Who are the members of the new Government of the Republic of Moldova / Its priority: completion of negotiations with the EU by 2028

The Prime Minister-designate of the Republic of Moldova, Alexandru Munteanu, will ask the Parliament, on October 31, for the vote of confidence for the new Government and the approval of the governing program entitled “EU, Peace, Development”. The executive will have 18 members – the prime minister, a general secretary and 16 ministers – of which 8 were also part of the old government led by Dorin Recean, who announced that he was retiring from politics.

“Our priority is to ensure economic growth, stability and a clear path to joining the European Union in the coming years. We want a professional Government that delivers results and keeps the Republic of Moldova on the road to European integration”, wrote Alexandru Munteanu, emphasizing that his governance vision will emphasize the modernization of the economy, the strengthening of state institutions and the approach to European standards.

Who are the members of the Government?

The first observation is that several of the members of the former government, the one led by Dorin Recean, kept their positions in the current cabinet as well.

One of these is Vladimir BoleaDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Previously, he headed the Ministry of Agriculture and was a member of Parliament. He is one of the vice-presidents of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS).

Eugen OsmochescuDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Digitization, is an expert with over 25 years of experience in the development and evaluation of economic competitiveness strategies, has collaborated with international organizations such as the World Bank, European Union institutions, contributing to major projects in areas such as sustainable development, investments, digitization, governance and innovation.

Cristina GherasimovDeputy Prime Minister for European Integration. It is a key figure in the EU accession process. She headed the Office for European Integration within the State Chancellery and was previously an advisor on foreign policy to President Maia Sandu.

Mihai PopsoiDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He continues his mandate that began in February 2024. Popșoi is a former president of the PAS faction in Parliament and one of the political promoters of pro-European diplomacy. He is one of the vice-presidents of PAS.

Valeriu ChiveriDeputy Prime Minister for Reintegration (with Transnistria). He is a career diplomat and former ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Ukraine, since February 2022, starting his mandate a few days before the war started by Russia. He collaborated with international institutions such as the World Bank, the European Union, OECD and CEFTA, having a solid career in the field of external relations and reintegration.

Vladislav Cojuharithe new Minister of Justice, comes from within the system. A graduate of the FBI Academy and a graduate in criminal law at the “Ștefan cel Mare” Academy, Cojuhari has 17 years of experience within the MAI, where he held operative and management positions. He attended training courses in Belgium and the USA and is seen as a pragmatic professional, oriented towards strengthening the rule of law.

Dan PerciunMinister of Education and Research. Perciun continues his mandate that began in July 2023. He is known for promoting reforms in higher education and modernizing the school curriculum. He is one of the vice-presidents of PAS.

Ludmila CatlabugaMinister of Agriculture and Food Industry. She remains at the helm of the ministry she manages since November 2024. Previously, in 2015, she founded a company active in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry, especially dairy cows.

Daniela Misail-NichitinMinister of Internal Affairs, continues the mandate started in the Recean Government. Former secretary of state and chief of staff at the MAI, she is considered a reformer of the police and internal structures.

Adrian GavrilițaMinister of Finance, has over 20 years of experience in the economic field and expertise in public policies and international affairs. In 2011, during the Government led by Vlad Filat, current leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova, Gavriliță was responsible for attracting investments from the State Chancellery. Later, he headed the Cabinet of Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici, who held this position from February to June 2015. From February 2025, he is a consultant in Dorin Recean's team.

Natalia PlugaruMinister of Labor and Social Protection, is a specialist in social policies and the protection of vulnerable people, with a career dedicated to the field of inclusion. She is the current deputy representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the Republic of Moldova. He has a master's degree in public management at the Academy of Public Administration in Chisinau and holds a doctorate in management from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, Romania.

Emil CebanMinister of Health. Ceban ran in this year's elections for the position of deputy on the PAS list and reached the Parliament. Until now he was the rector of the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Nicolae Testemițanu” and promoter of the reform of the medical system.

Gheorghe HajderMinister of the Environment, continues his work started in the Recean Government, where he was Secretary of State. He started his career as an advisor to the Vice-President of the Parliament (2019-2021), then held the position of Deputy Mayor of Stăuceni City Hall. In 2023-2024 he was director of the Regional Development Agency of the Municipality of Chisinau, and from April 2024 he works at the Ministry of the Environment.

Cristian JardanMinister of Culture. Jardan is a journalist and media manager, since February 2023 he was a political advisor in the cabinet of Prime Minister Dorin Recean.

Dorin JunghietuMinister of Energy, retains his mandate starting in February 2025. He is an expert in the field of oil, gas and energy and has coordinated several energy diversification projects.

Anatolie NosatiiMinister of Defense, career soldier and colonel, remains in office, after leading the army and in the governments of Gavrilița and Recean. He represented the Republic of Moldova in the post-conflict international mission in Iraq.

Alexei BuzuSecretary General of the Government. Buzu was previously Minister of Labor and Social Protection. He is known for promoting social equity policies and reforming the welfare system.

Why there are fewer women in the new government

If there were 7 women in the previous government, there are only four in the new cabinet. It is about Cristina Gherasimovwho retains his position as Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration; Ludmila Catlabugawho remains in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry; Daniela Misail-NichitinMinister of Internal Affairs; and Natalia Plugaruwhich takes over the Labor and Social Protection portfolio.

The prime minister-designate explained that the gender distribution was not the result of a deliberate decision.

“It was not an intentional choice. We tried neither to maximize nor to reduce the number of women. Many colleagues to whom we proposed positions refused for personal reasons, but they will be involved in the team in a formal or semi-formal way. Certainly, there will be more women in the future Government. There is no intention of discrimination”, Alexandru Munteanu stated for The Guard newspaper.

The Government's priority: completing negotiations with the EU by 2028

The governance program of Alexandru Munteanu's team was published on his Facebook page, in a 15-page document. It includes 16 sectoral prioritiesincluding efficient governance, European integration, prosperous economy, modern education, clean environment, affordable health, safe energy, infrastructure and modern towns, care for everyone, performing agriculture, safe communities, fair justice, culture that unites, cohesion between shores, diplomacy for peace, but also capable defense.

Thus, it is proposed to complete the negotiations with the European Union by 2028, preparing the Republic of Moldova for accession, modernizing and Europeanizing the legal and institutional framework through the implementation of the National Accession Program 2025-2029.

The document also describes how the 1.9 billion euro growth plan offered by the European Union for the Republic of Moldova will be capitalized.

Among these actions are: the financing of about 25 thousand enterprises through state aid measures, the stimulation of investments of up to 4 billion euros, including by capitalizing on economic opportunities for citizens from the diaspora, but also the financing of major infrastructure projects, including 20 industrial, ecological and technological parks, logistics hubs, transport infrastructure. In the field of Education, among the priorities is the completion of the educational system with at least 500 young pedagogues annually.

In order to approve the composition and program of the new Government, the votes of at least 51 deputies are needed. The ruling party, PAS, currently has 55 MPs.