Citizens to be able to come up with proposals for authorities’ agenda via e-Democracy platform

Citizens who have reached the age of 16 will be able to propose that the authorities initiate the drafting of public-interest decisions through the civic initiative mechanism. These provisions are included in a draft law on public participation in the decision-making process. The draft today was unveiled at the parliament’s  plenary meeting by Government’s State Secretary Daniel Rotaru and adopted in first reading by 53 MPs.

According to the draft, citizens will not only be able to submit recommendations on projects already prepared by the authorities, but will also be able to contribute to setting the decision-making agenda, by putting forward proposals to solve issues of public interest.

Presenting the document to MPs, Daniel Rotaru noted that the draft entails a change of approach in the relationship between the authorities and citizens.

“This draft proposes a change of approach: a switch from a model focused on procedural transparency to a model based on real participation, dialogue and co-creation. Therefore, we are not talking only about the obligation of the authorities to inform the public, but about creating clear and predictable conditions for citizens to effectively participate in drafting the decisions that concern them,” the state secretary said.

According to Rotaru, the new legal framework is also a commitment undertaken in the process of European integration, contributing to the implementation of actions set out in strategic accession documents.

“The draft is, at the same time, a commitment undertaken in the European integration process. It contributes to the implementation of the actions set out in the National Programme for the Accession of Moldova, in the roadmap on the working of democratic institutions, as well as in the roadmap on the reform of local and central public administration,” Daniel Rotaru specified.

The civic initiative will be able to be registered on the e-Democracy platform or sent to public authorities electronically or on paper. It will need to describe the problem that requires a solution, indicate the proposed solution and specify the level of action concerned – national or local.

Initiatives containing offensive language or threats to national security, public order or people’s health will not be accepted. After submission, the relevant public authority will have up to 10 working days to verify the admissibility of the initiative. Afterwards, the accepted initiative may be opened for public support, exclusively via the e-Democracy platform.

Support for the initiative will be expressed by users authenticating through government electronic services. The author of the initiative will be able to set the duration of the support campaign, which must be at least one month and at most six months.

For official examination by the authorities, civic initiatives will have to collect a minimum number of signatures. For national-level initiatives, support from at least 10,000 citizens will be required, while for local initiatives the thresholds will be set progressively, depending on the size of the community.

Initiatives that collect the required number of signatures will be examined by the relevant public authority. If they do not reach the minimum support threshold, they may be submitted again.

The government’s state secretary emphasized that the draft aims to create a modern mechanism for public participation, aligned with European standards.

“The need for such a law was confirmed by the assessment of how the current regulatory framework is applied. The new law seeks to address these issues and to establish a modern, coherent legal framework for public participation,” Daniel Rotaru said.

The draft also provides for the use of advanced forms of public participation, such as citizens’ assemblies and national dialogues, in situations where traditional forms of consultation are not sufficient.

At the same time, public consultations on legislative initiatives will be required to be published on the www.particip.gov.md platform, and consultation deadlines will be extended, in order to give citizens and interested organizations more time to analyze the proposals.

“Transparency stays essential, but publishing information is only the first step. The ultimate goal is for people to have a real opportunity to participate, to propose, to be heard and to receive an answer,” Daniel Rotaru said.

According to him, public participation should not be viewed merely as a formal obligation of institutions, but as a natural component of the decision-making process and of the working of a modern, European public administration.

The draft law on public participation in the decision-making process was developed by the State Chancellery, with the support of Council of Europe experts and a working group made up of representatives of central public authorities and civil society.

The document is to be examined by the parliament in second reading. After adoption, the law will enter into force on January 1, 2027, and the civic initiative mechanism will become applicable starting from January 1, 2028.