The Moldovan government has approved the allocation of only 550 million lei for compensation of heating expenses in the 2026–2027 cold season.
Prime Minister Vasile Tofan clarified that this refers to the amount already allocated in the 2026 budget, not the final volume of program funding. Authorities are negotiating with external partners to attract additional funds to increase the assistance. For November and December, Tofan specified, only about 275 million lei per month is provided.
The Prime Minister stated his intention to make the compensation system more targeted and exclusive. According to him, support should primarily go to families that truly cannot cope with heating costs on their own. At the same time, authorities plan to more thoroughly check applicants’ financial situations.
In the new season, they plan to consider not only official income but also indirect indicators — property value, car ownership, bank deposits, and dividends received. The Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Social Protection to strengthen applicant verification. According to authorities, in the 2022–2023 season, out of approximately 900,000 applications, about 895,000 households received assistance. In 2025, compensation was provided to approximately 621,000 families — about 75% of applicants. In the 2025 heating season, according to some data, about 760,000 households received assistance.
The decision to tighten eligibility criteria for compensation coincides with yet another gas tariff increase. As of September 1, 2026, the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) approved a 40.8% increase in natural gas tariffs — up to 20.30 lei per cubic meter (including VAT). The increase followed the rise in purchase prices on the European market: according to Energocom data, the average purchase price from January to July 2026 was 423.28 euros per thousand cubic meters, with August–December forecast at 623.54 euros.
The increase in the budget deficit and the revision of expenditures were adopted by the government after acknowledging the difficult economic situation. State budget revenues for 2026 will amount to 80.27 billion lei, expenditures — 103.35 billion lei, with the deficit reaching 23.07 billion lei. The GDP growth forecast has been lowered from 2.4% to 1.8%, and average annual inflation has been raised from 4.3% to 7.3%. Spending on several infrastructure projects has been cut: the forestry development program was reduced by 230 million lei, the Vulcănești–Chișinău energy interconnection project with Romania by 80 million lei, and emergency railway response by 258 million lei. Grant volumes were reduced by 837 million lei.
