The money allocated for strategic projects and investments under the Budget +PLUS Economic Development Package will lead to an economic growth of more than 5% by 2028 - Dorin Recean
Moldovan Prime Minister stated this, speaking at the plenary session of the Parliament during the presentation of the Budget +PLUS - the biggest financial package ever allocated by the Moldovan government for investments and economic growth. He stressed that this allocation of resources was possible only due to the EU's great openness to be together with Moldova on the modernization path. Dorin Recean said that the Budget +PLUS provides for the allocation of about 8 billion lei in 2 directions: Energy Package and Economic Development Package. Within the Energy Package, the authorities will continue supporting the population, while the Economic Development Package envisages investments across the country, in order to boost the economy, incomes and living standards of the citizens. Prime Minister emphasized that the compensations for heat and light received by the citizens are possible only thanks to the free assistance of the European Union. In December, January and February, the average amount of the received compensation amounted to about 800 lei. Only in February, more than 700 thousand households received from 800 to 1,400 lei in compensation. “We have the opportunity to help people with significant sums precisely because the European Union decided to distribute this money free of charge to all our citizens at the beginning of this year,” Prime Minister said. According to him, the Energy Package includes important social measures and permanent assistance to the population: compensations in electricity bills for the first 110 kW⋅h, which have already been paid for February and March and will be provided until the end of 2025; monetary compensations for heating provided during the cold season; compensations to local public administration authorities for hospitals, kindergartens, schools and other social institutions to reduce the cost of electricity bills; compensations for businesses in the agri-food sector in the amount of 50% of the increased electricity bills; compensations to the local public administration authorities to reduce the cost of electricity bills. Dorin Recean said that the government will continue to help citizens and has an important goal for the next period - to ensure economic growth. “Even amid the war on the border and the energy crisis, economic stagnation in the region, we have ensured economic stability, inflation has been reduced and now we need to restore our economy,” Prime Minister emphasized. He said that for this purpose, the Budget +PLUS contains an important dimension for the economy - the Economic Development Package. “We will allocate money for strategic projects and investments, measures that are planned to lead to an economic growth of more than 5% by 2028,” Dorin Recean said. He recalled that the authorities had previously increased salaries, pensions, social benefits, compensations and adopted strong social budgets to help people overcome crises. “We were in solidarity with those affected by the price hikes. But it drained the budget. And, I emphasize, we could not have coped without the help of our loyal friends, without the European Union. In this budget, Budget +PLUS, the priority is to ensure economic growth, because only in this way we can increase the incomes of all citizens, we can have more well-paid jobs, including in rural areas, and we will feel the improvement of living conditions faster. For this purpose, we need to invest massively in the infrastructure, to have construction sites all over Moldova, which will provide people with good housing and will raise the living standards in all the districts,” Prime Minister said. He said that the economic development package provides for strategic investments in projects that contribute to the economic growth. In particular, the budget will envisage an additional 1 billion lei for the repair of local roads in 100 localities, the implementation of 230 regional and local projects across the country, the improvement of yards in Chisinau and the modernization of agricultural markets in Edinet, Balti, Ungheni, Comrat, Cahul. Also, 1 billion lei will be allocated additionally to repair 200 kilometers of regional and district roads. At the same time, 200 million lei will be additionally allocated to schools for the modernization of canteens, in order to ensure free meals in gymnasiums starting from 1 September; 200 million lei will be additionally allocated to 700 entrepreneurs, to help them invest and create new jobs. Another 200 million lei will be additionally allocated to agricultural producers, in order to produce products with high added value, which will bring them higher incomes and increase the number of jobs in the villages. At the same time, an additional 60 million lei will be allocated for young specialists, which means that their salary at their first job in Moldova will increase by another 3,000 lei. “We always talk about how important it is for our young people to stay at home, but in order to do so, we have to offer them the most attractive first salary possible, so that they do not go abroad. This salary increase will be offered for 12 months, in the first year of employment, in 7 strategic areas, sectors with growth potential - manufacturing, electronics, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, auto components, textiles and clothing, construction materials, food industry, creative industries. By the end of the year, we will include in the program at least 6,000 young people who will work at home,” Prime Minister said. Another 100 million lei will be provided additionally for important ecological projects, including for 130 settlements, which will be able to buy equipment for waste collection in villages, so that we have clean settlements. Also, an additional 85 million lei will be allocated to repair the access roads from Cantemir to the Falciu railway bridge and to restore the railroad section in Valeni. This will allow resuming cargo transportation along the Giurgiulesti-Cahul-Chisinau route, which will increase the turnover by 300 thousand tons per year. “Through the Falciu point, we resume train traffic after 30 years and open a new connection for our goods to Romania and the European Union. Moreover, it means unloading our customs. This is a series of investments and projects that we plan to implement by the end of the year or even earlier, in order to stimulate economic growth. Moreover, the continuation of the European path means that even more money for projects and economic development will come in the coming years. Of course, all this is possible only if we continue following the right path, the European path, and if we all work for Moldova to develop,” Prime Minister emphasized. // 07.04.2025 - InfoMarket.
