Romania orders 919 localities to join Ghiseul digital platform by Aug 25, warns of funding cuts

Vice‑premier Oana Gheorghiu announced that all Romanian local administrations must be enrolled in the Ghiseul.ro digital payment and service platform by 25 August. Of the 3,187 municipalities, 919 have not yet complied, leaving more than 2.5 million citizens forced to visit town halls in person. The government warned that failure to meet the deadline will trigger suspension of state‑budget allocations to the non‑compliant localities, including portions of income‑tax revenue and other state‑funded transfers.

Officials have sent reminder messages to the 919 mayors, giving them roughly 20 days to register. Gheorghiu emphasized that “Peste 2,5 milioane de români nu pot beneficia astăzi de avantajele digitalizării și sunt nevoiți să meargă fizic la primărie.”

In a related digital‑government push, Romania plans to phase out classic identity cards by 3 August 2031, replacing them with electronic ID cards equipped with a secure chip. The new cards will function like bank cards, enable online public‑service access and allow travel within EU member states.