PHOTO, DOC // Munteanu government of Moldova in front of MPs; ministers, priorities of new cabinet

Parliament of Moldova today convened at a meeting, in order to conduct hearings and a confidence vote on the government led by designated Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu. The cabinet proposed by Munteanu is made up of 16 ministers, five of whom will also serve as deputy prime ministers. The governing programme includes 16 sectoral priorities.

According to the legislation, after receiving the vote of confidence, the new cabinet of ministers is to be sworn in. If parliamentary procedures are extended, the swearing-in ceremony might take place on Saturday, November 1, at the Presidency of Moldova, in the presence of the Moldovan president, the parliament speaker and the designated prime minister.

Who is Alexandru Munteanu

The candidate put forward by the parliamentary majority, Alexandru Munteanu, is an economist, university professor, and businessman, known for his extensive experience in the field of international investment, educational and cultural projects.

Born on January 20, 1964, in Chisinau, Munteanu graduated with a degree in physics and worked at the Institute of Applied Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova and the Technical University of Moldova, where he was a lecturer and vice-dean of the International Faculty.

After the establishment of the National Bank of Moldova, Munteanu held leadership positions at the Foreign Operations Department and the Foreign Relations Department. Subsequently, he pursued graduate studies at Columbia University, New York, in international relations, banking and finance, and worked at the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

Munteanu is the founder and president of the French Alliance of Moldova, an organization he has led for over 30 years, as well as a co-founder of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Moldova).

In 2016, he established the investment company 4i Capital Partners, active in Eastern Europe. He was a member and president of the Board of Patrons of the Pechersk School International (PSI) in Kyiv, an International Baccalaureate (IB) accredited institution, and was part of the Business Council for the Stability Pact in Vienna.

For his merits in promoting cultural and economic relations, Munteanu was awarded the title of Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour of France in 2006.

Governing Programme, EU, Peace, Development

The MP-designate presented the new cabinet's activity programme, titled, EU, Peace, Development, which focuses on speeding up the European integration, sustainable economic growth, modernizing public administration and strengthening the rule of law.

Key priorities of the programme include:

• Completing EU accession negotiations by 2028;

• Digitizing public services and modernizing central and local administration;

• Stimulating investments up to 4 billion euros and supporting 25,000 enterprises;

• Raising the minimum salary to 10,000 lei and the average salary to 25,000 lei;

• Fully interconnecting with the European energy market and developing national infrastructure;

• Justice reform and assessing the integrity of judges and prosecutors by 2026;

• Investing 9 billion lei in the European Village and "European Courtyard projects;

• Modernizing schools, hospitals and cultural infrastructure;

• Planting 60,000 hectares of forest by 2029;

• Strengthening the state's security and resilience, with a European approach in defense;

• Reintegrating the country and bringing the Transnistrian region closer to the policies and benefits of European integration.

Who are the Members of the Munteanu Cabinet

The designated Prime Minister presented the entire government team:

• Cristina Gherasimov – Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration;

• Vladimir Bolea – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development;

• Mihai Popsoi – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs;

• Dan Perciun – Minister of Education and Research;

• Ludmila Catlabuga – Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry;

• Daniella Misail-Nichitin – Interior Minister;

• Dorin Junghietu – Minister of Energy;

• Anatolie Nosatii – Minister of Defense;

Among new members of the cabinet are:

• Valeriu Chiveri – Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration;

• Eugen Osmochescu – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization;

• Vladislav Cojuhari – Minister of Justice;

• Andrian Gavrilita – Minister of Finance;

• Natalia Plugaru – Minister of Labor and Social Protection;

• Emil Ceban – Minister of Health;

• Gheorghe Hajder – Minister of Environment;

• Cristian Jardan – Minister of Culture.

After receiving the vote of confidence, the new cabinet is to be sworn in at the Presidency Moldova. Subsequently, Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu and the government members will make press statements and will be introduced to their respective ministry teams.