VIDEO // Moldovan president urges mayors, citizens to take part in decisions on local public administration reform

The reform of local public administration is one of the most complex transformations initiated in Moldova. The government has announced that it would provide three times more money for localities that voluntarily merge their administrations. We want developed localities and we encourage mayors’ offices to unite. President Maia Sandu today made statements to this effect. She urged mayors to get involved in decision-making at local level, keeping in mind first and foremost the interests of citizens and the future of the localities.

The head of state stressed that delaying the reform means “depriving our villages of the chance to develop”.

“Reform has been put aside for too many years, because it is extremely complicated and brings neither votes nor applause. But postponing the reform means depriving our villages of the chance to develop. Eighty-seven percent of the mayors’ offices of Moldova have fewer than 3,000 inhabitants. If we compare the average population per mayor’s office, in Moldova it is 17 times smaller than in Lithuania, for example. Larger mayor’s offices are stronger and have the capacity and resources needed to provide better services to people. For example, figures show that mayor’s offices with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants manage to provide water and sewerage services to only 40 per cent of households, compared to mayor’s offices with between 3,000 and 5,000 inhabitants, which provide these services to about 65 per cent. In a small mayor’s office, 30 per cent of the local budget goes to its maintenance, compared to only 10 per cent in a mayor’s office with 10,000 inhabitants. At the same time, only 20 per cent of the local budget of a small mayor’s office is invested in infrastructure, twice less than in a large mayor’s office,” Maia Sandu said.

The head of state noted that when administrations join efforts, the quality of services increases, infrastructure is modernized, projects are attracted to localities and the standard of living rises.

“We want developed localities and we encourage mayors’ offices to unite. The government has announced that it would provide three times more money than before: 3,000 lei for each inhabitant, multiplied by the total number of inhabitants, for localities that voluntarily merge their administrations. The village and local identity are preserved, only the administrations merge,” the official remarked.

Maia Sandu referred to the false information that has appeared in the public space about the local public administration reform.

“These falsehoods are meant to scare people. Their purpose is to block a change that has been needed for 20 years already. On the other hand, discussions about the reform are good and necessary. Therefore, I urge the whole society to take part in them. There is no simple path or quick magic solution. We will succeed, if we do things together, step by step, aware of the challenges of this process,” the head of state underlined.

The Moldovan president called for unity and urged mayors and citizens to take part in public discussions about the development of localities.

“I urge our young people and citizens who have seen what modern European localities look like to talk at home about the benefits of a larger mayor’s office and to help us promote accurate information. I urge all mayors to make decisions putting first the interests of their residents and the future of their locality. I urge all citizens to get involved in decisions taken at local level, because the power is in their hands,” Maia Sandu added.

At the end of January, the government officially announced the launch of the process of preparing the local public administration reform, as part of efforts to modernize the administration and improve the quality of public services provided to the population. Subsequently, extensive consultations on the reform were held with all stakeholders, at the end of which the cabinet presented the reform concept.

According to recent amendments approved by parliament, the process of voluntary amalgamation of administrative and territorial units will be simplified and improved, as an essential part of the local public administration reform. The amendments were drafted following an extensive public consultation process, in which over 4,500 mayors and citizens took part. At present, 608 decisions on voluntary amalgamation have already been approved.