In Moldova, there will be a broad discussion of options for reforming local public administration to select and implement the most optimal scenario for the country's administrative-territorial reform.
The government reported this, noting that, in accordance with the government decree of July 28, 2020, since the establishment of the Working Group on the reform of central and local public administration, some progress has been made in finding the most viable option for Moldova to reorganize the central and local public administration system to strengthen local autonomy, especially financial autonomy, to strengthen the institutional capacity of mayoralties and optimize the II level of government, as well as to improve the quality of public services at the local level. At the first stage, the Working Group and the State Chancellery examined the models of administrative-territorial reorganization identified in the studies conducted in recent years at the initiative of the government with the assistance of development partners. The working group pays special attention to studying the opinions of all stakeholders, collecting relevant proposals for justifying and conceptualizing a possible reform of local public administration. To this end, the Working Group initiated preliminary public consultations with representatives of local authorities of I and II levels. To date, many consultative meetings have taken place, including in the online format, with the participation of more than 300 mayors, district chairmen, representatives of other interested authorities. The State Chancellery studies and systematizes the proposals made during public consultations, and the Working Group examines in detail the recommendations presented, proposals for improving the activities of local public administration, analyzes all the important issues raised by the participants in the discussions (the need for financial decentralization and expanding the base for generating its own income; infrastructure development; introduction of information technologies and electronic services; reduction of the population of administrative-territorial units and migration to urban areas or more developed settlements; delineation of competencies between different levels of government; decentralized services; infrastructure of the education system, culture, social protection; representation of all settlements within the framework of a possible one new administrative structure, etc.). The Cabinet of Ministers notes that representatives of local public administration express concerns, in particular, regarding the effectiveness of the activities of district councils, the need to rationalize their structure, optimize administrative costs and staff of the second level, etc. It was emphasized that there is a need to justify an integrated reform scenario in order to submit it for public discussion, indicating the number of administrative units of the II level, basic competences and services of the regional / subnational level, correlated with the number of city halls and their own competences of the I level. In this regard, at the suggestion of representatives of local public administration, studies developed on the relevant topic were published on the official website of the State Chancellery. According to the government, the studies carried out to date contain relevant information for the development of proposals for the reform of local public administration, including the administrative-territorial reform. The Scenario Study for Administrative Territorial Reform offers 3 up-to-date scenarios that can serve as a basis for analysis and consultation with all stakeholders. The final decision will be made after extensive consultations with both civil society and stakeholders. At the same time, it will be necessary to reach a general consensus, including a political one, in order to ensure the effective implementation of the chosen scenario of the country's administrative-territorial reform. // 16.02.2021 — InfoMarket.
