Parliament of Moldova holds annual forum with civil society and external partners

The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, in partnership with organizations and development partners, is organizing the annual conference “Cooperation between Parliament and Civil Society”, a forum dedicated to strengthening dialogue between the Legislature, civil society organizations and international partners.

The event will take place on Friday, May 22, starting at 10:00, at the Palace of the Republic, and will bring together MPs from several parliamentary factions, representatives of civil society, public authorities, as well as external development partners.

According to the organizers, the forum aims to assess progress in cooperation between Parliament and civil society, identify challenges and set concrete commitments to strengthen institutional and civic partnership.

At the opening of the event, welcome remarks will be delivered by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Doina Gherman, and the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Nicolae Ștefănuță. Speeches will also be given by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Republic of Moldova, Petra Maria Larke, the Head of the Swiss Cooperation Office in the Republic of Moldova, Guido Beltrani, as well as the representative of the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, Sergiu Gurău.

The discussions will be moderated by the Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration, Ana Calinici. During the general session, participants will address the topic “Cooperation between Parliament and Civil Society: Progress, Challenges and Perspectives”, with a focus on the transparency of the decision-making process, citizen participation in legislative activity and strengthening cooperation with non-governmental organizations.

The forum will also be attended by Marcel Spatari, Chair of the Committee on European Integration, Secretary General of Parliament Victor Agrici, Deputy Secretary General Tamara Gheorghița, Executive Director of Promo-LEX Ion Manole and Program Director at the Center for Policies and Reforms Vlada Ciobanu.

The event’s agenda includes five thematic sessions focused on open governance, the sustainability of civil society, its involvement at local level in the decision-making process, its contribution to European integration and its role in addressing social issues.

The conference is organized by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova in partnership with the project “Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy in Moldova” (PADEM), Promo-LEX, the European Parliament’s Liaison Office for the Eastern Partnership and the SALAR International program.