dialogue”, financed by the Ministry of Culture from the Media Subsidy Fund.

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Once the reform takes effect, the ATE organizations will become the founding bodies of elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and special education institutions. Preschools and after-school programs will continue to be administered by local public authorities.

The new agencies will coordinate school operations and manage school funding. They will also approve the number of classes and staffing levels, establish school districts, and monitor compliance with compulsory education. In addition, they will be involved in managing infrastructure and budgets, as well as in preventing truancy and bullying.

The Minister of Education and Research, Dan Perciun, stated that the reform aims to ensure that all students have access to the same standards of quality, support, and safety, regardless of where they attend school. According to him, the quality of school administration currently varies from one district to another, depending on the resources and capacity of local authorities.

Once the schools are transferred to the ATE, the institutions will be funded directly from the state budget, based on the standard cost per student. The transfer of the schools and the implementation of the new funding system are scheduled for January 1, 2027, following the Parliament’s adoption of the bill. The reform will not apply to educational institutions in the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, where the provisions of the special law on the region’s autonomy apply.

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Representatives of CALM argue that the reform process cannot be imposed without effectively consulting those who will implement it. According to them, local authorities have been marginalized, and the Joint Commission, the dialogue platform between the Government and local public administration, has not met for almost a year. At the same time, CALM believes that the deadline of July 31, set for the voluntary amalgamation of localities, is unrealistic and contravenes legal provisions.

During the meeting, the organization proposed a review of the local public administration reform by strengthening decentralization and the financial autonomy of city halls. Among the proposals are the reorganization of the second level of local public administration, strengthening the role of cities in regional development, extending the period of voluntary amalgamation, and adopting measures for fiscal decentralization.

CALM drew attention to the difficulties faced by city halls in implementing projects funded by European funds. According to the organization, the lack of a co-financing and pre-financing mechanism can block important investments, as many local administrations do not have the necessary resources to cover expenses until the money is reimbursed.

At the same time, the organization has called for the acceleration of the digitization of public services and local administrations’ access to state registers. CALM argues that, in the absence of these measures, the reform risks creating new difficulties for citizens.

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The document stipulates the adoption of a new law that will replace the current provisions in the Tax Code regarding the road tax and vignette. The reform is part of the commitments undertaken by the Republic of Moldova in the process of accession to the European Union and aims to transpose by the end of 2027 the European directive on road infrastructure taxation.

One of the main changes is the decentralization of the vehicle tax collection. Starting from January 1, 2028, this is expected to be paid at the town hall within whose jurisdiction the vehicle is registered, and the revenues will remain entirely in the local budgets. The money can only be used for the maintenance and administration of local roads, with local authorities required to present annual public reports and subject expenditures to an audit. The document also indicates that the new system will introduce differentiation of the tax based on CO2 emissions and there will be incentives for vehicles with low or zero emissions, in accordance with European legislation.

The reform also introduces a universal vignette, which will be paid both by vehicles registered in the Republic of Moldova and by those registered in other states. According to the authors of the document, this measure eliminates the differentiated treatment between local and foreign users and simplifies the administration system. Agricultural vehicles – tractors, combine harvesters and other agricultural machinery – will be exempt from the vehicle tax and the vignette.

According to the document, the increase in taxes will be done gradually. In 2028, the amount of the tax will remain at the current level, and during the period 2029-2032 it will increase annually by approximately 25%. In 2033, the minimum level provided by European legislation will be reached, and from 2034 local public authorities will be able to set taxes above this minimum threshold, depending on the needs of the communities. The current amounts are estimated to be 60-70% below the minimum levels provided by the European Directive.

The Ministry argues the necessity of the reform by stating that the current system no longer meets European requirements and does not provide sufficient resources for the maintenance of road infrastructure. The authors estimate that the reform will lead to an increase in revenues dedicated to road maintenance by approximately 205% by 2033, which would allow the elimination of the funding deficit and the modernization of road infrastructure. The revenues currently collected amount to approximately 850-900 million lei annually, while the estimated requirement is 2.5-3 billion lei for the maintenance of the road network.

