The Government has approved the draft law on sustainable urban mobility in the Republic of Moldova, which introduces new rules for traffic management, public transport development, the organization of paid parking and the management of abandoned vehicles. The new provisions aim to make travel in cities safer and more efficient and to provide local authorities with clear tools for managing public space.

The need for such rules is also driven by the rapid increase in the number of cars. In less than two years, the Republic of Moldova’s vehicle fleet has grown from approximately 1.2 million to more than 1.35 million vehicles. More than 387,000 vehicles are registered in the municipality of Chișinău, while the municipality of Bălți has over 57,000.

The draft law also introduces new tools that local public authorities will be able to use to manage traffic and urban space:

Removal of abandoned vehicles – a vehicle left in the same place for at least six months and for which there is a reasonable presumption that the owner has relinquished ownership may be identified as abandoned. Once notified, the identified owner will have 15 days to remove it. If the vehicle is removed and is not claimed within 60 days of its removal, the local authority may ask the court to establish that it is abandoned property and transfer it into the ownership of the administrative-territorial unit.

Paid public parking – paid public parking will be organized as a local public service, while tariffs and operating rules will be established by local councils. Failure to pay for parking or improper use of parking spaces will constitute an offense. If the owner or user is not present, the vehicle’s wheel may be clamped. If the release of the vehicle is not requested within the period established by local regulations, the automobile may be removed to a specially designated facility, but no earlier than 72 hours after the wheel has been clamped. The costs of wheel release, removal and storage will be borne by the vehicle’s owner or user.

Money collected from paid parking will be used primarily to improve mobility at the local level – for the maintenance, modernization and expansion of parking facilities, the development of local road infrastructure, road safety measures, public transport subsidies and the implementation of intelligent transport systems. Local authorities may also establish subscriptions, discounts or exemptions for certain categories of users.

Low-Emission Zones – local authorities will be able to establish access rules for these zones, including vehicle emissions standards and/or access fees. Exceptions will apply, including for public transport, emergency services and people who live or work within the zone.

Under the draft law, the municipalities of Chișinău and Bălți will develop Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), which will replace the mobility plans currently provided for by the Urban Planning and Construction Code. These plans will establish concrete measures for the development of public transport, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, parking management, road safety and the use of digital solutions for traffic management.

“People are waiting for this draft law, especially those who spend time in traffic jams. We have the legal framework for parking facilities to be built; what matters is that local public authorities take the initiative. Finally, we have the legal framework that will allow abandoned cars blocking routes to be removed. This regulatory framework, together with active involvement from municipal authorities, will help us free up our cities,” said Prime Minister Vasile Tofan.

Public transport and pedestrian safety will have priority in urban planning. When designing new areas or reorganizing existing ones, modes of travel will be prioritized in the following order: walking, cycling, public transport and private automobiles. New urban areas will also have to include, from the design stage, routes and lanes intended for public transport.

In Chișinău and Bălți, public transport planning will aim to ensure that stops are located no more than 300 meters from educational, medical, elderly-care and community institutions, and that at least 60% of the population lives within 500 meters of a public transport route, with a service interval of no more than 20 minutes.

The measures included in the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans may be financed from the National Fund for Regional and Local Development and through European Union programs. The preparation of SUMPs will not generate additional costs for local authorities, as these plans will replace the mobility plans already required by urban planning legislation. At the same time, the costs of organizing paid parking and procedures for removing vehicles may be covered by revenues from the respective services.

The draft law is part of the measures included in the National Program for the Accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union for 2025–2029 and in the Reform Agenda related to the Growth Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2025–2027. Its aim is to bring the planning and management of urban mobility closer to European standards and practices.

People with severe disabilities since childhood will be able to receive both a disability pension and a survivors’ pension, regardless of when the caregiver died. The Parliamentary Committee on Social Protection, Health and Family will propose that Parliament consider in the first reading a draft law providing for the possibility of receiving both types of pensions simultaneously.

Currently, this right is available to persons with severe disabilities since childhood who lost their caregiver after April 1, 2025.

The legislative initiative was drafted by MPs Marina Morozova and Efimia Bandalac, members of the Action and Solidarity Party faction. The draft law aims to strengthen the social protection of persons with severe disabilities since childhood and ensure equal treatment for them.

The authors propose supplementing the Law on the Public Pension System with provisions allowing persons with severe disabilities since childhood to receive both a disability pension and a survivors’ pension concurrently, without being required to choose one of the two benefits.

