Emil Jacotă: Moldova has made significant progress in e-governance

Vladimir Mitev

H.E. Emil Jacotă graduated from the Vasil Kolarov Agricultural Institute in Plovdiv in 1988. In 1992, he obtained a Master’s degree in International Relations from the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA) in Bucharest. As a diplomat, he has worked in Bulgaria, Türkiye, Russia, France, and Romania. While in Bulgaria, he served as First Secretary from 1994 to 1997 and was among the first diplomats to establish the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Sofia. Jacota then served as chargé d’affaires at the same embassy from 2003 to 2006. Since 2025, Jacota has served as the Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Republic of Bulgaria.

Ambassador Jacotă spoke with The Bridge of Friendship about Moldova’s European course, its efforts to diversify its energy mix and green its economy, about fighting oligarchy in the country, his expectations for the September 28, 2025, parliamentary elections, and successes in developing e-governance.

Mr. Jacotă, it has been one month since the summit between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova, which demonstrates the country’s continued commitment to its European path. At the same time, the Support Platform for Moldova, backed by Germany, France, and Romania, is providing crucial resources for reforms in the country.

What important policies and reforms has Moldova recently implemented, and which have been the most successful on the path to the European Union?

Thank you for your question. The first high-level meeting between Moldova and the European Union was historic. It took place in Chișinău on 4 July 2025, and it was a valuable addition to the existing political dialogue between our country and the European Union.

The event provided a good opportunity to draw our citizens’ attention to the benefits of European integration. The first tranche of €277 million for Moldova’s economic development has already been transferred. Commercial banks in the Republic of Moldova are set to begin using the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) on 3 October 2025.

Our country is expected to join the European Union’s roaming area, with the corresponding reduction in roaming charges taking place on 1 January 2026. We hope to open the first package of negotiation chapters for accession to the European Union by the end of this year. This depends, of course, largely on the elections to be held on 28 September 2025, and their results. However, we hope they will be favorable.

The Support Platform for Moldova was launched in 2022 by France, Germany, and Romania. The platform has proven useful for coordinating the efforts and resources of various stakeholders to address the Republic of Moldova’s significant internal and external challenges. The first three editions of the Support Platform for Moldova took place in Berlin, Bucharest, and Paris in 2022. The next editions will take place in the Republic of Moldova from 2023 to 2024.

Over 50 partner countries and international organizations gathered to reaffirm their support for Moldova, particularly in light of the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. On 25 June 2024, the European Union and the Republic of Moldova held their first international intergovernmental conference, officially starting accession negotiations. This historic event followed the European Union’s decision to grant Moldova candidate country status on 23 June 2022, and its decision in December 2023 to begin negotiations.

During the 2024 intergovernmental conference, nine financing agreements were signed, including €87 million in grants and €305 million in loans on preferential terms.

The Republic of Moldova faced one of its greatest challenges at the beginning of 2025, when an energy crisis occurred. In recent years, Bulgaria and Romania have played an important role in supporting Moldova, particularly with regard to energy access and resources. What is currently happening in Moldova’s energy sector after the Russian invasion of Ukraine? What is the current state of the country’s interconnection with other countries in Southeast Europe and with the European Union?

On 1 January 2025, Ukraine closed the natural gas transit corridor from the Russian Federation to Europe. This affected the Republic of Moldova because we previously purchased more gas from the Russian Federation. However, the Moldovan government was prepared. Last year, it became clear that, after 1 January 2025, there would be no more natural gas under the old conditions.

Since 2022, Moldova has not purchased large quantities of natural gas from Russia. What was purchased was mainly intended for the Transnistrian region. The gas was transported to the thermal power plant in Cuciurgan, which produced electricity. We then purchased this electricity from Transnistria. The electricity was cheaper.

We were prepared for a scenario in which natural gas supplies would be cut off. Since 2014, the Moldovan and Romanian governments have built a gas pipeline between Iași, Ungheni, and Chișinău. Through this pipeline, we now receive and purchase gas from European countries, including Bulgaria and Romania. Last year, the Republic of Moldova signed gas transit agreements with Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania so that we could receive gas from these countries. Moldova is part of the vertical gas corridor, launched this summer, which will increase gas imports.

From this point of view, we are stable. Yes, without a doubt, the price of natural gas is higher. We are already buying it at European prices.

By the end of the year, Romania will supply us with electricity. Construction of the 400 kV Isaccea-Vulcanești-Chișinău high-voltage line in the south is nearing completion. Negotiations are underway to begin designing the line in the north, between Suceava and Bălți. These projects will allow us to access electricity from European markets. Thus, we will be energy independent by the end of the year.

Transnistria is a separate issue. Until the beginning of this year, this unrecognized territory received gas from Russia. Now, this system no longer works.

Throughout January, they were left without electricity and heating. Fortunately, it was not very cold in January. In February 2025, the EU granted €20 million in humanitarian aid to purchase gas for the region during the first ten days of February. The gas was purchased on markets in Bulgaria and Romania and transported through Moldova to the region. However, Transnistria rejected the European Union’s aid and instead received aid from the Russian Federation through offshore companies that purchase gas from the Hungarian company MET.

MET delivers this natural gas to Moldova. Moldova then transits the gas to Transnistria, which allows us to determine the region’s actual consumption. In this case, the Transnistria issue is resolved. However, this gas is only for consumption by the population in the territory. Nothing more. There is a metallurgical plant and a cement factory, though the latter is currently not operating.

