Parliament Approves Extension of Emergency Regime in Moldova for 30 Days

On Friday, 24 November, MPs backed the government’s proposal to extend the state of emergency throughout Moldova for another 30 days amid the war in Ukraine. Sixty MPs voted in favor of extending the state of emergency. According to the Interior Minister Adrian Efros, the need to prolong the state of emergency was based on the persisting risks for Moldova’s security as a result of the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine, as well as for the continuation of infrastructure, energy and gas services. “It is expected that during the cold season it is likely that Russian armed forces will intensify attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Potential attacks on energy infrastructure could have effects for electricity supplies to the Republic of Moldova, given the need to utilize the Ukrainian grid to import electricity through the ENTSO-E network and the Cuciurgan infrastructure. In case the hostilities intensify, the flow of migrants from Ukraine may resume,” the draft said. The state of emergency was introduced on 24 February 2022 at the proposal of the government and has been continuously extended since then.