The concert marking Moldova’s Independence Day cost 9,858,843 lei, after the Government reduced the initially estimated expenses by more than 2.7 million lei. Government spokesperson Dumitru Ciorici explained that the Executive understands the concerns raised by civil society regarding the event’s costs and, in the interest of transparency, presented how the budget was formed, the initial concept, and the circumstances under which the concert was organized.

He noted that the new Government was sworn in on 22 July, and the Ministry of Culture also came under new leadership. With only a few weeks left until 27 August, there was not enough time to conduct a full public procurement procedure that would allow both selecting a contractor and preparing a high‑standard event. As a result, the Government had to act quickly, using the legal instruments available.

The initial concept submitted for approval was significantly more ambitious and implied higher costs. It included, among other elements, the installation of 35 columns and multiple video screens symbolizing the 35 years of independence. After taking office, Prime Minister Tofan requested a revision of both the concept and the budget to ensure the event would fit within a reduced financial framework.

Four days before the concert, the Prime Minister received a new estimate of over 12.7 million lei, which he again deemed too high. Following his instructions, Viorel Rabei from the Prime Minister’s Control Body, together with the Ministry of Culture team, renegotiated the expenses and brought them below the initial ceiling of 10 million lei.

Through rapid joint efforts, renegotiations, and the flexibility of artists and technical teams, the costs were reduced by 2,751,697 lei, lowering the total from 12,610,540 lei to 9,858,843 lei — a reduction of more than 21%.

According to the Government, this optimization represents a direct saving of nearly 3 million lei for the public budget and demonstrates that cost‑cutting measures were applied wherever possible, without compromising the event’s quality and safety standards.

The Executive reiterated its commitment, made at the time of investiture, to the responsible use of public funds and to reducing budgetary waste — noting that this is precisely why it intervened directly to review the expenses and succeeded in lowering the initial requests of service providers by more than 2.7 million lei.