As Logos Press previously reported, the executive branch began identifying internal sources of funding this summer as part of its efforts to optimize spending. Government agencies are reviewing non-essential expenditures, and some major reforms, as well as a new law on public sector wages, have been postponed until the end of the year.
According to the Ministry of Finance, with the help of Slovak colleagues as part of a UNDP initiative, it has now become clear where additional opportunities lie. They lie in the reallocation of budget expenditures.
Against the backdrop of a budget deficit—which totaled 7.7 billion lei in the first five months of 2026—assessments were conducted in the health care and social protection sectors.
The results revealed opportunities for efficiency gains estimated at approximately 15.5 million lei in the healthcare sector and a potential budget reserve of about 2.2 billion lei in the social protection sector.
“These results demonstrate the potential of assessments to support the reallocation of resources toward programs and investments that have a greater impact on economic and social development,” the ministry stated.
Expenditure Assessment Revised
A significant step was taken in December 2025 with the institutionalization of public expenditure assessment through amendments to the regulatory framework. Subsequently, in June 2026, the Ministry of Finance approved a revised methodology for conducting evaluations.
The new methodology establishes a unified framework for planning, conducting, and monitoring evaluations and integrates the country’s Sustainable Development Goals as well as a gender equality perspective into it.
Thus, the evaluations track not only the effectiveness of financial resource use but also the economic and social impact of government spending.
In 2026, the evaluations will be extended to strategic areas of development: general and higher education, support programs for small and medium-sized enterprises, and agricultural subsidies.
Follow our updates
