The authorities have launched a series of important initiatives concerning state-owned enterprises, providing a timely opportunity to reflect on their place and role in Moldova’s evolving economic landscape.

Prime Minister Vasile Tofan has already stated that some state-owned enterprises could be privatized, with the proceeds used, among other purposes, to help cover the deficit of the State Social Insurance Budget. According to publicly available information, the enterprises expected to undergo privatization include the Chișinău Glass Factory, Zarea Hotel, Știința Publishing House, the state educational publishing house Lumina, and the experimental chemical enterprise Izomer. Earlier, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Eugen Osmochescu also announced that the state-owned enterprise Poșta Moldovei (Moldova Post) could be privatized.

In addition to the companies slated for privatization, several state-owned enterprises are expected to be reorganized through mergers (by absorption). For example, five state-owned enterprises in the agricultural sector—Maximovca Technological and Experimental Station, Chetrosu Educational and Experimental Station, Plant Protection, Chișinău State Agricultural Greenhouses, and Dumbrava Vest State Agricultural Enterprise—will be absorbed by the Mecagro Agricultural Machinery Institute, which will subsequently be transformed into a limited liability company (LLC).

Another example is the planned merger of four state-owned enterprises: the State Service for the Verification and Expert Examination of Construction Projects, the Energoproiect Research, Design and Technology Institute, the Indalproiect Design Institute, and the IPROCOM State Design Institute. These entities will be absorbed by the Institute for Territorial Planning, which will also be converted into a limited liability company.

Alongside the privatization and restructuring of state-owned enterprises, the authorities are also focusing on improving the efficiency and development of the country’s largest joint-stock companies with majority state ownership. Representatives of these companies recently participated in the first training sessions dedicated to accessing the capital market, organized with the participation of the Public Property Agency. The program covered topics such as capital markets, corporate bond issuance, stock exchange listings, and corporate governance.

Speaking of efficiency, it is worth noting that state-owned enterprises and state-controlled commercial companies closed 2025 with sales revenues of 68.5 billion lei and an aggregate net profit exceeding 3.1 billion lei. Compared with 2024, revenues increased by 16.9 billion lei, or approximately 33%, while aggregate net profit grew more than fivefold—from 570.4 million lei to over 3.1 billion lei.

All of the above demonstrates that the authorities attach considerable importance to the role of state-owned enterprises in Moldova’s new economic environment. However, in my view, the scope of the government’s efforts should be broadened.

Today, there is a clear need for a comprehensive assessment of all state-owned enterprises, companies with state ownership, and state-owned land. During recent hearings held by the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry examining the activities of certain state-owned enterprises, several noteworthy facts emerged.

It was established that there are currently 515 active state-owned enterprises in the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, only about 170 of them are managed by the Public Property Agency (APP). A significant number of state-owned enterprises were never transferred to the Agency’s management, despite legal provisions requiring this, while the founding ministries have, in practice, lost effective control over many of them.

The situation regarding state-owned land is even less clear. At present, there is no comprehensive picture of how much state-owned land exists, how much of it is agricultural, forest, or designated for construction, or under what conditions these assets are managed.

In other words, while the authorities are now paying serious attention to the state-owned enterprises managed by the Public Property Agency, more than 300 other state-owned enterprises, as well as state-owned land assets, remain outside the scope of these efforts.

This is precisely why a comprehensive assessment of all state-owned enterprises and state-owned land is needed. Only once a complete picture is available will it be possible to make informed decisions about how these public assets should be managed in the future, ensuring that they generate the greatest possible benefit for the country.

Mircea Baciu
Entrepreneur, Republic of Moldova