The experience of recent years, marked by energy crises, pandemics, refugee flows and extreme weather phenomena, has shown that the state needs a faster and better coordinated mechanism to protect people. 

In this context, the Government approved the creation from September 1, 2026 of a new, modern mechanism based on the anticipation and prevention of crisis situations. It will be composed of: the National Crisis Management Commission, regional or territorial and local crisis management commissions, their operational coordination centers and the National Crisis Management Center, created in September 2025. 

At the same time, the normative framework regulating the activity of the Commission for Exceptional Situations (CSE) was repealed. 

How was it before and how will it be from September 1, 2026?

• before the state acted, predominantly, after the crisis materialized. The focus was on repairing damages and providing compensation for losses. The Commission for Extraordinary Situations (CES) intervened only when the situation was already serious.

• From autumn 2026 the new crisis management mechanism emphasizes anticipation, prevention, permanent monitoring of risks to reduce damage and stop the effects of the crisis before it affects the population.

Direct benefits for people:

• faster help: the intervention of vital state services will be coordinated much more efficiently at the central, regional and local level.

• clear information: citizens will receive official information from one reliable source, avoiding confusion and fake news at critical times.

• decisions close to communities: local problems will be solved faster, because the decision no longer depends only on the central authorities in Chisinau.

To avoid overlapping responsibilities, the roles have been distributed between those who monitor, those who decide strategically at the national level, those who lead local structures and those who act in the field:

1. National Crisis Management Commission it is the decision-making forum, led by the Prime Minister. The commission meets to make strategic decisions, such as mobilizing additional resources, allocating money from the reserve fund, or establishing measures during the state of emergency. The Secretariat of the Commission is provided by the National Crisis Management Center, which provides the necessary informational, analytical and logistical support.

2. National Crisis Management Center (NCMC) it is a structure subordinate to the Government that works non-stop (24/7). Its role is to collect information from all institutions, analyze the risks and prepare all the necessary data so that the Government can make correct decisions, from the early stages of a danger.

3. Regional, territorial and local crisis management commissions are organized on three levels: regional (in the case of ATU Gagauzia it is headed by the Governor), territorial (in each district and in the municipalities of Chisinau and Balti, headed by the presidents of the districts or mayors) and local (in villages/communes and cities, headed by mayors). Their role is to manage the crisis at the local level and coordinate aid to the population. These commissions ensure that the decisions taken by the central authorities in Chisinau are effectively applied in each locality.

4. Operational Coordination Centers (OCCs) they are not permanent offices with new employees, but inter-institutional operative structures, which can be activated as needed in each district, Chisinau municipality, Balti municipality, ATU Gagauzia, as soon as a danger appears or a crisis is triggered, to coordinate the intervention to help the community. Outside of crisis situations, the specialists who are part of the OCC carry out their regular work, being prepared to assemble in the command center only when the situation demands it. The centers collect the information from the territory and transmit it to the NCMC, ensuring a fast and accurate flow of information. Also, the OCC organizes the technical secretariat of the regional/territorial crisis management commissions and collects, analyzes and evaluates operational data, formulating proposals for the decisions of the president of the commission.

This reform clarifies institutional responsibilities and establishes a predictable framework for coordination between central, regional and local authorities during crisis situations. By delimiting strategic decisions from technical and operational coordination, the state strengthens its reaction capacity, uses available resources more efficiently and increases the degree of protection of citizens in the face of an increasingly diverse and dynamic spectrum of risks and threats.

At the World Health Organization (WHO) Ministerial Conference "Protecting Health in Earthquakes", held in Istanbul, the Republic of Moldova presented how the new national crisis management architecture supports better coordination between institutions in the face of national security risks, with an emphasis on the continuity of essential services for citizens. The conference brought together around 200 world-renowned leaders and experts from around 30 Member States across 4 WHO regions. The purpose of the Conference is to increase regional and international awareness, knowledge and collaboration among WHO Member States, relevant authorities and other stakeholders in multiple WHO regions to reduce the health impact of earthquakes.

Earthquakes have a systemic impact, simultaneously affecting critical infrastructure, medical services, supply chains and the general functioning of public institutions. For this reason, the effective response requires a unified, state-wide coordination. In this context, the National Crisis Management Center (NCMC) ensures the common picture of the situation and inter-institutional coordination, facilitating quick decisions and synchronized actions between all relevant institutions - from the health sector and intervention services, to public authorities and operators of critical infrastructure. By establishing the NCMC, the Republic of Moldova approach is based on an integrated model of planning and action, which connects prevention, preparedness, response and recovery in a unified framework, applicable in complex situations.

