President Maia Sandu addressed local elected officials gathered in Chișinău, in the presence of Romania’s Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, stressing that local public administration reform is the only viable path to modernizing Moldova’s towns and villages.

The President noted that, more than three decades after independence, many communities still face severe infrastructure gaps: “The Republic of Moldova still has too many villages without running water, with local roads that cannot be used, with public buildings where the roof leaks.”

Sandu emphasized that larger municipalities have greater financial capacity and can implement major development projects, while small town halls spend most of their limited resources on basic maintenance.

• Over 500 municipalities have already decided to merge their administrations.
• EU accession makes reform even more urgent: pre‑accession funds target regional, high‑impact projects, accessible only to consolidated administrative units.

The President thanked Prime Minister Bolojan and Romania for their consistent support to Moldovan local authorities.
Romania’s experience with administrative consolidation and EU accession is described as a valuable model for Moldova:

“The experience of neighbouring countries and EU states shows that larger administrative structures are a chance for modernization.”

Sandu expressed gratitude to local officials for their “tireless work” and for the courage to support a difficult reform. She urged solidarity and collective effort:

“This reform is, in fact, a clacă between villages. We love our villages — let’s build for them a modern future, with confidence.”