Chisinau residents to decide how part of municipal budget will be used

13.12.2016 06:18
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2 minute(s)

The inhabitants of Chisinau municipality could submit projects to suggest how to use 3 million lei from the municipal budget. The Urban Civic Network and municipal councilors of the European People’s Party of Moldova (PPEM) submitted an initiative that envisions the introduction of the participatory budgeting principle. Under this, the people will be able to suggest projects and 0.1% of the municipal budget will be allocated for implementing those that will be accepted, IPN reports.

“We propose that the use of 3 million lei from the Chisinau municipal budget should be decided by the people. It is a small sum, which means 0.1% of the budget. In the future, this sum could be raised to 1- 3%,” said councilor of the PPEM Victor Lutenko.

According to him, participatory budgeting is when the people propose, while the City Hall implements projects. “There are two categories of projects – small and large ones. The small ones will benefit from financing of 30,000 to 100,000 lei, while the large ones – of 100,000 to 500,000 lei,” stated Victor Lutenko.

The persons will be able to submit projects if they are older than 16. To present a small project, this should be signed by at least 50 persons, while for a large project at least 100 signatures are needed.

The representative of the Urban Civic Network Vitalie Sprinceana said the initiative to implement participatory governance in Chisinau is deigned to institute an alternative method of governing public finances. “Participatory budgeting is a rather flexible principle that can work in villages as well. This can be adjusted for different political, economic and social realities,” he stated.

According to him, owing to participatory budgeting, the residents of Chisinau will obtain more instruments, influence and opportunities to take part in taking decisions concerning the allocation of public finances.

Participatory budgeting envisions that the people will take decisions about small projects that considerably improve things or that meet the needs of the people in a particular community.