The Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova requests the European Committee of the Regions to monitor the reform of local public administration in the Republic of Moldova. According to the organization, the country is in a situation where there is consensus on the need for reform, but there is a lack of agreement and clarity regarding the pace, methods, and direction in which it is promoted, reports IPN.
The request was made in Brussels, during the EU Enlargement Days. The CALM representatives asked for support in carefully monitoring the reform and facilitating a dialogue between the involved authorities, citing signals regarding the deterioration of the local democracy situation.
The Executive Director of CALM, Viorel Furdui, stated that in recent years there have been progress in the field of local democracy, including in terms of institutional dialogue and local public finances. However, the organization maintains that recently there has been a reduction in dialogue with the institutions responsible for reform and difficulties are arising in several areas related to the activity of local public administration.
CALM believes that the reform should be carried out gradually and on the basis of a broad consensus. The organization warns that an approach perceived as imposed could generate tensions among local authorities and communities. At the same time, CALM representatives maintain that the process must preserve the principles of local autonomy and be accompanied by a continuous institutional dialogue.
According to the organization, Moldova’s European path must remain based on the respect for the principles of local democracy, subsidiarity, and the involvement of communities in the reform process.
