The voluntary amalgamation process begins in 2024 and, if it is successful, the normative amalgamation stage could be excluded, said the Government’s secretary general Artur Mija. According to him, the voluntary merger of localities will be discussed with the local public authorities and the citizens, while the entities that will accept the voluntary amalgamation will receive financial support from the state budget, IPN reports.
Under the bill that was given a first reading, voluntary amalgamation implies the voluntary merger of two or more localities of the first level to strengthen their administrative capacity and to provide public services of a high quality to the citizens. The Government’s secretary general said the authorities will launch a broad campaign to inform the citizens about the benefits of the merger of localities and the voluntary amalgamation process will start in 2024.
“In the voluntary amalgamation process, besides consulting mayors’ associations, we aim to have a campaign to consult the citizens. Amalgamation starts in 2024. Now the bill is being debated in Parliament and was given a first reading. It will last until it is given a second reading. The Government needs to draw up at least two more regulations. The first regulation will clearly explain the amalgamation procedure, step by step, and how the financial benefits will be distributed. The second regulation will refer to the ownership right. When two localities decide in favor of amalgamation and will have a common mayor’s office in locality X, locality X automatically absorbs the legal entity of the former mayor’s office. And a process of transfer of ownership, contracts is necessary,” Artur Mija stated in the program “Reflection Points” on Vocea Basarabiei station.
The voluntary amalgamation will be financially supported by the Government. Under the bill, money will be allocated during seven years for developing the infrastructure and for supporting the budgets of the amalgamated localities.
“We want this voluntary amalgamation to succeed and want to implement a proper stimulation system. If the people see the benefits of voluntary amalgamation, preconditions for switching over to the next stage can be absent. There is fear of the unknown. There is a painful experience from the former reform and there is the political forces’ appetite to politically exploit an eventual normative amalgamation decision. Therefore, we further have 898 mayor’s offices. At present, we have over 300 mayor’s offices that administer localities with fewer than 1,500 inhabitants,” said the Government’s secretary general.
The bill provides that the mayors or 1/3 of the local councilors suggest the amalgamation. The process is initiated by local councils’ decisions that are adopted by the votes of the majority of local elected officials. The amalgamation decision should be consulted publicity in the spirit of decisional transparency and is adopted by the votes of 2/3 of local councilors.
