Expert-Grup

MACRO 2025: European integration and inclusion policies for Moldova's economic future

Press releaseFriday, 28 November 20251724 views
MACRO 2025: European integration and inclusion policies for Moldova's economic future

Automatically translated summary. The full article is available in Romanian.

The MACRO 2025 conference, organised by the Independent Think Tank Expert-Grup and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Moldova, discussed European integration and inclusion policies for Moldova's economic future. The 13th edition focused on internal inequality and the gap with the EU, and presented the State of the Country Report 2025, with Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu attending.

Adrian Lupusor argued that Moldova must shift to a growth model based on value added and higher labour productivity, through state-backed private investment, with economic governance free of political influence and conflicts of interest. Prime Minister Munteanu said the Growth Plan rests on three pillars and that now is the time to invest in Moldova.

The Report finds an economy in stagnation: GDP grew by only 0.1% in 2024, goods exports fell by 13%, agricultural gross value added dropped by 19% and the employment rate fell by over three percentage points (73,000 people lost employment). Absolute poverty rose to 33.6%, hitting households with three or more children, people with disabilities and people with lower education. Recommendations include raising disability pensions by at least 15% to the subsistence minimum of MDL 3,050, prioritising value-added investment, indexing wages to inflation and productivity, and raising the minimum wage to 50% of the average gross wage. Positive trends include a rise to 68.7 thousand enterprises (+7.8%) and an industrial recovery in 2025.

View the original article in Romanian