News about Social sphere

International passports and driver’s licenses will be issued at new rates, while the cost of certain permits for businesses in the tourism sector will decrease. According to officials at the Agency for Public Services (ASP), the changes are necessary to cover rising production and logistics costs.

Today, the Republic of Moldova is celebrating Constitution Day. To mark the occasion, government institutions and political leaders have issued statements highlighting the role of the Constitution in strengthening the rule of law, protecting citizens’ rights, and promoting the country’s development.

The overall pass rate for the national exam to obtain a secondary school diploma in 2026 reached 81.9%, which is higher than the 2025 rate (79.17%). A total of 18,437 candidates were admitted to the exam, of whom 15,100 passed it successfully.

In light of this initiative, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection is calling on workers on such platforms to participate in the drafting of the relevant law. All interested parties may submit their proposals and comments to the ministry by August 7, 2026.

Water resource management on the Dniester River, in light of the current hydrological situation, was one of the topics discussed at the meeting between Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan and Paun Rogovei, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Republic of Moldova.

Extreme heat and a prolonged drought in France are forcing volunteers to rescue fish by hand from rivers where water levels are dropping rapidly and oxygen levels are becoming critically low. Amid a widespread water crisis, water use restrictions are already in effect in 99 of the country’s 101 departments, and 58 have been placed under the highest drought alert level.

As of today, 1,809 children from refugee families from Ukraine are enrolled and attending municipal schools in Chisinau, and 505 young children are attending preschool institutions.

Zinedine Zidane has officially been named head coach of the French national team, putting an end to years of anticipation surrounding one of the most coveted positions in world soccer. The former national team captain has replaced Didier Deschamps, who, over the course of 14 years, transformed Les Bleus into one of the most successful national teams of modern times.

Amendments to laws and regulations governing the rules for informing consumers about the origin of food products were discussed today at a meeting between the leadership of the National Food Safety Agency and representatives of Moldova’s food industry.

On Tuesday, July 28, two powerful earthquakes struck the southern part of the country, in Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the area in the afternoon, followed by a tsunami warning for Ariake and Yatsushiro Bays. Almost immediately afterward, another quake with a magnitude of 6.1 struck.

The government has announced the first stimulus payments made through a voluntary association of city governments. According to official data, 81 city governments received the funds.

In Tulcea County, located on the border with Ukraine, air raid alerts were issued twice on July 27 due to the threat of falling objects.

Parliament approved, on first reading, an increase in the maximum size of the Equality Council’s administrative staff by three positions—bringing the total to 36 employees. Implementing this measure will require additional expenditures of approximately 400,000 lei per year. The funds are planned to be allocated from the institution’s annual budget to support the new positions created in connection with the expansion of the Council’s powers, as provided for by law.

UPDATED. Representatives of several parliamentary and non-parliamentary opposition parties, along with citizens who had traveled from Chisinau and other parts of the country, held a protest on Tuesday in front of the parliament building against the increase in natural gas rates and the policies pursued by the authorities.

The Moldovan government today declared a 30-day state of alert (high readiness) in the field of hydrology.

A mechanism for monitoring graduate employment will be implemented in the higher education management information system. It will make it possible to determine graduates’ employment status, identify those who are unemployed within the country, and assess whether their field of study aligns with their current position.

On Monday, the press office of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Russian Foreign Ministry of its decision to expel one of the staff members of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest.

For the first time, Italy will extend the hours of operation for its most-visited landmarks during the peak of the tourist season. From August 1 through 31, the Colosseum and the Pantheon in Rome, as well as Sforza Castle in Milan, will remain open until late in the evening as part of a pilot program designed to reduce lines, redistribute tourist flows, and make visiting these attractions more comfortable during the summer heat.

A few days before the deadline for voluntary consolidation, the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM) stated that representatives of the State Chancellery and a number of lawmakers are pressuring mayors and local elected officials to make decisions on municipal consolidation within a tight timeframe.

As of the end of 2025, Moldovan employers owed their employees more than 165 million lei in wages and other employment-related payments. More than 10.8 thousand workers were affected by these delays.