News about Territorial reform

Representatives of local and regional authorities of Latvia shared their experience of transformation of local public administration and effective utilization of European funds.

The reform of local public administration cannot be postponed any longer, 2026 is the only appropriate period for its adoption, “the next train is in 2031”. This statement was made by the Speaker of Parliament Igor Grosu at the “Civic Assembly” on Saturday, May 16.

In the process of reforming the administrative-territorial structure in Moldova, there is a risk that some small settlements may find themselves in a less favorable position and actually become “forgotten”. Liliana Iaconi, chairwoman of the parliamentary commission for public administration and regional development, told Logos Press in an interview.

After the enlargement of localities, the key change should be not just a new administrative structure, but also the expansion of local authorities’ powers. According to the chairwoman of the parliamentary commission for public administration and regional development, Liliana Iaconi, larger mayoralties should receive additional tools in the field of local tax policy, which will make it possible to increase the investment attractiveness of the territories.

Interview with Liliana Iaconi, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Commission for Public Administration and Regional Development.

This was stated by Dumitru Roibu, chairman of the “Alliance of Moldovans” party, on the air of a national TV channel, commenting on the local self-government reform carried out by the authorities and on the process of merging mayoralties.

From 16-17 May and 30-31 May 2026, Chisinau will host a “Civic Assembly” organized by the Parliament, the European Partnership for Democracy and the Centre for Politics and Reforms.

Taraclia district mayors warn: the current formula of merging the mayoralties ignores geographical and ethnic specificity, threatening the disappearance of 80% of the villages, local identity and service infrastructure.

Leova Mayor Alexandru Bujorian believes that the reform of local authorities did not start with the most important component – tax decentralization, and the experience of Leova cannot be automatically transferred to the villages.

The document entitled “On the transitional mechanism of legal regulation of regional elections to the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia of the VIII convocation in 2026” was agreed upon by representatives of Chisinau and Comrat at a meeting on May 11.

Most of the issues related to the voluntary merger of mayoralties and more broadly to local government reform concern the Ministry of Finance, as the central problem remains the system of financial resource allocation.

Mayors are once again calling for broad consultation on the concept of local government reform recently published by the government. Their proposals and concerns regarding its implementation were aired on a domestic TV channel.

The local government reform launched by the authorities is not well thought out and due to haste may become a problem in the process of Moldova’s accession to the EU, said Balti Mayor Alexandru Petcov.

The figure of 3,000 inhabitants per administrative center, proposed as a minimum threshold within the framework of the local self-government reform, has no scientific justification. This opinion was expressed by expert Viorel Rusu during the public discussion “Administrative-territorial reform in Moldova. Concept”.

Local self-government reform continues to be the top topic in Moldova. In general, mayors realize its necessity, but point out serious risks and lack of guarantees for communities, believing that it should be carried out gradually and through real consultations.

The process of merging the mayoralties does not affect the status of Chisinau. This clarification was made by Alexei Buzu, Secretary General of the Government. The statement was made in response to the assumptions of the mayor of Chisinau, Ion Ceban, about possible changes in the boundaries of the municipality, voiced yesterday during a meeting of municipal services.

The implementation of projects within the framework of European Territorial Cooperation Groups (ETCGs) will be possible only with the approval of the government. Local authorities will not be able to make such decisions on their own. This was stated by the vice-chairman of the parliamentary commission for public administration and regional development, Larisa Volokh.

So far, 376 decisions on the merger of mayoralties have been taken at the local level, said Alexei Buzu, secretary-general of the government, in connection with the parliamentary approval of a law that simplifies the process of voluntary merger.

Against the background of the forthcoming reform of local self-government in Moldova, a public discussion on this topic is unfolding. According to some experts, population size is a controversial criterion for the forthcoming local government reform.

The draft law on amendments to some normative acts (“improving the mechanism of voluntary unification of administrative and territorial units”) has been adopted in the second reading. Earlier, the opposition appealed to the Venice Commission to examine the draft law. Without waiting for a response, the majority faction put the draft to a vote and eventually adopted it itself.