Moldova plans €124 million for winter energy aid
The Moldovan government expects to spend about €124 million on energy compensation during the 2026–2027 heating season, while seeking additional funding from foreign partners, Finance Minister Victoria Belous said.
State budget to cover most compensation costs
The government plans to allocate around 2.5 billion Moldovan lei (€123.6 million) to support households with energy bills this winter. However, foreign partners have yet to confirm whether they will provide additional funding, Belous said in an interview with Radio Moldova.
The government has earmarked 550 million lei (€27.2 million) for November compensation payments, which will be disbursed in December. Funding for January to March 2027 is expected to be included in next year's state budget.
“We are currently estimating that we will allocate around 2.5 billion lei from the Republic of Moldova's own resources for the 2026–2027 heating season,” Belous said. She added that the government had approached foreign partners but had not received firm commitments on the amounts they might provide.
The minister said potential donors were also seeking funding sources to support Moldova. The amount of any assistance remains uncertain as the energy crisis affects countries across Europe and beyond amid the conflict in the Middle East.
Ministries asked to identify spending cuts
Belous said ministries would have to review their budgets and identify savings as the government prepares the 2027 state budget. The projected budget deficit is 4.5%, lower than this year's level, she said.
Potential savings include routine repairs, operating costs, staffing and projects deemed less urgent. Ministries must prioritise essential spending while ensuring that funding remains available for social programmes, education and other key services.
“Each ministry will come up with its own solutions to optimise spending,” Belous said.
She added that projects considered non-essential could be postponed or funded later if additional resources became available. Road maintenance remains a priority, while investments in public buildings and other programmes will be reviewed for their necessity and impact.
Government links programme to energy crisis
Belous said the compensation programme would remain in place while households continued to face difficulties paying winter energy bills. She stressed that the government wanted to direct public funds towards people who genuinely needed assistance.
“I believe we will end this programme when we overcome the energy crisis,” she said, adding that the government did not want to spend billions of lei on measures without a tangible impact.
The minister said it was too early to determine whether compensation would continue during the 2027–2028 heating season.
The number of households receiving energy compensation could rise to around 670,000 this winter, up from approximately 620,000 last year, according to figures cited in the source report. During the previous heating season, the government allocated nearly 2.4 billion lei to the programme.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
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