The Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM) continues the actions in support of the decentralization process and against the delay in implementing the new system of local public finances. The representatives of the local authorities say that this reform is one of the most important as it ensures real conditions for destroying the vertical of power in society, the country’s democratization and improvement of the public services, IPN reports.
According to a communiqué of the CALM, namely the profoundly democratic character of this reform creates a big problem for the politicians who do not want the country to be democratized and are afraid to lose the political, administrative and financial instruments for manipulating the local public authorities, especially before the elections.
“Society is lured and/or scared by the creation of funds of 1 billion lei for the local public authorities, the liquidation of a large number of mayor’s offices and the hostile position of the IMF towards the new system of local finances. But these are serious and inadmissible untruths,” says the communiqué.
The CALM considers that the new system of local finances ensures a balancing and compensation fund for all the communities so as to ensure the maintenance and equitable development of the communities with lower economic potential. Secondly, the new system will offer more possibilities of collecting incomes to the small communities.
“We see important signals of support, sympathy and solidarity with Moldovan local authorities’ actions on the part of our partners and colleagues from the EU. That’s why the CALM announces publicly that it will continue the actions required to convince the governmental class to implement the new system of local public finances from 2014 and that decentralization of power and strengthening of the local self-government are in the interests of the entire society,” it is said in the communiqué.
The CALM prepared a letter to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, asking for a post-monitoring mission. It will also ask the Government to present a report on the decentralization process in Moldova and the legislative body to hold public debates on decentralization and strengthening of the local self-government.
