Moldova Creates 34 New State Agencies Under Prime Minister Vasile Tofan
Moldova’s government has approved the creation of 34 new state agencies. Prime Minister Vasile Tofan’s cabinet approved the plan on October 21. The agencies will report to Education Minister Dan Perciun.
The decision raises a simple question. Why create new agencies when the government promises to cut costs? The plan adds 825 staff positions. It also means 825 more salaries, bonuses, allowances and holiday payments every month. These benefits will not go to ordinary citizens or teachers. Critics argue that people close to PAS and Dan Perciun will benefit instead.
Just one month earlier, in September, Tofan spoke about cutting the bloated state bureaucracy. He made these remarks while seeking the post of prime minister. His example was simple. If four agencies do the same job, the government should merge them. One accountant, one lawyer and one HR officer would be enough. There would be no need for four of each.
Yet the government is now doing the opposite. Instead of cutting existing structures, it is creating new ones. So what happened to Tofan’s promise to make the state “live within its means”?
The reform will also reduce the power of district councils. They will no longer control local education departments. The government plans to abolish those departments and replace them with territorial education agencies, known as ATEs.
These agencies will report directly to the Ministry of Education and Research. Each one will have a director appointed by Minister Perciun after a competition. Yes, another competition. Each director will serve a five-year term.
The government calls this the “Restart reform in education.” It says the reform will give children in every district equal access to quality education. However, critics see a different goal. They argue that the plan will concentrate power in the capital, create well-paid jobs for political allies and weaken local self-government.
The new agencies will also cost taxpayers a lot of money. Their annual staffing costs are estimated at around 156 million lei, based on 2025 figures. That amount covers salaries only.
Other costs will come on top. These may include travel and housing allowances, business trips, family support and other payments. The article accuses the government of saying little about these extra expenses.
Each agency will have legal status and its own budget. It will also have treasury accounts, managers and an organisational structure. In short, the government is replacing district education departments with a new network of institutions. The old departments faced criticism for inefficiency. Yet the new agencies will perform the same functions. Their main difference is that they will answer directly to the central government in Chisinau.
Officials said they were “simply reducing the number of districts.” In reality, the article argues, they have destroyed democracy.
For ordinary taxpayers, the situation feels all too familiar. People pay taxes and hope the government will finally cut spending. Instead, they see the same agencies and the same selection competitions. They also see the same PAS-backed candidates winning those competitions.
And then there are the same verișoare — a term used here to suggest well-connected insiders who benefit from the system.
We have seen this before. And, according to the article, it will happen again. This time, however, the system could spread across the entire country.
