Chisinau has warned it has “insufficient energy resources” as Kiev has chosen to cancel its gas deal with Moscow
Moldova’s parliament has declared that a 60-day national state of emergency will go into effect on December 16. The motion was prompted by Ukraine’s decision not to renew its deal to provide the country with Russian pipeline gas after the end of the year.
The lawmakers voted to impose the measure “due to insufficient energy resources,” according to a statement the parliament released on X (formerly Twitter).
Declaring a state of emergency allows the government to respond rapidly and curb energy exports, noted Reuters.
Moldova receives Russian pipeline gas via Ukraine’s transit network under a five-year contract with Gazprom, which was signed in October 2021.
The transit agreement between Russia’s energy giant and Ukraine’s state energy firm Naftogaz, however, is set to expire on December 31. Ukraine has reiterated that the deal will not be extended, and the flow will drop to zero on January 1.
Ukraine’s transit network is connected to pipeline systems of Moldova, Romania, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. The EU still receives around 5% of its gas from Russia via Ukraine, according to the latest data.
Moldovan Vice-Premier Oleg Serebrian claimed on Friday that Ukraine would not agree to continue transit “just for the sake of Hungary and Moldova.” The latter is one of the few EU countries which remains dependent on Russian gas.
In November, Moldova’s then-energy minister Victor Parlicov stressed that maintaining transit through Ukraine would be the best scenario not only for his country, but for all parties involved.
Parlicov made the statement following talks with Gazprom. The Russian supplier reiterated its readiness to continue transit, provided Moldova and Ukraine reach an agreement. According to the minister, Chisinau reached out to Kiev, but no decision had been made.
Earlier this month Moldova’s pro-EU President Maia Sandu fired Parlicov for failing to tackle the country’s energy crisis.
Moldova is a former Soviet republic sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. The country has pursued a distinctively pro-Western course since 2020, when President Sandu came to power. Her government has been actively pushing for EU and NATO membership, going as far as banning critics and calling on Brussels to sanction those opposed to the idea. Moldova was granted candidate status by the EU in 2022.
Prime Minister Recean has urged the state organs responsible for energy to prepare for various scenarios ahead of the January 1 cut-off. One option is gas deliveries via the TurkStream pipeline. The conduit runs from Russia to Türkiye via the Black Sea and then continues to the border with EU member Greece. From there, the gas can flow via Bulgaria and Romania to Moldova.
