Budget for 2026 approved by Government: Document includes record investments and salary increases

The cabinet of ministers approved the draft state budget for 2026 at today's meeting. The document, called the responsible investment budget includes record investments and salary increases and will be proposed to Parliament for review and adoption.

Premier Alexandru Munteanu noted that this budget is innovative.


"This budget is innovative, in the sense that I believe for the first time in history, such a large portion of resources is allocated to investments. Our goal is to stimulate the economy's transition from a predominantly consumption-based model to one oriented toward development and investments. Of course, we cannot ignore consumption, as it remains essential, but we need to invest more, and next year we will do just that. I hope this budget will be well received by our colleagues in Parliament and it will have the necessary support for promulgation," said the Prime Minister.


Finance Minister Andrian Gavrilița provided extensive details about the main figures and priorities of the budget.


"I present to you the draft state budget for 2026, a budget for responsible investments. You are right; a broader presentation would be useful. Usually, I am more concise and rapid, but for such an important subject, I will go into some details," stated the minister.


Referring to the economic indicators underlying the budget, the official mentioned:


"The estimated economic growth is 2.4%. We are committed to being prudent and conservative in forecasts, but we will be pleased if the economy exceeds this level. The nominal Gross Domestic Product is 377 billion lei, and the annual inflation is estimated at 4.3%. The average monthly salary will be 17,400 lei, with an increase of over 11% from the current level."


The minister also provided details regarding the actual budget:


"State budget revenues will increase by 5.1%, or almost 3.9 billion lei. I mention that I am referring to the national public budget, which also includes other budgets presented by colleagues. Expenditures will increase by 7%, or nearly 6.6 billion lei. The budget deficit is estimated at 20.9 billion lei, equivalent to 5.5% of GDP. I must admit that the deficit is not small, but it is important to emphasize that about half of it will be directed to investments."


Regarding the main expenditure categories, the minister highlighted:


"Economy sector – over 3 billion lei; public order – 630 million lei; education – 640 million lei; health – nearly 190 million lei; environmental protection – 381 million lei; culture and sports – over 130 million lei."


The official insisted on major investments:


"Total expenditures for the economy sector – over 5 billion lei. We are talking about: small and medium enterprises – 1.1 billion lei; energy generation and storage – 560 million lei; agriculture and rural development – 365 million lei; regional and local development, including Railway – 280 million lei; energy efficiency in the residential sector – 195 million lei; business guarantee funds – 185 million lei; reforestation program – 140 million lei; tourist zone management – 64 million lei."


 


"For the implementation of measures from the agenda of effective reforms, economic growth plans, and capital expenditures related to economic development, a record amount of 5.6 billion lei is planned, in addition to the previous budget," the minister added.


The document was appreciated and supported by local authorities.

Present at the meeting, Marcel Bobeica, vice president of CALM, welcomed the Finance Minister's initiative.


"First of all, the budget represents an important step for the development of our localities and cities. It includes new road projects, and as we discussed earlier, we believe that increasing budget allocations for water and sewage is possible. We had a discussion with the minister last week, before the budget approval, and we want to return with a meeting to analyze available additional revenues. These resources are essential not only for locality development and local implementation of public policies but also for the country's European path," stated Bobeica.


The document approved by the Government forecasts revenues of 79.674 billion lei and expenditures of 100.574 billion lei, with a deficit of 20.9 billion lei.

According to the project, several strategic sectors will benefit from substantial funding: The Road Fund – 1.82 billion lei, with limitation of duty deductions to a maximum of 48%; National Fund for Agriculture and Rural Environment – 2.32 billion lei, including sums for the Economic Growth Plan; Wine and Vine Fund – 59.2 million lei; Energy Vulnerability Reduction Fund – 1.99 billion lei.

For energy efficiency programs in the residential sector, 496.6 million lei will be allocated, and an additional 1.94 billion lei will go to the National Fund for Regional and Local Development.

For capital investments at the level of public authorities, 3.03 billion lei is foreseen.

The budget for 2026 includes total transfers to local authorities amounting to 21.96 billion lei, of which over 763 million lei come from the road usage tax.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection will receive 19.15 billion lei to finance the state social insurance budget and energy compensations, while the Ministry of Health will benefit from 7.68 billion lei for compulsory health insurance funds.

For the First Home program, 130 million lei will be allocated, and for increasing the social capital of some enterprises and institutions, such as the Moldovan Railway, National Arena, and contributions to EBRD and the Council of Europe Development Bank, sums exceeding 500 million lei are reserved.

By 31 December 2026, the internal state debt will not exceed 63.06 billion lei, and the external one is capped at the equivalent of 5.2 billion dollars. Internal and external state guarantees are limited to 5.5 billion lei and 3.39 billion lei, respectively.