The proposal to raise actors’ salaries to the same level as the 18-year-old adviser at the Ministry of Culture from PAS’s youth organization was put forward by actor Ion Coșeru, best known for his role in the film Carbon.
The widely discussed appointment of an 18-year-old PAS activist with no university degree has outraged Coșeru, prompting him to call on fellow performers to demand that the Ministry of Culture establish a base salary of 33,000 lei for professional actors.
His reasoning is straightforward: if a recent high school graduate can earn such a salary in the ministry, then experienced actors—who possess formal education, professional credentials, and have contributed to Moldova’s cultural life—deserve at least the same level of compensation.
“I call on all my colleagues to publicly demand that, during the next budget revision, the Ministry of Culture set the base salary for every actor at 33,000 lei,” Coșeru said.
He continued:
“If the ministry was able to pay such an amount to a young man without a diploma, then actors who have education, experience, and who have contributed to the country’s culture and image should openly demand that their salaries begin at 33,000 lei.”
Coșeru also urged the Union of Theatre Workers of Moldova (UNITEM), headed by Alexandru Grecu, to take a clear public position.
“Come on, theater directors, dear colleagues. Do you have the courage? You openly say that these are good times worth preserving. But do you have character? Individuality? How many of you earn 33,000 lei a month?”
According to an investigation by Moldova Curată, Bogdan Zgheria began working at the Ministry of Culture at the age of 18. His initial salary was around 6,000 lei, but by 2025 his annual income had increased to 319,000 lei. In 2026, his contract provided 300,000 lei gross for nine months, equivalent to approximately 33,000 lei per month.
The investigation also noted that Law No. 80/2010 requires ministerial advisers to possess a university degree. Nevertheless, Zgheria was appointed as an adviser, and the employment contract was reportedly signed retroactively.
Not everyone, however, has joined the criticism.
Acting Minister of Culture Cristian Jardan defended the young activist, arguing that Zgheria had a good understanding of the ministry’s work and urging critics not to target young people personally.
“I understand their frustration and anger, but if there are complaints, they should criticize the minister or the employer. Let’s leave young people out of this,” Jardan said.
Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu also acknowledged that the appointment did not comply with legal requirements but described the public backlash as “a harmful trend of lynching young people.”
Writer Vasile Ernu took a different view, arguing that nepotism and politically motivated appointments undermine young people’s confidence in Moldova’s future.
He pointed out that a newly hired schoolteacher earns roughly 11,000 lei per month, while a 21-year-old adviser without a university degree was earning 33,000 lei.
The controversy has highlighted the chronic underfunding of Moldova’s theaters. Many actors receive such low salaries that they are forced either to leave the profession or seek work abroad to make ends meet.
Against this backdrop, critics argue that paying 33,000 lei per month to an 18-year-old political appointee appears deeply unfair to experienced artists who have devoted their careers to the country’s cultural development.