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The Deputy Head of DGETS, Andrei Pavaloi, stated at an event that representatives of the educational community in the capital express their concern about the way the reform is promoted, without real public consultations and without convincing arguments regarding the impact on the quality of education and the network of educational institutions in the municipality. According to him, in the absence of clear explanations and impact analyses, there is no certainty that the reform will bring benefits to the municipal educational system.

The Deputy Head of DGETS, Valentin Crudu, pointed out that the proposed reorganization affects the stability of the educational process. He mentioned that the reform transfers responsibilities to the Ministry of Education and Research, without providing guarantees that the educational and social programs currently funded exclusively from the municipal budget will be maintained.

The mayor of Chisinau, Ion Ceban, emphasized that a reform of the magnitude of “Restart” should only be adopted after consulting the citizens. According to the mayor, teachers, principals, students, parents, and local authorities should express their opinion through a referendum, as is the procedure in the case of complex reforms in several European countries.

The educational community has requested the mayor of the capital to take the necessary measures to suspend the reform. At the same time, the mayor was asked to initiate the legal procedures for organizing a consultative referendum, so that the residents of the capital can express their opinion on the implementation of the reform, considering its impact on the entire community.

The “Restart” reform in education, launched by the Ministry of Education and Research, envisages replacing the current regional and municipal education departments, divisions, and departments with Territorial Education Agencies (TEA), which will operate under the direct subordination of the Ministry and will take over the administration of general education. Early education and extracurricular activities will remain under the administration of local public authorities.

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“There are 135 localities where there is no transport to connect with the district center out of a total of 1682. We are waiting for the final decision of the Parliament when we will know exactly how many town halls we have. We come with the obligation for the local public administration to interconnect all localities”, declared Vladimir Bolea during the “Rezoomat” show on RealitateaTV.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, once the final number of municipalities is established following the Local Public Administration reform, municipalities in localities without public transportation will be obliged to ensure at least one trip per week, even if it will not be economically profitable.

“Even a small village with 400-500 inhabitants, obviously, it will not be able to generate a large number of passengers for the route to be profitable, but there must be transportation once or twice a week. There must be a connection between the village, the commune capital, and the administrative center, that is, the city”, the minister further stated.

According to him, public transportation should be treated as a social service, not solely as a commercial activity. “Public transportation is a social service. When we have a commercial activity, the focus is on profit. And the routes established so far are strictly commercial, that’s why we have localities without transportation. Therefore, these routes should be created by the local public administration”, Vladimir Bolea further stated.

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According to the minister, the current law regarding military pensions and those of persons with special status is outdated and no longer meets present realities. “What we want through this law is for people who accumulate experience, dedicate themselves to the sector, not to leave this system quickly. We know that it is not an easy or pleasant reform”, Natalia Plugaru stated during the “Rezoomat” show on RealitateaTV.

The new provisions will target the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the National Anti-Corruption Center, the Information and Security Service, the State Protection and Guard Service, and the National Administration of Penitentiaries.

“Currently, the law does not provide for any retirement age for these categories. People retire after accumulating a special seniority of 12.6 years and a total seniority of 25 years. We have situations where some retire after over 30 years and others at 50 years”, the minister further stated.

According to her, the project introduces a minimum retirement age of 45 years, which will gradually increase by six months each year, until it reaches 50 years, within a decade. “Compared to the civil sector, where people retire at 63 years old, it is an advantage. We continue to maintain special conditions, because it is special work”, the minister concluded.

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The Republic of Moldova is in an unprecedented stage of its relations with the European Union. After obtaining candidate status and launching accession negotiations, the focus of Brussels inevitably shifts from political declarations to the effective functioning of institutions. If in the first stage the will to reform was evaluated, currently the state’s ability to apply European standards in practice is being tested.

In this context, the scandal regarding the appointments at the state enterprise Moldatsa goes beyond the dimension of an internal controversy. It brings into question the functioning of integrity mechanisms within a strategic state enterprise and raises questions about the selection criteria for public positions. Investigations initiated by the National Anticorruption Center and institutional reactions show that there are aspects that require clarification. From a European perspective, it is not only important whether there have been violations of the law or not, but also whether the state has effective mechanisms for preventing, identifying and sanctioning any potential deviations.

