Government sets up new body to coordinate emergencies, promising faster interventions for citizens.
The Republic of Moldova will establish a specialized institution to coordinate competent authorities during crisis situations and improve communication with citizens. On Wednesday, September 10, the government announced the creation of the National Crisis Management Center, which will be responsible for preventing and responding to emergencies.
*"Protecting citizens and providing rapid support during a crisis is a priority for the Government. We propose the establishment of the National Crisis Management Center, which will coordinate interventions in emergencies. Through unified coordination and a permanent response mechanism, citizens will benefit from faster and better-organized interventions. A key role will be played by the National Crisis Response Platform, which will mobilize the responsible authorities and ensure communication with the population during critical moments," explained the Deputy Secretary General of the Government, Roman Cazan, at the Cabinet of Ministers meeting.
The same source added that the center will function as the central administrative authority under the Government and will be led by a general director appointed at the proposal of the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Dorin Recean stated that, given the increasing frequency of extreme weather phenomena, the state must strengthen its response capacities to continuously monitor and prevent potential crises.
According to the authors of the project for establishing the Crisis Management Center, an analysis of the Law on Crisis Management revealed several deficiencies. Most importantly, there was no central body responsible for coordinating the entire crisis management process—ranging from prevention and preparation to effective intervention during crises and learning from past experiences. Additionally, there was no formal mechanism in place to ensure cooperation between the various institutions involved during a crisis situation.
"The current institutional structure is fragmented, and there is no centralized mechanism for coordination and response in crisis situations. Recent experiences—from health and energy crises to climate, cyber, and geopolitical issues—clearly demonstrate the need for a permanent national center with well-defined responsibilities and competencies," reads the Government Decision's informative note.
The organization and operational model of the Center is aligned with existing practices in other European Union member states, such as Estonia, Germany, Latvia, and France, where similar centers operate under the authority of the Government and have demonstrated efficiency in integrated responses to complex crises. Moreover, creating the Center allows for significant savings and optimization of existing resources, avoiding overlaps and functional gaps present in the current infrastructure.
The operational costs for the Center, particularly for salaries and administrative expenses, are projected to be two million lei in 2025 and approximately 12 million lei in 2026, with funds allocated from the state budget.*