Together with Europe, Moldova is making progress in the field of energy independence. I believe that things are improving year after year. The current Moldovan government is paying particular attention to green energy. There are many photovoltaic power plants, as well as hydroelectric power plants. Currently, on some days, over 35-40% of energy comes from green sources.

Recently, relations between Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova have intensified. The University of Taraclia has become a branch of the University of Ruse. There have been high-level visits between the two countries. What is on the agenda for Bulgarian-Moldovan relations?

Indeed, we have had very good political relations in recent years.

Meetings have been held between the presidents, prime ministers, and foreign ministers of both countries. The Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs visited Moldova from 24 May to 25 May 2025.

The Taraclia branch of the University of Ruse was officially inaugurated. This is an important event because the agreement to open the university was signed last year, and the Moldovan government took every possible measure to ensure the document took effect so the university could begin operating at the start of September. Currently, over 200 students are enrolled at the Taraclia branch of the Angel Kanchev University of Ruse. This proves once again that the project will be beneficial to the development of the Bulgarian community in the region.

As you know, on 27 and 28 July 2025, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rossen Zhelyazkov, paid an official visit to Moldova. He met with the leadership of the Taraclia region. He met with President Maia Sandu, Prime Minister Dorin Recean, and Speaker of Parliament Igor Grosu. These visits have contributed to significant rapprochement between the two countries. We would, of course, like to see more Bulgarian investment and a stronger Bulgarian presence on the Moldovan market, and this is being achieved through the organization of several business forums.

As you know, we have between 50,000 and 60,000 Moldovan citizens living in Bulgaria, some of whom also have Bulgarian citizenship. Many of these families live in Bulgaria and have good relations here. They are integrating very well into Bulgarian society.

The same can be said about my family because my wife, who is from Plovdiv, has been with me for over 40 years. We are doing everything we can to ensure this integration is as stable as possible.

In August 2024, the Vali Boghean Band, a popular Moldovan band, came to Bulgaria to participate in the Bansko jazz festival. It was their first time performing in Bulgaria. I noticed that both the Bulgarian and international audiences really liked this band.

This is just the beginning.

At the end of July 2025, the influential Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc was arrested in Athens. His arrest once again drew attention to the fact that Moldova has been engaged in a struggle to reduce the influence of oligarchs in the country for some time now. How successful is this struggle, and how might Plahotniuc’s arrest influence the parliamentary elections in September 2025?

That’s true. These oligarchs have left the country and are wanted internationally. Like Mr. Plahotniuc, they had multiple passports and citizenships. We need to determine whether these documents were issued by other countries or forged.

Plahotniuc was not the only one to attract attention. Mr. Platon was arrested in the United Kingdom. He is currently under house arrest. Another oligarch, Ilan Shor, is currently hiding in Moscow. There is no doubt that they want to return to Moldova to resume their criminal activities.

Parliamentary elections are coming up in Moldova on September 28, 2025, and they will be highly contested. Given that Moldova has already made progress on the path to EU membership, to what extent is there a real risk that the country’s geopolitical orientation will change?

There is undoubtedly such a risk in all elections. For now, the Party of Action and Solidarity, which is in power in Moldova, is pro-European. According to the latest polls, the party will win many votes. However, there is undoubtedly an opposition as well.

Last month, a coalition of left-wing parties formed, including the Communist Party, the Socialist Party, the “Heart of Moldova” party of former Gagauzian leader Irina Vlah, and the “Future of Moldova” party of former Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev.

In my opinion, citizens know very well what a European state means. I hope the results prove this.

Finally, I would like to highlight an achievement of the Republic of Moldova that some EU countries have not yet achieved. I am referring to e-government. For years, the Moldovan government has provided its citizens with numerous electronic services.

How has e-government developed so well in Moldova? What opportunities does it offer citizens? How is it evaluated?

Indeed, we have had success in this area, and I can compare the situation with e-government in Bulgaria and Romania. Moldova is quite advanced in this regard. At the beginning of this year, the government decided to issue electronic identity cards, which can now be easily obtained at the embassy.

Since declaring independence, the Republic of Moldova has been introducing new technologies, particularly the digitization of documents. In the 1990s, the first step was to introduce personal identification numbers based on Bulgaria’s experience. However, we adapted it to local conditions in Moldova. The same happened with the digitization of passports and personal documents. Between 2012 and 2014, we introduced biometric passports to enable visa-free travel to the EU. This was followed by other identity documents, such as ID cards, driver’s licenses, and vehicle registration certificates.

In this way, we strive to meet EU requirements and directives on the digitization of personal documents. Starting in 2025, we will introduce electronic identity cards and electronic signatures, allowing Moldovan citizens outside the country to request electronic copies of their documents. All Moldovan ministry documents are signed and sent electronically, saving tons of paper.

We are currently working on implementing e-government. Many documents are already signed electronically. The electronic versions of these documents are actively used in Moldova. There have even been interesting cases in Bulgaria where Moldova has started introducing electronic driver’s licenses that are stored on mobile phones. However, when Moldovan citizens present their electronic driver’s license on their phone during a check in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian authorities do not yet recognize such documents. However, we hope that Bulgaria will also introduce this system, as it represents the future and aligns with European Union directives. These are not inventions of the Republic of Moldova. We have been developing e-government for a long time and will continue to do so, and we want the same for Bulgaria.

Photo: H.E. Emil Jacotă (source)

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