Parliament passed only four bills of the seven promoted by civil society within the campaign “Countdown to fulfillment of the Government’s promises: seven days – seven priorities”. In a news conference at IPN, the head of the National Participation Council Sergiu Ostaf said the four bills were adopted only in the first reading and they may not be passed in the final reading.

Sergiu Ostaf noted that civil society knows nothing about the fate of the bill concerning the financing of NGOs, which allows people to transfer up to 2% of the income tax paid to the state to civil society organizations.

Petru Macovei, who represented the Civic Initiative for the Integrity of the Public Service, said the bill to ensure media ownership transparency, which was adopted in the first reading, provides that the media outlets will report who their owners are by May. Even if this law is passed in the final reading by the current legislature, the real effects will be visible only next year.

Program coordinator at the Center for Health Policies and Studies Ghenadie Turcanu noted that the package of laws on tobacco control has stayed in Parliament for six months and was passed in the first reading only towards the end of the spring-summer session. “The provisions of these laws probably do not suit someone. I do not rule out that the tobacco industry finances some of the election campaigns,” he stated. Civil society demands that the anti-tobacco laws be passed by the end of the current legislative body’s mandate.

Executive director of the Partnership for Development Center Alexei Buzu said that Parliament showed lack of professionalism when it voted two bills on gender equality in political parties only in the first reading. There were no real obstacles to adopting these bills in the second reading as well.

Nicolae Panfil, secretary of the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, said the lawmakers adopted the bill on the financing of political parties and election campaigns also in the first reading only. After it is passed in the second reading, the law will take effect in six months. The MPs are asked to include this bill in the agenda of the first sittings of the autumn session so as to make sure that the law is implemented at least in the local elections of 2015.

Anticorruption Alliance head Olga Batca said the Government hasn’t yet approved the bill on the strengthening of the public integrity regime, though it was included in its agendas two times. This bill will eliminate certain disagreements from the national legislation and there are no reasons for not adopting it.

The civil society representatives demanded that the overdue bills should be adopted as a matter or urgency at the beginning of the next session of Parliament.