The Independent Think-Tank “Expert-Grup” launched today, during a press conference, its Position Paper on the draft amendment to the State Budget Law for 2025 (the “Bugetul Plus” program) and the implementation of the Economic Growth Plan for the Republic of Moldova.
The document analyzes the implications of the “Bugetul Plus” program for economic development, good governance, and its alignment with the objectives set out in the Economic Growth Plan, with financial support from the European Union. It also highlights a number of shortcomings related to both the approval process and the content of the draft law, which have generated critical reactions from civil society.
The key issues raised include:
- non-compliance with transparency standards in the decision-making process;
- inconsistency of some budgetary measures with the philosophy and objectives of the Economic Growth Plan;
- risks of limiting local autonomy;
- potential for political clientelism in the allocation of public funds.
„The way in which the project was approved, as well as its provisions, triggered criticism in the society under several aspects: failure to comply with the transparency standards in the decision-making process when promoting the project, inconsistency of some measures with the philosophy of the Economic Growth Plan for the Republic of Moldova, potential for limiting local autonomy and creating premises for political clientelism.” stated Marina Soloviova, Program Director for Economic Policies, Expert-Grup, and author of the Position Paper launched today.
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In addition to its critique of the draft amendment to the State Budget Law for 2025, the Position Paper outlines a series of concrete recommendations aimed at:
- ensuring transparency in the budgetary process;
- aligning proposed measures with the objectives of the Economic Growth Plan;
- safeguarding local autonomy, pluralism, and the participation of all relevant stakeholders;
- preventing the misuse of EU financial support under the Economic Growth Plan for Moldova on non-productive or populist projects;
- prioritizing investments that support the transition toward a new economic growth model focused on increased competitiveness and value-added.
Adrian Lupușor, Executive Director of Expert-Grup, emphasized: “From the beginning, we highlighted the strategic importance of the Economic Growth Plan offered generously by the European Union. However, to have a real impact on accelerating the country’s economic development, these resources must be allocated according to the principles of good governance — including transparency, public consultation, depoliticized financial flows, and the avoidance of conflicts of interest. The government must not forget that EU resources are loans that must be invested in activities generating value-added, to strengthen the economy’s capacity to repay them. The ‘Bugetul Plus’ program does not align with these principles. We see multiple risks of irrational and politicized use of these resources — which is clearly unacceptable. We will continue to closely monitor how the government manages the funds from the Economic Growth Plan.”
Through the Position Paper launched today, Expert-Grup reiterates the importance of strengthening a budgetary framework that is transparent, participatory, and oriented towards the transition to a high value-added economic model.