The statement of analyst Dionis Cenusa, according to which information about this case would have even reached the attention of the European Commission, is politically significant. Even if the final evaluation belongs to European institutions, it is evident that such cases contribute to shaping the external image of the Republic of Moldova. In the current stage of negotiations, credibility becomes one of the most important political resources of the state.

However, there is another risk, perhaps even more significant than the external impact. In the perception of a part of society, European integration is almost exclusively associated with the current government. Under these conditions, any scandal that affects the image of power risks indirectly eroding confidence in the European project. This overlap between a party and a strategic option of the state constitutes one of the most serious vulnerabilities of the moment.

II. The reform focused on changing people, not enough on transforming institutions

The 2021 PAS victory was built on a clear promise: replacing the old political class with honest and competent people. In the first years of governance, this strategy has generated significant trust capital. Society has accepted that changing individuals can be the first step towards changing the state.

The experience of recent years, however, shows that institutions are more resilient than anticipated. The administrative culture, bureaucratic procedures and informal practices inherited from the era of the captured state do not disappear with the change of political leadership. On the contrary, they tend to integrate newcomers into their operational logic.

This represents one of the great lessons of administrative reforms in Central and Eastern Europe. No state has modernized its administration solely by changing the people. Sustainable reform has required changing recruitment rules, strengthening institutional control, professionalizing the civil service and limiting political influence over administration.

From this perspective, the current scandal can be interpreted as a symptom of a structural problem. Not so much the identity of the individuals in office is essential, but the mechanism that allows the emergence of such controversies and the system’s ability to prevent them before they become public scandals.

Therefore, the real question is not whether there will be more resignations, but whether the way selection, evaluation and control procedures are organized in enterprises and state institutions will be revised.

III. The monopolization of the European agenda produces contrary political effects

In recent years, the current government has pursued the consolidation of a simple political message: European integration is its fundamental project, and support for this project is expressed, primarily, through backing the government.

This strategy had clear electoral advantages. It contributed to the mobilization of the pro-European electorate during a period marked by the war in Ukraine and the intensification of pressures from the Russian Federation on the Republic of Moldova.

In the long term, however, the almost complete identification between a party and a strategic objective of the state generates significant risks. If the party’s popularity decreases, citizens’ confidence in the European project may also diminish, even though the two are not synonymous.

Opinion polls from recent months show an increase in distrust towards political institutions. These developments do not automatically mean a decrease in support for European integration, but they create conditions in which opponents of Western orientation can try to present the difficulties of governance as proof of the failure of the European project.

From this perspective, one of the priorities of the political class should be the clear separation between the evaluation of a government and the assessment of the strategic direction of the state. European integration must remain a national project, capable of surviving the democratic alternation in governance.

IV. European integration requires a broader strategic debate, including on the prospect of unification with Romania

Another effect of political polarization is the narrowing of space for an authentic debate on the various ways in which the Republic of Moldova can achieve its goal of European integration.

In recent years, public discussion has focused almost exclusively on classic accession negotiations. This is, undoubtedly, the main option pursued by authorities and supported by European institutions. However, in a democratic society, the existence of a dominant option does not exclude the analysis of other scenarios compatible with European values and constitutional order.

In this context, the prospect of unification with Romania continues to be supported by a significant part of society and the political spectrum. Supporters of this option argue that reunification would represent an immediate means of integration into the institutional space of the European Union and NATO, through a state that is already a member of these organizations. Others believe that the accession process should be followed by the Republic of Moldova as an independent state.

These different positions should not be treated as incompatible with the pro-European orientation. On the contrary, they can be part of a legitimate debate on the ways in which the common goal of European integration can be achieved.

Avoiding such a discussion risks turning European integration into a topic reserved exclusively for a temporary political majority, instead of consolidating it as a national project shared by a plurality of democratic currents.

