Moldova’s green transition is often discussed in terms of policy reforms, investments, and alignment with European standards. While these elements are important, the deeper challenge lies in systemic coherence. True coherence cannot be imposed externally—it must be cultivated from within the country. This perspective is informed both by experience in climate policy implementation and by personal insights into Moldova’s historical and social fragmentation.
Growing up during Moldova’s turbulent transition from socialism to capitalism, institutions weakened faster than new ones could emerge, leading to political, economic, and social fragmentation. Personal experiences navigating multiple identities in a diverse society underscored the importance of connection and integration, a lens that now shapes the understanding of Moldova’s broader transformation challenges. Today, Moldova has ambition, but fragmentation remains a core obstacle to effective change.
Although Moldova has made progress with climate, energy, waste, and environmental governance reforms, implementation has lagged. Stakeholders report a recurring pattern: institutions operate within their mandates but fail to coordinate effectively across them. Policies are developed in parallel rather than as part of an integrated strategy. Local authorities often receive responsibilities without the necessary resources, businesses face inconsistent enforcement, and civil society input is rarely substantive. This is not a technical problem but a systems failure, where fragmentation stalls investment and erodes citizens’ trust in reforms.
To address this, capacity development must go beyond technical training and function as transition infrastructure. At Climate KIC, Europe’s climate innovation agency, initiatives in Moldova are helping institutions recognize interdependencies, coordinate across mandates, and operate more effectively in complex environments. External partners can provide support, but the system itself must build the internal capacity to adapt and coordinate.
The launch of the Climate Leadership Academy in Moldova marks the start of a structured learning journey, bringing together representatives from ministries, local authorities, businesses, academia, and civil society. This shared process aims to strengthen collaboration and develop the skills and structures needed to advance Moldova’s green transition.
Climate KIC operates in the “messy middle,” the space between ambition and implementation, focusing on coordination, learning, and trust-building. By creating spaces for institutions to reflect, adapt, and embed continuous learning loops, the work ensures that strategies lead to tangible change. Principles of inclusion and gender equality are integrated into system design, rather than treated as optional add-ons.
The timing of these efforts is critical, as Moldova’s green transition is intertwined with broader resilience and sovereignty goals. Strengthened collaboration will allow citizens to see coherent results, gradually rebuilding trust in public institutions. At its core, the initiative aims to prepare the system, cultivating capacity for self-reflection, adaptation, and collective action. Moldova’s green transition will succeed when institutions, businesses, and communities operate as a cohesive system, not by fitting into a single model but by building bridges that allow everyone to move forward together.