Participation in this forum provided access to the experience of other states on how they protect medical services and the continuity of vital functions during earthquakes, as well as the integration of these lessons into the working mechanisms of the NCMC.

The final Joint Istanbul Declaration reflects the collective understanding that preparedness, resilience and solidarity must be translated into sustained action at both sectoral and cross-border levels. 

At the invitation of the Council of the European Union, the Republic of Moldova participated for the first time in the meeting of the Crisis Communicators’ Network (CCN), held in Brussels.

The event brought together specialists in public crisis communication from the member states of the European Union, the European Commission (DG COMM) and the Republic of Moldova, offering a platform for an exchange of experience regarding the management of communication in crisis situations, the coordination and coherence of messages at the regional level in crisis situations. 

Discussions focused in particular on communication in the context of power outages, damage to critical infrastructure and public health risks such as Hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks. The agenda included presentations by experts from several EU countries, the Republic of Moldova, and the European Commission.

The National Crisis Management Center and the Ministry of Energy presented the Moldovan experience in managing energy crises, highlighting how public communication was adapted to respond quickly and efficiently to help citizens. 

The meeting reconfirmed the fact that in Europe crisis communication is increasingly based on the inter-institutional alignment of public messages and on the consolidation of solid information exchange mechanisms between operational teams in the field, decision-makers and institutional communicators. At the same time, emphasis is placed on an integrated approach at the level of the entire society, by involving beyond governmental action civil society, the private sector, the academic environment and citizens. The common objective remains to protect society through clear, correct and timely information.

The Republic of Moldova participated, with the support of PractNet | International Practitioners' Partnership Network and European Commission, as an observer at national exercise LYNX 2026 from Estonia, one of the most complex crisis management exercises organized at the national level. The exercise was planned over a year, included around 70 trainings and 40 sub-exercises and brought together over 150 institutions from the public, private and civil society sectors.

The purpose of the participation was to learn from Estonia's experience and to understand how other states prepare their institutions for crisis situations: how they collaborate with each other, how quick decisions are made in difficult moments and, above all, how to ensure the continuity of essential services, regardless of the impact of crises. These services include the stable operation of energy supply, communications and safe water and food networks, the maintenance of public transport and road infrastructure, the protection of public order, the provision of emergency medical interventions and hospital care, the operation of rescue and emergency services, the continuity of financial and payment systems, social support for vulnerable people, as well as the protection of cultural heritage and the continuity of educational and cultural activities of national importance.

These lessons are useful for strengthening the capacities of the Republic of Moldova for prevention, preparedness, response to crises and for the development, in the future, of similar comprehensive exercises at the national level.

At LYNX 2026, complex crisis situations were tested, including: 
- response to incidents such as disinformation campaigns, sabotage, explosions and drone threats; 
- maintaining the functioning of the state and essential services under pressure on resources, including supply, resource management and operational support; 
- organizing large-scale evacuation of the population, including transport of people, temporary shelter and preparation of reception spaces, with attention to vulnerable people; 
- activation of population alert systems (sirens and official messages) for quick and coordinated information; 
- the involvement of national level leadership in the exercise, to test how strategic, operational and tactical decisions are correlated between institutions, local authorities, the private sector and communities, including through the mobilization of volunteers in support of the population.

Such exercises help improve the state's ability to react faster and more organized in real crisis situations. For citizens, this means increased state resilience, institutions better prepared to communicate clearly, make faster decisions and ensure the functioning of basic services for their lives when difficult situations arise.

In accordance with the provisions of Law no. 248/2025 on the management of crisis situations, the National Crisis Management Center has the mandate to provide methodological support to public authorities in the planning and organization of exercises and simulations to strengthen the capacities of preparation and response to crises.

The National Crisis Management Center (NCMC) and the Geneva Center for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) signed a Cooperation Agreement within the project "Strengthening Security Sector Governance in Moldova" (2023–2029), financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

This agreement strengthens an already functional partnership between NCMC and DCAF, developed through a series of workshops structured on several levels of the national crisis management system: 
- operational level - intelligence consolidation and response coordination (February 2026); 
- strategic level - risk assessment, inter-institutional planning and decision orientation at national level (April 2026); 
- tactical level - field data collection and direct intervention (July 2026).

These workshops contribute to the consolidation of the new crisis management mechanism through which the institutions not only react to crises, but also continuously monitor risk developments, report in a structured way and support the development of unified anticipation and response capacity of the state.

Based on the results already obtained, NCMC and DCAF decided to formalize and expand their efforts, focusing on: 
- strengthening the institutional and operational capacities of the NCMC; 
- improving government-wide coordination in crisis situations; 
- development of institutional learning processes and systems; 
- increasing the level of preparedness and resilience at national level, in accordance with European standards and best practices.