PHOTO // After two weekends of debates, Citizens’ Assembly put forward 15 recommendations to authorities on local administration reform

The Citizens’ Assembly on local public administration reform concluded on Sunday, 31 May. After two weekends of debates in Parliament, participants came up with 15 recommendations to the authorities regarding local administration reform.

According to the Parliament’s Communication and Public Relations Department, 50 people randomly selected from different regions of the country took part in this public deliberation exercise dedicated to local administration reform. During the process, participants analyzed the impact of the reform on communities, held discussions with experts and representatives of the authorities, and formulated public policy proposals.

Following the debates, citizens came forward with 15 recommendations for the competent authorities.

The recommendations cover several areas:

1. Supporting localities that are unable to amalgamate voluntarily, so that they are not financially disadvantaged in the event of a mandatory amalgamation.

2. Introducing fair mechanisms for distributing resources between amalgamated localities and for temporary support, so that smaller villages are not left without investments and services.

3. Supporting the development of small localities that want to amalgamate but are not accepted by larger localities, by creating support programs for their development.

4. Rehabilitation and construction by the state of roads and infrastructure between amalgamated localities, in order to prevent the isolation of communities.

5. Harmonizing legislation on Local Action Groups (LAGs) in the context of local public administration reform.

6. Organizing information campaigns that are accessible and tailored to different age categories and social groups regarding local public administration (LPA) reform, including through online platforms and regional public meetings.

7. Informing citizens about LPA reform in the languages spoken by ethnic minorities in the Republic of Moldova.

8. Ensuring fair representation of small localities in the new administrative structures and in local councils, by creating the role of locality representative and amending electoral legislation so that each locality is represented proportionally in local councils.

9. Guaranteeing open access to information about the work of local councils, including through live broadcasts of council meetings and meetings organized in the field.

10. Protecting localities with ethnic minorities and respecting their rights within the framework of local public administration reform, including by providing exceptions to the minimum population threshold.

11. Protecting local cultural infrastructure—community cultural centers, libraries and museums—in amalgamated localities.

12. Re-employing and retraining staff from mayor’s offices who risk losing their jobs as a result of the reform.

13. Creating a differentiated taxation mechanism for amalgamated localities, so that taxes do not rise abruptly in small villages.

14. Redirecting income tax to the citizen’s place of residence, in order to support local economic development.

15. Expanding the services provided through the Unified Centers for the Provision of Public Services (CUPS), including through mobile services for rural localities.

The final document was handed to Ana Calinici, Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration, who said that the exercise was not a formal validation of decisions already taken, but a genuine space for consultation and public deliberation.


“The recommendations belong to the citizens. One of the most valuable things I have seen in this process is that people with different opinions sat at the same table, listened to each other and tried to formulate common proposals. This exercise shows us that citizens are not only beneficiaries of public policies, but can be partners in formulating them,” said Calinici.


Natalia Hadei, Senior Adviser at the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), highlighted the constant 100% participation throughout the process, considering it a strong signal of civic engagement when people are listened to.

Andrei Lutenco, Executive Director of the Centre for Policies and Reforms emphasized the deliberative nature of the Citizens’ Assembly, noting the use of secret ballots and qualified majorities for adopting the final recommendations.

The Citizens’ Assembly is a democratic participation exercise hosted by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and organized by the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) and the Centre for Policies and Reforms (CPR), with the support of the European Union through INSPIRE Moldova project and the Government of Sweden through the SPACE Initiative.

At the end of January, the Government officially announced the launch of the process of preparing local public administration reform, as part of efforts to modernize the administration and increase the quality of public services provided to the population. Subsequently, extensive consultations on the reform were held with all interested parties, after which the Government presented the reform concept.

So far, 663 decisions have been approved to initiate the amalgamation process, covering 767 mayor’s offices and about 86% of all mayor’s offices in the Republic of Moldova.

At the end of last week, the entire top leadership of the country issued calls in favor of amalgamation, and a solemn event was organized in the Great National Assembly Square, attended by over 400 local representatives.