The International Monetary Fund (IMF) became a new mainstream player in Moldova this week. The IMF blocked the final two tranches, totaling 2.9 billion lei ($170 million), under its cooperation program with Moldova, which ended in October. The total disbursement under the program, financed through the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and intended for budget support, was approximately $810 million.
Since 1991, Moldova within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) has signed 82 treaties at the meetings of the CIS Council of Heads of State and 269 treaties at the Council of Heads of Government. To date, Chisinau has denounced 64 treaties. According to the government, the move is part of “a continuous process of harmonizing the national policy, as well as the country’s legislative and economic framework with the EU standards and norms”.
Parliament has approved amendments to the state budget for 2025 in the first reading. The amended parameters envisage an increase in expenditures and budget deficit, as well as additional funds for salaries, social payments and compensations to citizens for energy resources, Logos Press reported.
Moldovan Finance Minister Adrian Gavrilice said that after the blocking of the last two IMF tranches, the country lost not grants, but loans for which there was an alternative. The government will “look” at the feasibility of launching a new program with the IMF, Logos Press reported.
The Moldovan government has reviewed the state budget for 2025 and confirmed that the IMF tranche was not transferred this year, but the country had sufficient sources of financing, Logos Press reported.
The draft of the new law on mediation has split the business and legal environment: the Ministry of Justice insists on mandatory pre-trial mediation to relieve the burden on courts, banks consider the measure ineffective, and utility providers warn of a possible increase in tariffs, Logos Press reports.
The European Commission promised Moldova even more money after the already promised 1.9 billion euros, if the country uses these funds efficiently, Logos Press reports.
The Academy of Sciences of Moldova (ASM) calls on the country’s leadership to make decisions based on scientific data, as the level of confidence of the population in the authorities depends on it,” Logos Press reports.
Moldovan trade unions are demanding a “breakthrough” in wages so that the country does not enter the European Union as the poorest. Sergiu Sainciuc, deputy chairman of the National Confederation of Trade Unions, said that the minimum wage of 5,500 lei “is not bad in principle, but it is too low,” while the required minimum should be 8,000 lei – half of the projected average wage, Logos Press reported.
The Moldovan government intends to withdraw from several more agreements within the Commonwealth of Independent States, including the agreement on visa-free travel of citizens of CIS member states across the territory of its members. This does not mean the immediate introduction of a visa regime with Russia,” the Moldovan Foreign Ministry said. Politicians and experts believe that only for now, Logos Press reports.
The new government’s program sets an ambitious goal of supporting the employment of at least 100,000 people over the next four years.
There are 54 parliamentary friendship groups with different countries in the XII Parliament. There was no place for Russia and Belarus in the middle of them. PAS promised to reconsider the decision to suspend these groups “only after Russia stops the war and starts respecting Moldova”. Opposition MPs believe that it is precisely the preservation of friendly relations between the deputies of our countries “that can help to end the war”.
Social inequality is increasing in Moldova. From 2019 to 2024, the poverty rate increased almost one and a half times, and the Gini coefficient, which reflects the degree of income stratification in society, increased by 6.8%,” Logos Press reports.
Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, participated in a festive sitting of the Moldovan Parliament, where she announced the official opening of the European Parliament Office in Chisinau, Logos Press reports.
After US sanctions were imposed on Lukoil, the company announced the sale of all foreign assets, including Moldova. The country’s authorities are monitoring the situation to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies, especially for the Chisinau International Airport, and are considering a possible change of ownership, not excluding even partial nationalization.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) has approved allocations for parties based on the results of the parliamentary elections. PAS will receive the most. And independent candidates, even those who got more votes than some parties and blocs, remain without funding. This raises questions about the equality of conditions for them to participate in politics, Logos Press reported.
Moldova has become an “impenetrable wall” and a “strong shield” on the EU’s digital frontier, according to Minister of Economy and Digital Development Eugen Osmochescu. After the wave of cyber attacks in 2025, state institutions have shown lightning-fast reaction and resistance to cyber aggressions, yet digital security reforms need to be implemented even faster – “at the speed of eighth transmission,” according to Logos Press.
Moldovan Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu opened the first meeting of the new government with personnel appointments, including the appointment of the Secretary General of the Government and the new head of the Customs Service. The executive director of the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova, Viorel Furdui, urged the government and, in particular, the new ministers to actively cooperate with local authorities and to take into account institutional experience in implementing reforms, Logos Press reported.
The Moldovan government is closely monitoring the situation with the supply of oil products to Chisinau International Airport, where the only fuel supplier is the Russian company Lukoil, which has been subjected to US sanctions. Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu emphasized the need for a balanced approach and actions within the law, including taking into account the state’s obligations,” Logos Press reported.
The closure of the Russian Center of Science and Culture (Russian House in Chisinau) will be a consequence of the denunciation of the agreement with the Russian Federation on cultural centers. The draft law was approved by the Moldovan Cabinet of Ministers and will be submitted to Parliament for approval, Logos-Press reported.
