Members of Moldova’s parliamentary opposition thanked citizens who took part in a peaceful protest outside Parliament to express their opposition to the government’s plans to increase natural gas tariffs. According to the opposition, the demonstration sent a clear message of public dissatisfaction with the authorities’ energy policy.

The opposition said that, at the protesters’ request, representatives of the Ministry of Energy, the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE), and the state-owned company Energocom participated in parliamentary hearings on the proposed gas tariff increase.

Following the discussions, representatives of both the parliamentary and extra-parliamentary opposition presented a joint statement outlining 10 demands to the government:

1. The resignation of the Minister of Energy, accusing him of failing to ensure the country’s energy security, mishandling natural gas procurement, allowing a fuel supply crisis during the harvest season, and overseeing disproportionately high salaries in the energy sector.
2. The dismissal of the management of Energocom and all officials responsible for procuring natural gas needed to guarantee Moldova’s energy security.
3. The demonopolization and genuine liberalization of the natural gas market to reduce dependence on companies allegedly close to the government.
4. Full transparency in the procurement of natural gas and electricity, including the participation of observers delegated by the opposition and civil society.
5. The inclusion of opposition and civil society representatives on the boards of directors of state-owned energy companies.
6. The abolition of remuneration paid to government representatives serving on the boards of state-owned enterprises.
7. The reduction of administrative costs in the energy sector and the introduction of a salary cap for executives of state-owned companies at no more than three times the national average wage.
8. A reduction in the regulatory fees paid by energy companies to ANRE.
9. The cancellation of the planned VAT increase on natural gas and its replacement with a fixed-rate excise tax on gas imports and sales to prevent higher consumer tariffs.
10. The cancellation of the proposed increase of the VAT rate on electricity supplied to households to 20%.

Opposition representatives said their next steps will depend on the government’s response to these demands. They stressed that they would continue to oppose measures they believe would increase energy costs and place an additional financial burden on consumers.