City halls that chose voluntary amalgamation will receive over 6.5 billion lei

The Government is providing city halls that have chosen voluntary amalgamation with an incentive package worth over 6.5 billion lei. The resources are intended for infrastructure development, improvement of public services, and strengthening the administrative capacity of the newly formed units. The announcement was made today by the Secretary General of the Government, Alexei Buzu, who specified that 85% of the country’s city halls have started the voluntary amalgamation process, and about half of them have already made a final decision.

The local public administration reform aims to create stronger municipalities capable of providing quality services to citizens. One of the reasons cited is that the lack of basic infrastructure is more common in small localities.

“Out of ten households that do not have water and sewerage, eight are in municipalities with a population of less than 3,000 inhabitants. This is our goal. We want to bring quality services and infrastructure to all our people, in every locality in the country,” Buzu said.

According to the Secretary General of the Government, the financial package for municipalities that amalgamate voluntarily includes three types of incentives.

The first is a preparation incentive, intended for the development of the technical documentation needed for infrastructure and public service projects. Its value ranges between 400,000 and one million lei, depending on the population size of the city halls that are joining.

"The first incentive, the preparation incentive, is a payment with a special destination, offered to municipalities to prepare the necessary technical documentation so that they can apply for and implement major infrastructure or service projects in their localities. The value of this incentive varies between 400,000 and one million lei, depending on the population size of the city halls that amalgamate voluntarily,” the official explained.

According to the data presented, 104 city halls that initiated the voluntary amalgamation process have submitted requests to the State Chancellery, and 83 of them have already received financial resources.

The second incentive is the development incentive, which has been tripled by the Government. City halls that complete the voluntary amalgamation process will receive the equivalent of 3,000 lei for each inhabitant of the new administrative unit.

“Among the localities that will benefit from these resources are groups of municipalities in the districts of Rîșcani, Strășeni, Fălești, Ștefan Vodă, Ungheni, Ocnița, and Taraclia. For example, the group of municipalities in Rîșcani district, with a population of over 14,800 inhabitants, will receive approximately 72 million lei. The group of municipalities in Strășeni district will receive almost 69 million lei, while another group of municipalities in Fălești district will receive about 65 million lei for development,” Buzu noted.

The third incentive consists of budgetary support granted to the new municipalities for three years, starting in 2028, after the local elections. Its value will range between 500,000 and two million lei, depending on the number of inhabitants. The authorities specify that these resources may be used to attract specialists, grant salary bonuses, and cover transition costs after amalgamation.

According to updated data presented today by Alexei Buzu, 85% of the municipalities in the Republic of Moldova have started the voluntary amalgamation process, and approximately half have already adopted the final decision. He mentioned that, in August, a new stage of the local public administration reform will begin, during which development projects will be prepared for the municipalities that have decided to participate in the voluntary amalgamation process.

During the same conference, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Vladimir Bolea said that the amalgamation process should not be seen merely as an administrative merger of several city halls, but as a mechanism through which localities can develop larger and more efficient projects.

“Amalgamation is not just an administrative exercise and, obviously, it does not end once several city halls are merged. Amalgamation means better public services, modern infrastructure, and localities capable of attracting investments for the benefit of citizens in the villages we are talking about,” Bolea said.

According to the minister, the reform changes the perspective on rural development, moving from the idea of the mere survival of localities to the development of communities.

“We are no longer talking about villages that only need to survive and about programs dedicated to their survival, but about programs that develop communities,” Bolea mentioned.

According to the minister, starting in 2027, the second incentive dedicated to infrastructure development will be implemented through the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development and the regional development agencies. Vladimir Bolea explained that the financial resources will be directed to projects that will bring benefits to entire amalgamated communities.

Priority investment areas include the extension and modernization of water supply, sewerage, and wastewater treatment systems; rehabilitation of local roads, streets, bridges, and culverts; public lighting; energy efficiency of public buildings; modernization of education, culture, health, and social assistance institutions; as well as the development of sanitation and municipal services.

The local public administration reform was launched by the Government at the beginning of 2026 and aims to strengthen the administrative capacity of city halls and improve public services. Localities that opt for voluntary amalgamation benefit from increased financial incentives, which will be invested in local development and in strengthening services for citizens.