An agreement to establish and develop a partnership was signed between the Presidential Administration and the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM). According to President Maia Sandu, the agreement will lay the basis for long-lasting cooperation between the Presidential Administration and the mayors, the LPAs in general, IPN reports.

In a press briefing, Maia Sandu said that Moldova will become a prosperous country only if the change is felt in every village and every town. The mayors are at the forefront of this work of change and the expectations of the mayors are big. That’s why the mayors should have all the instruments and resources to ensure the development of localities.

President Sandu noted that the large-scale projects, primarily the infrastructure ones, require large sums of money, but the local budgets in most of the cases are small. The mayors regrettably during many years have faced the situation when the state funds that are collected as taxes are sometimes divided unfairly by irresponsible, corrupt politicians. Some of the localities receive money for development, while others do not. “Such instances of injustice should be brought to an end. For the purpose, we need clear mechanisms for ensuring the transparent allocation of money,” stated the official.

The external funds are a source of financing for the localities. Maia Sandu pledged to bring more financing to the country and to persuade the development partners to provide direct financing to the localities.

Presdient Saund said the abusive inspections at the local public authorities should be eliminated. She called on the central public institutions to obey the law and to focus on the identification and punishment of acts of grand corruption.

CALM head Tatiana Badan said the representatives of the LPAs are appreciated the most by citizens, but they are also those who face the greatest pressure on the part of the state bodies. She voiced hope that the signed agreement will support the LPAs and the discouraged citizens. “We call on all the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, all the employees of the local public administration to be strong and united and we, for our part, undertake to ensure greater encouragement and motivation,” stated Tatiana Badan.

The Local Self-Government and Local Public Administration Worker’s Day is celebrated annually on February 1.