PHOTO // Over 200 local public authority representatives trained within Local Environmental Platforms on application of two sector regulations

Over 200 representatives of local public authorities (LPA) participated in ten workshops organized by the NGO EcoContact, through the Local Environmental Platforms. The trainings aimed to support the application, in the current activity of mayoralties, of the local Regulation on the administration and management of the forest fund and the Regulation on the keeping of animals in non-professional farms.

The workshops were held in Hîncești, Ialoveni, Râșcani, Căușeni, Fălești, Anenii Noi, Edineț, Ștefan Vodă, Călărași and Cahul. The ten workshops covered 11 territories: ten districts and the municipality of Bălți. Representatives from Bălți attended the workshop organized in Fălești.

Participants analyzed the responsibilities of city halls, the limits within which they can intervene, and the situations that must be referred to institutions with forestry, sanitary-veterinary, control or public order responsibilities. The program included managing complaints at the local level, verifying situations, documenting findings and submitting cases to the competent institutions.

In the session dedicated to the local forest fund, topics included record-keeping of land and forestry works, management of local public property, documentation of observed situations, informing citizens and publishing acts of public interest. The provisions of the regulation were analyzed in relation to forestry legislation and to the responsibilities of institutions in charge of control and sanctions.

The topic on keeping animals in non-professional farms covered the obligations of animal owners, the responsibilities of mayoralties and the management of situations arising in communities. Discussions focused on informing the population, receiving complaints, verifying observable local situations and cooperation with veterinarians, the territorial subdivisions of the National Food Safety Agency and the Police.

The practical component included the analysis of typical situations that may occur at the local level. Participants discussed what information must be recorded, how findings can be documented, and to which institution a case must be referred when it exceeds the competence of the local authority. The regulations were presented as tools for record-keeping, information, complaint management and inter-institutional cooperation.

The workshops were organized within the Green Justice for a Protected Environment and Sustainable Communities in the Republic of Moldova project, implemented by the NGO EcoContact, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and with the financial support of Sweden. The Local Environmental Platforms served as the territorial mechanism for organization, communication and methodological support for local public authorities.