V. The European course must be detached from the electoral fate of a single party

The experience of the states that have joined the European Union shows that the success of the integration process depends on the existence of a broad political and social consensus. In all these states, there have been changes in government, democratic alternation and electoral competition, without the objective of accession being called into question.

The Republic of Moldova needs the same type of consensus. European integration cannot become captive to electoral cycles, nor can it depend exclusively on the performance of a single party. If the European project is identified with the success or failure of a single political formation, then any governance crisis inevitably turns into a crisis of confidence in the strategic direction of the state.

The scandal at Moldatsa could paradoxically become an opportunity for reflection. It could lead to the expansion of dialogue among all democratic and pro-Western forces and reaffirm the fact that European integration is an objective that surpasses the interests of a party or a government.

In this logic, strengthening the pro-European consensus implies accepting political pluralism and an open debate on all democratic options regarding the future of the Republic of Moldova. Only in this way can the European project gain the necessary stability to withstand inevitable government changes and electoral competition.

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According to Expert-Grup, the APP currently operates under an administrative model designed for a ministry, despite managing assets worth tens of billions of lei and a large number of state enterprises. The institution is considered understaffed, poorly paid, and insufficiently digitized, factors that limit its ability to efficiently fulfill its mandate.

The vision of Expert-Grup regarding reorganization is a phased one, structured on three time horizons. In the short term, immediate measures to increase efficiency are proposed. In the medium term, the aim is to consolidate governance and anchor the new model in legislation. In the long term, by 2029, the creation of a state holding is targeted.

Experts believe that, before any holding, the immediate priority is a fortified APP. This implies cleaning the “ballast” business register, transforming state enterprises into joint-stock companies and delimiting them, digitizing processes and strengthening the function of valorizing heritage and public lands. At the same time, the APP is expected to benefit from a financing model that allows it to retain specialists.

Recently, Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu stated that the Public Property Agency must be thoroughly reorganized to ensure more transparency, efficiency, and responsibility in the management of state assets and state enterprises. According to him, the reform is necessary to strengthen control mechanisms and eliminate defective practices, in the context of recent controversies regarding the management and salary at the state enterprise Moldatsa, where checks were initiated regarding compliance with the legal framework.

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“The concept and vision have changed. We have moved from a Soviet, then post-Soviet system, centered on hospitals, to a different model of care,” said the minister. He emphasized that, currently, services are integrated into primary healthcare, and the patient is involved in making decisions regarding their own treatment. Moreover, according to the minister, the next step is the expansion of multidisciplinary teams and the development of home-based services.

During the conference, it was mentioned that the reform targeted not only the medical system, but also education. The head of inclusive education and child protection policies at the Ministry of Education and Research, Inga Grosu, stated that approximately 450 teachers and a similar number of school psychologists have been trained to recognize early signs of mental health issues and intervene in crisis situations. According to her, the goal is for every child to be able to receive support before emotional difficulties affect their development and academic results.

In turn, the director of the Swiss Cooperation Office in the Republic of Moldova, Guido Beltrani, stated that one of the most important results of the project is the integration of mental health services into the national health system and primary medical care, which will ensure the continuity of the reform even after the project ends. The official emphasized that another significant result is the reduction of stigmatization of people with mental health problems, through information campaigns and the gradual change in society’s perception of these conditions.

Laura Shields-Zeeman, head of the Public Mental Health Department at the Trimbos Institute in the Netherlands, stated that one of the strengths of the reform was the comprehensive approach to mental health services. According to her, in addition to the development of community centers, the project involved general practitioners, schools, hospitals, and specialized services, contributing to the creation of an integrated support network for people with mental health issues.

At the same time, the representative of the World Health Organization in the Republic of Moldova, Miljana Grbic, stated that the next stage of the reform must be the consolidation of community services and ensuring sustainable financing. According to her, family doctors play an essential role, who can contribute to the early detection and management of conditions such as depression, anxiety, or dependencies.

The MENSANA project has been implemented for 12 years by the Trimbos Institute from the Netherlands, with the support of the Swiss Government, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. During this period, community mental health services were developed, thousands of medical staff and specialists from other fields were trained, and the care model was adapted to make services more accessible and closer to people’s needs.

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