Prime Minister-designate Vasile Tofan presented his Government’s program in Parliament. According to him, the governing program “is not a document meant to gather dust in a drawer or an academic paper filled with attractive ideas. It begins with a simple question: can we build the Republic of Moldova into a country where young people want to live, raise their children, and invest, or will we continue to accept losing people and opportunities? The answer depends on us,” TRIBUNA reports.

“The plan starts with an honest diagnosis: the problems are serious, and decisions can no longer be postponed. The countdown is measured not in years, but in days and hours. Every day must become a deadline for finding and implementing solutions. Every delay has a real cost: each day another young person may decide to build their life in another country, and another investor may choose a different market. Lost time costs us our future.

The problems are numerous and difficult. They can even seem overwhelming. But they are not insurmountable. I have a plan for this country, and I am determined to fight for a stronger economy, a more efficient state, and a better life for our people.

The list of challenges is long. Yes, we must acknowledge that we have a budget deficit of 20 billion lei. Government spending has increased from 49 billion to 92 billion lei over the past five years, while investment has not kept pace. Crises forced us to double spending on social protection—half of the increase in expenditures has been directed toward social support. The state had to help people by raising pensions and providing energy bill assistance. However, this did not generate economic growth—we redistributed what we had collected instead of producing more.

The pension and social insurance system depends on the state budget, with a 3.6 billion lei deficit in the State Social Insurance Budget, plus 15 billion lei in social benefits. Unless we find solutions to change the current ratio of 1.1 employed persons per pensioner, the situation will continue to worsen.”

Tofan said that these problems are compounded by demographic challenges and public fatigue caused by regional and global crises.

“Society is aging, the labor force is shrinking, and artificial intelligence technologies are disrupting everything we know and have learned. In recent years, we have succeeded in opening access to the European market, but we still do not have a sufficiently competitive export offering.

Economic tensions are also being intensified by political tensions. Citizens have gone through two years of difficult elections and have resisted Russia’s attempts to sow chaos. Those elections reaffirmed Moldova’s European course, but they also brought division, frustration, and fatigue. Recent abuses in certain state-owned enterprises have further deepened the sense of injustice.

I understand the anger and frustration. I feel it too, as do my family, my friends, and my neighbors. But I know these emotions come from the desire for change, not from a desire to destroy. It is important that we do not squander the enormous effort that has brought Moldova so close to European Union membership—something that seemed unimaginable only a few years ago.

The state needs capable people. We do not want them to leave the country in search of higher salaries. That is why we must not reduce every discussion to emotion alone. Competent people should be paid fairly, while unjustified privileges and excessive benefits must be eliminated.”

The prime minister-designate noted that Moldova is facing two major pressures—economic and political—while also having a unique window of opportunity in the years ahead.

“There is no point denying that we are going through a crisis. The question is whether we remain trapped in confusion and frustration, or whether we use this moment to repair what is broken and move forward.

I present this program not as a perfect solution, but as one that can be implemented. Together, I want us to find the right balance between necessary change and preserving a stable foundation. We need a major renovation without shaking the walls.

We are not the first country to face such challenges. Other small countries—Ireland, Estonia, and New Zealand—have gone through similar difficult moments and emerged stronger. I know that every comparison has its limits, but these examples should encourage us.

We have everything we need for growth: hardworking people, an open European market, digital potential, and the first signs of recovery in 2026. Now we must align our people, our finances, and our institutions in the same direction—toward growth, with greater speed and discipline.”