Voluntary amalgamation in north Moldova district: nine mayoralties merge, to receive 85 million lei in incentives

Nine mayoralties in the northern Rezina district that have approved decisions to initiate the voluntary amalgamation process today discussed the next steps for creating a stronger local administration, capable of attracting investments and providing better public services to citizens. The discussions were attended by local elected officials and representatives of local public administrations from the town of Rezina and the localities of Lipceni, Horodiste, Papauti, Saharna Noua, Sircova, Solonceni, Tareuca and Lalova.

Present at the event, Secretary General of the Government Alexei Buzu emphasized that the incentives provided to the nine mayoralties amounted to 85 million lei: “While in 2026, the budget of the Rezina town is approximately 90 million lei, the development incentive that the new town hall is to receive is over 85 million lei. Practically, a budget comparable to the one off the Rezina town will be provided by the government to citizens for development. On the coming period, we will talk to people to identify their development priorities and how we will work together for better services and developed localities.”

In late last January, the government announced the launch of the preparation process for local public administration reform, as part of efforts to modernize administration and improve the quality of public services offered to the population. Subsequently, broad consultations were held with about 4,500 local elected officials and citizens, after which the reform concept was presented.

The government has simplified the voluntary amalgamation process as an essential part of the local public administration reform. Localities that choose to unite their administrations can benefit from financial incentives of 3,000 lei for each resident, calculated based on the population of the villages participating in the amalgamation. Another benefit of amalgamation is bringing public services closer to citizens. More than 600 services will be accessible through Unified Service Provision Centers and the one-stop shop. In addition, a representative of the mayor will operate in each settlement, so that the relation between local administration and the community is maintained.

To inform citizens and local authorities, the platform www.primariiputernice.gov.md has been launched, bringing together useful information on local public administration reform and practical tools for communities. Two interactive tools are also available here – the amalgamation simulator and the mayoralties’ budget.

Presently, more than 400 decisions to initiate the voluntary amalgamation process have been approved.