News about Territorial reform

Opinion: Without economic instruments, financial mechanisms and legal guarantees, larger administrative entities may have the same limitations as the current ones. This is the opinion expressed by representatives of the littoral community during the discussion of the forthcoming reform of local public administration.

In Moldova, one mayor’s office has, on average, about 2,700 inhabitants. This is 18 times less than, for example, in Latvia, with which Moldova is comparable in terms of territory and population. The density of mayoralties makes Moldova one of the most fragmented in Europe: there are 27 mayoralties per 1,000 km², while in Georgia there are almost 30 times fewer.

Many mayoralties in Moldova have limited resources. Local communities’ own revenues currently account for approximately 11% of local budgets, which limits the ability of local administrations to respond to community needs.

Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu has reacted to the calls made by politicians and mayors to the government against the background of rising fuel prices. He characterized them as “panic and speculation”, which are used “not only at gas stations, but also in the public space”.

Oknica district mayors warn: “Forced unification of mayoralties violates the constitutional principle and jeopardizes the future of the villages.”

A referendum is the only correct and legal solution to the process of voluntary unification of mayoralties. Only citizens themselves, not councilors or mayors, should decide on their liquidation. This opinion was expressed by members of the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM) after analyzing the proposals of the Cabinet of Ministers to simplify the procedure of merging local authorities.

The voluntary association process should not be rushed, but phased and improved with additional incentive mechanisms.

Integration of Transnistria into a unitary state by granting it the status of autonomy with the broadest rights, similar to the existing one in Gagauzia, does not require amendments to the Constitution. This status is compatible with the existing legal framework in Moldova, which will allow for its faster and more stable implementation.

The process of voluntary unification of mayoralties will be adjusted by changing the methodology. Local authorities will be given more freedom in decision-making. The government’s proposals were presented today by the government’s secretary-general, Aleksey Buzu.

Permitting of TEN-T (Trans-European Transport Network) projects in Moldova will be accelerated when creating road, rail, water and aviation infrastructure, which is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

About 200 mayors from all regions of the Republic of Moldova participated in an extended meeting of the Board of Directors of the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM), together with local government experts, representatives of the academic community and the State Chancellery.

The National Alternative Movement (MAN) party, led by the capital’s mayor Ion Ceban, opposes the closure of 600 town halls and proposes a national referendum on the issue, Logos Press reported.

The documents regarding the voluntary merger of mayoralties are vague, lacking a clear vision and the government has no definitive position on the issue, according to Logos Press.

In the past week, the head of MAIA’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Ludmila Katlabuga announced the creation of “three to five agricultural chambers by the end of 2026”. These will be “an initiative from below – from regional farmer groups.” A meeting of ministry representatives with the first of such groups will take place in the very near future, Logos Press reports.

At the initiative of the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM), about 80 mayors and employees of mayoralties from all districts of the country united in the Network of Local Ambassadors in order to strengthen the role of local authorities in the process of Moldova’s accession to the European Union, reports Logos Press.

Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu said that Moldova is actively developing the road infrastructure and has turned into a real “construction site”. He emphasized the need for further accelerated construction of quality and safe roads, Logos Press reported.

The government’s actions in terms of preparing local government reform have nothing to do with people’s welfare or financial efficiency, according to Logos Press.