The Government is making available to local public authorities that complete the voluntary amalgamation process a package of incentives worth a total of 6.5 billion lei. Local authorities are encouraged to prepare well-grounded projects in advance so that infrastructure development funding can begin in 2027, TRIBUNA reports.

At today’s press conference, Government Secretary General Alexei Buzu said that local public administration reform aims to create stronger municipalities capable of addressing community needs and providing better services to citizens.

“Funds are available. It is now important for municipalities to complete the amalgamation process and prepare clear, mature, and useful projects for people. Investments must go where they solve real problems and create better living conditions,” Buzu stated.

Municipalities that voluntarily merge their administrations may benefit from three types of incentives.

The first is a preparation incentive, ranging from 400,000 to 1 million lei, intended for feasibility studies, technical projects, consulting services, and the creation of Unified Service Delivery Centers. So far, 104 municipalities have requested this support, and 83 have already received it.

The second is a development incentive, amounting to 3,000 lei per resident of the new administrative-territorial unit. It will become available starting in 2027 and may be used exclusively by municipalities that have completed voluntary amalgamation.

For example, the group of localities from Rîșcani could receive approximately 72.7 million lei, the group from Strășeni — 68.7 million lei, and the group from Fălești — 64.9 million lei.

The third incentive consists of annual transfers ranging from 500,000 to 2 million lei, granted during 2028–2030 for institutional development and increasing the administrative capacity of newly formed municipalities. The estimated budget for this measure is approximately 1 billion lei.

Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Vladimir Bolea emphasized that 2026 should be used for preparing projects that can receive funding starting in 2027. Projects will be selected based on their level of readiness, number of beneficiaries, impact, and the municipality’s ability to maintain the investment over the long term.

Priority will be given to projects involving:

• water supply and sewage systems;
• roads and bridges;
• public lighting;
• energy efficiency of buildings;
• modernization of education, healthcare, cultural, and social assistance institutions;
• sanitation services;
• development of public spaces.

“We are moving from an administrative decision to investments that change the life of communities. Amalgamation must be measured by the number of problems solved: roads connecting localities, services reaching more citizens, and investments that function over the long term. We will not finance isolated projects chosen simply because they look good on paper. We will focus on their value for the community,” said Minister Vladimir Bolea.

Municipalities with sufficient experience and qualified staff will be able to directly implement projects based on contracts concluded with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Those lacking specialized teams will receive support from Regional Development Agencies for procurement procedures, supervision of works, and payments.

Next week, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development will hold consultations with mayors of localities that have completed the amalgamation process. Discussions will focus on already prepared projects, community priorities, and possible implementation obstacles.