At the same time, the right to a survivors’ pension will be recognized for persons with severe disabilities since childhood regardless of the date of the caregiver’s death. This will eliminate the difference in treatment based solely on when the death occurred.

After adoption, the new provisions will enter into force on January 1, 2027. Approximately 35.37 million lei will be required for their implementation.

In 2025, Parliament adopted a legislative initiative extending eligibility for a social allowance for the loss of a caregiver and for a survivors’ pension to persons with severe disabilities since childhood. Thus, starting April 1, 2025, persons with severe disabilities since childhood who receive state social allowances are entitled to a survivors’ pension, provided that the death of one of their parents occurred after that date.

The construction works for 400 kV Strășeni–Gutinaș overhead power line and the modernization and expansion of Strășeni 330 kV substation will be declared to be of public utility in the national interest. The Government approved the draft law, which will allow the procedures required to implement the strategic investment to be expedited.

To ensure that the works can move forward without delays, the draft simplifies a number of procedures required for the construction of the line, including those related to land expropriation and the authorization of the works.

According to the draft, owners of the land on which the power line will be built will receive compensation for expropriation. At the same time, in areas with archaeological heritage, the works may begin only after the necessary archaeological surveys have been carried out.

The new power line will be approximately 70 kilometers long within the territory of the Republic of Moldova and will provide a direct connection between the Strășeni substation and Romania’s transmission network through Gutinaș substation. The route will cross 25 localities in Strășeni, Călărași, Nisporeni and Hîncești districts.

The construction of the line will contribute to diversifying electricity transmission routes, increasing system reliability, and reducing the risk of interruptions in electricity supply. As part of the project, Strășeni 330 kV substation will also be modernized and expanded to integrate the new line into the transmission network.

“This line is very important. In the summer, at certain times, we had a local energy deficit of 450 MWh, while the existing interconnections with Romania allow us to import 350 MWh, so a deficit remains—even if there were surplus energy in Romania, we could not import it. That is why it is important to have these interconnections. We have Vulcănești–Chișinău Line, which will soon be commissioned. We are working on Bălți–Suceava Line, which will cover the northern part, while in the central part we will have Strășeni–Gutinaș Line. If we continue to expand renewable energy and storage capacity at the current rate—since January 1, 2025, we have practically doubled renewable capacity to more than 1 GW—we could become net energy exporters during certain hours. We are grateful to the U.S. administration for supporting this project,” Prime Minister Tofan said.

The construction of Strășeni–Gutinaș power line is supported by $130 million in financial assistance from the Government of the United States. Recently, the Ministry of Energy, Moldelectrica, Black & Veatch and the U.S. Embassy in Chișinău launched the working group for Strășeni–Gutinaș “Trump Liberty Line.” Completion of the works is planned for 2032.

Two centralized irrigation systems in the country will be rehabilitated and modernized, while approximately 6,900 hectares of agricultural land will gain access to irrigation infrastructure. The works will be carried out under Moldova – Sustainable Water Supply Project (Irrigation). The Government approved the signing of the Loan Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for the implementation of the project.

During the first stage, Masivul Căușeni irrigation system, located in Ștefan Vodă District and serving approximately 2,000 hectares of agricultural land, will be rehabilitated. The modernized infrastructure will subsequently be transferred to the management of the “Kîzîl” Association of Irrigation Water Users.

Another approximately 4,900 hectares will benefit from modernized infrastructure through the rehabilitation of  Puhăcenii de Sus system, located in Criuleni and Anenii Noi districts. The system will subsequently be managed by Dubăsarii Vechi and Aqua Terra Delacău Associations of Irrigation Water Users, depending on the area served by each association.

The estimated value of the project is approximately €130 million. Financing will be provided through loans and grants offered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Union, through the Reform and Growth Facility for the Republic of Moldova. The funds will also be used to strengthen the capacities of the responsible institutions and of irrigation water users’ associations.

“We also have the contribution of the private sector – 300 farmers who contribute 3%. We start from local needs and build where necessary,” said Eugeniu Osmochescu, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry.

The modernization of the systems will provide farmers with better access to reliable water sources for irrigation and will help reduce agriculture’s vulnerability to drought and the effects of climate change.

Currently, 9 projects for the rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure are being implemented in the Republic of Moldova. According to sectoral estimates, the rehabilitation of existing systems is expected to increase agricultural productivity in the areas served by approximately 50% compared with the average of the past decade.