Moldovan cabinet approves draft law on voluntary amalgamation of administrative, territorial units

Chisinau, 24 May /MOLDPRES/ - The settlements of Moldova will be able to become more developed, more populated and more prosperous. The cabinet of ministers today approved a draft law which provides for the principles, criteria, conditions and procedure of voluntary amalgamation of the first-level administrative and territorial units, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.    

The document establishes the forms of financial support for the settlements due to rule to amalgamate. They include state allocations from the state budget for the development of infrastructure, supply of local budgets for a seven-year period, as well as the allocation of financial stimuli.   

Under the draft, the process of voluntary amalgamation will be initiated through decisions by local councils of the administrative and territorial units of the first level, adopted with the votes of the majority of the local councilors elected. The population of the amalgamated administrative and territorial unit must be at least 3,000 residents.     

Presently, almost 90 per cent of the first-level administrative and territorial units have a small population – less than 5,000 residents and 35 per cent of them have less than 1,500 residents. The present law is set to create the normative framework needed for the voluntary amalgamation of the first-level administrative and territorial units, in order to strengthen their administrative capacity and provide qualitative public services to citizens from all over Moldova.    

The document was worked out by the State Chancellery, in cooperation with development partners and is part of the Public Administration Reform Strategy for 2023-2030.  

Photo: Government