Territorial reform
The authorities intend to unload psychiatric hospitals by merging psychiatry and narcology services into a single system and creating beds in district hospitals.
Moldova occupies a unique place in European economic geography – and not a place to be proud of. The country is both peripheral to Western Europe and a donor of human capital to countries that are themselves peripheral. This is not a rhetorical exaggeration – it is a structural diagnosis that follows from a body of theoretical and empirical work on regional development, institutions and spatial economics. This article is an attempt to synthesize these works in relation to the Moldovan reality – without illusions, but also without hopelessness.
The Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM) issued a negative opinion on the draft amendments concerning the voluntary unification of administrative-territorial units (ATU).
The People’s Assembly of Gagauzia expressed gratitude to the group of deputies of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova for the initiative shown to support the dialog between the central authorities and the autonomy, as well as to defend the Law of the Republic of Moldova “On the special legal status of Gagauzia (Gagauz Yeri)” and the powers enshrined in it.
The authorities are planning to launch a new reform of the health care system, which this time will affect primary health care. It is about reorganization of the network of primary care institutions through its “consolidation”.
The process of voluntary unification of mayoralties will become simpler, more flexible and more adapted to the needs of communities. Amendments to the current mechanism were approved today by the Cabinet of Ministers.
The parliamentary majority presented a draft Code on the Organization and Functioning of Parliament. In addition to limiting the time of debate in plenary sessions, it enshrines the right of parliament to suspend the activities of local authorities.
Germany is ready to allocate Moldova 12.9 million euros in the form of a grant for four priority projects. The Moldovan parliament’s foreign policy commission has approved the start of negotiations on a relevant intergovernmental agreement.
An extraordinary meeting of deputies of the People’s Assembly (Parliament) of Gagauzia on March 17 approved the date of PAG elections – June 21, 2026.
Opinion: Without economic instruments, financial mechanisms and legal guarantees, larger administrative entities may have the same limitations as the current ones. This is the opinion expressed by representatives of the littoral community during the discussion of the forthcoming reform of local public administration.
In Moldova, one mayor’s office has, on average, about 2,700 inhabitants. This is 18 times less than, for example, in Latvia, with which Moldova is comparable in terms of territory and population. The density of mayoralties makes Moldova one of the most fragmented in Europe: there are 27 mayoralties per 1,000 km², while in Georgia there are almost 30 times fewer.
Many mayoralties in Moldova have limited resources. Local communities’ own revenues currently account for approximately 11% of local budgets, which limits the ability of local administrations to respond to community needs.
Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu has reacted to the calls made by politicians and mayors to the government against the background of rising fuel prices. He characterized them as “panic and speculation”, which are used “not only at gas stations, but also in the public space”.
Oknica district mayors warn: “Forced unification of mayoralties violates the constitutional principle and jeopardizes the future of the villages.”
A referendum is the only correct and legal solution to the process of voluntary unification of mayoralties. Only citizens themselves, not councilors or mayors, should decide on their liquidation. This opinion was expressed by members of the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM) after analyzing the proposals of the Cabinet of Ministers to simplify the procedure of merging local authorities.
The voluntary association process should not be rushed, but phased and improved with additional incentive mechanisms.
Integration of Transnistria into a unitary state by granting it the status of autonomy with the broadest rights, similar to the existing one in Gagauzia, does not require amendments to the Constitution. This status is compatible with the existing legal framework in Moldova, which will allow for its faster and more stable implementation.
The process of voluntary unification of mayoralties will be adjusted by changing the methodology. Local authorities will be given more freedom in decision-making. The government’s proposals were presented today by the government’s secretary-general, Aleksey Buzu.
Permitting of TEN-T (Trans-European Transport Network) projects in Moldova will be accelerated when creating road, rail, water and aviation infrastructure, which is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
About 200 mayors from all regions of the Republic of Moldova participated in an extended meeting of the Board of Directors of the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM), together with local government experts, representatives of the academic community and the State Chancellery.
