Filip Cabinet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Filip Cabinet
Cabinet of Moldova
Pavel Filip
Date formed	20 January 2016 (2016-01-20)
Date dissolved	8 June 2019 (2019-06-08)
People and organisations
Head of state	Igor Dodon (2016→) Nicolae Timofti (←2016)
Head of government	Pavel Filip
Deputy head of government	Iurie Leancă Cristina Lesnic
No. of ministers	9+2 (2017→)
Member parties	PDM, EPPM, PL (until 2017)
Status in legislature	Majority (coalition) 57 / 101 (56%)
Opposition parties	PLDM PSRM PCRM PL (2017→)
Opposition leaders	Maia Sandu Andrei Năstase Zinaida Greceanîi Vladimir Voronin Mihai Ghimpu Tudor Deliu
History
Outgoing election	2014
Legislature term(s)	2014–19
Predecessor	Streleț Cabinet
Successor	Sandu Cabinet

The Filip Cabinet was the government of Moldova led by Pavel Filip. It was in charge from January 2016 to June 2019. A cabinet is like a team of top government officials, or ministers, who help the Prime Minister run the country.

How the Filip Cabinet Was Formed

After the previous government was dismissed, the main pro-European political parties in Moldova couldn't agree on who should lead next. This led to a political crisis.

In December 2015, Vlad Plahotniuc announced he was returning to politics. He said he would help form a new group of lawmakers to choose a new president. Soon after, 14 lawmakers from the Communist Party left their group to form a new one. This new group then started talking with the Democratic Party about forming a new government.

On January 13, 2016, this new group of lawmakers suggested Vlad Plahotniuc to be the next Prime Minister of Moldova. However, the President of Moldova at the time, Nicolae Timofti, said no. He had concerns about Plahotniuc's honesty and past actions.

Later, President Timofti suggested Ion Păduraru for Prime Minister. But Păduraru decided not to take the job. So, the lawmakers then suggested Pavel Filip, who had been the Minister of Information Technology and Communications.

During the meeting where lawmakers voted on Filip, many people protested outside the Parliament building. They wanted the vote to stop. But Filip was appointed Prime Minister, and his cabinet was approved that night. This led to more protests across Moldova. The new government was supported by 57 out of 101 lawmakers.

Changes in the Government

Over time, some ministers in the Filip Cabinet changed:

• In December 2016, the Minister of Defense, Anatol Șalaru, was removed from his position by the new President, Igor Dodon.
• In March 2017, the Minister of Agriculture, Eduard Grama, resigned after being held in a case related to corruption.
• In April 2017, the Minister of Transport, Iurie Chirinciuc, was also investigated for corruption.
• In May 2017, the Liberal Party decided to leave the government. This meant three of their ministers resigned: Gheorghe Brega, Corina Fusu, and Valeriu Munteanu. The Minister of Transport, Iurie Chirinciuc, also left his post.

In the summer of 2017, the government went through a big change. The number of ministries was reduced from 16 to 9. This meant no more Liberal Party ministers were part of the cabinet. This change was criticized by other political parties.

Later, in September 2017, President Dodon twice refused to approve Eugen Sturza as the new Minister of Defense. The President said Sturza lacked experience for the job. However, the Speaker of Parliament, Andrian Candu, stepped in as acting President and approved Sturza's appointment in October 2017.

In December 2017, six ministers were replaced as part of an effort to make the government work better.

Who Was in the Cabinet

The Başkan (Governor) of Gagauzia is chosen by the people for a four-year term. This person can be governor for a maximum of two terms in a row. The President of Moldova then confirms the Governor of Gagauzia as a member of the Moldovan government.

Key Achievements of the Cabinet

The Filip Cabinet worked on several important projects for Moldova.

The "First House" Program

This program started in November 2017 to help people buy their first homes. It especially aimed to help young families. The government helped by guaranteeing part of the bank loans.

• It became active in March 2018.
• By May 2018, a new part of the program, "First House 2," started. This was just for people who work for the government (civil servants) and had worked there for at least one year. The goal was to encourage young people to work in public jobs.
• In July 2018, the program expanded again with "First House 3." This version helped families with more children by having the government pay back a larger part of their home loan, depending on how many children they had.

The "Good Roads for Moldova" Program

In 2018, the government started a national program to fix and build roads in rural areas.

• The plan was to repair 1200 kilometers of roads.
• The government set aside 972 million lei for this program.
• They also launched an online map called "Good Roads for Moldova" (www.drumuribune.md). This map showed everyone where road work was happening, how much was being spent, and what kind of work was being done.

Government Reform

On July 26, 2017, the government of Moldova changed its structure.

• The number of ministries was reduced from 16 to 9.
• For example, the Ministry of Economy took over responsibilities from the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology, and Construction. It was renamed the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure.
• The Ministry of Culture took over areas from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and research. It became the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research.
• The Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family took over health-related tasks and became the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection.
• The Ministry of Regional Development and Construction took over agriculture and environment tasks. It was renamed the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment.
• This reform aimed to make the government more efficient. Businesses owned by the state were moved out of the ministries' control. This allowed ministers to focus more on creating good policies.

Information Technology Park "Moldova IT Park"

This project aimed to boost the technology industry in Moldova.

• A law about IT parks came into effect on January 1, 2017.
• On October 26, 2017, several IT companies asked to create "Moldova IT Park."
• The park officially opened on January 1, 2018, for a period of 10 years.
• Its main goal was to attract about 400 IT companies to Moldova. It offered special benefits and tax breaks to help the IT industry grow, create new jobs, and bring in investments.
• One major benefit for companies in the park was a single tax of 7% on their sales, which was much simpler than other taxes.
• Some experts had concerns about how this new system might be managed.
• Within the first four months, 164 companies joined the "Moldova IT Park."

Launching the Service 112

"112" is a single emergency number used in many European Union countries.

• It works 24/7 and is free to call from any phone.
• The project to bring 112 to Moldova started in May 2012.
• Moldova became the second country to use a very modern software system for this service.
• On March 29, 2018, the 112 emergency service officially launched in Moldova.
• Prime Minister Pavel Filip said it was a "beautiful project" that would give citizens modern services, just like in other European countries.
• The government also approved rules for how the 112 service would work with other emergency services, like doctors and police, to make sure help arrived quickly.
• The 112 service is responsible for taking emergency calls, managing them, and keeping records of all the information.

See also

In Spanish: Gobierno de Pavel Filip para niños