Maia Sandu urges Moldovan mayors to finish voluntary amalgamation

President Maia Sandu thanked local officials who have started the voluntary amalgamation of Moldovan communes, noting that over 85% have begun the process and more than 400 have already adopted final decisions. She urged the roughly 200 municipalities still in the final stage to complete the mergers by the end of August and called on about 160 communes where negotiations have stalled to keep pushing forward.

Sandu warned that the few dozen communes that refuse voluntary consolidation will be merged by law without receiving the financial incentives offered to those that cooperate. The reform, launched by the Moldovan government earlier this year, aims to strengthen administrative capacity and improve public services across the country’s nearly 900 communes, most of which have fewer than 3,000 residents. The president’s message was delivered in a video posted on social media, and she pledged continued government support for the final steps of the process.