Vlad Filat
“More and more often we hear from government officials the same phrase repeated with obsessive persistence: “in 2025 we have economic growth”. This is a convenient statement, but deeply misleading. That is why it cannot remain unanswered,” Filat said.
He argues: “Because what is presented to us as success is in reality only a timid and delayed attempt to recover from a serious fall. And the difference between growth and recovery is not a matter of nuance, it is a matter of essence. Growth means progress, going beyond the limits of previous possibilities. Recovery, on the other hand, is a painful effort to get back to where you fell from.
The founder of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova says that after four years of uncoordinated policies and missed opportunities, Moldova’s economy is barely approaching the level of 2021. Moreover, it actually does not exceed it. Talking about “growth” in these conditions is not just an exaggeration, it is incorrect towards citizens.
The reality is simple and stark: we have survived the collapse, and what is observed today is only a slow, fragile and insufficient recovery. The economy is not moving forward – it is struggling to recover. And even this process cannot be described as convincing.
Industry, which should be the backbone of a healthy economy, remains below the performance of past years. After a prolonged slump, any slight positive swing is presented as an achievement. But the truth is that it is not about development, but about survival.
Agriculture, another key sector, shows the same instability: sharp fluctuations, lack of predictability and no clear strategy. Dramatic downturns are followed by partial recoveries, which are again followed by a setback. The bottom line is clear: even here we have not returned to the starting point.
And then a legitimate question arises: if the economy is “growing,” why don’t people feel it? The answer does not need to be found in reports or presentations – it is in everyday life.
Because if there is one area in which the Republic of Moldova has really shown “growth”, it is the growth of prices. In a few years they have increased by almost 80%. What yesterday cost 100 lei today is close to 180 lei. This is the real economy, not the one that is talked about in official statements.
And we are not talking about a strong economy capable of absorbing such shocks. We are talking about one of the most vulnerable countries in Europe, where every price hike directly hits living standards. The energy crisis, rapid inflation, rising living costs, all of this cannot be hidden behind cosmetically embellished interest rates.
Moreover, there is a comparison that cannot be ignored: countries affected by war or under sanctions have been able to recover faster than we have. Whereas we, with no armed conflicts on our territory, are not even able to return to a basic level. Here we can no longer refer to external factors, it is obviously a question of internal solvency.
It is therefore time to abandon artificial optimism and return to the truth. We do not have genuine economic growth. There is a slow, delayed and incomplete recovery. There is an economy that is crawling rather than moving steadily forward.
The real picture is not an economy on the rise. It is a tired man trying to climb out of a deep hole. He is moving, yes. But it hasn’t gotten out yet. And until it does, any talk of “growth” remains a form of propaganda.
People don’t need slogans anymore. They need results. And the truth, however inconvenient it may be, cannot be replaced by beautiful words, says Vlad Filat.
