The necessity for Chisinau to be an accessible city is not a whim of the persons with disabilities. It is a requirement for a city to be considered European, the representative of the Center of Legal Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Vitalie Mester stated, referring to the recent statements made by the local public authorities of Chisinau about the delay in the works to repair the streets Alecsandri, Negruzzi and Stefan cel Mare si Sfant, caused by the necessity of ensuring tactile paving to facilitate the movement of persons with special needs.

In a news conference at IPN, Vitalie Mester said the local authorities of Chisinau accuse directly the persons with disabilities, but these are a catalyst for these changes. The nongovernmental organizations that defend the interests of persons with disabilities monitored the street repair works and asked the local authorities to make changes to the projects so as to meet the accessibility conditions. As a result of a trial, the municipal authorities were obligated to modify the technical project and execute the works appropriately.

According to Vitalie Mester, the authorities, by their statements, distorted the real causes for the blocking of the street repair works, accusing the persons with disabilities, who did nothing but ask that their rights should be respected. 

“These rights are clearly stipulated in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Law on the Social Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova and the building regulations, which plainly stipulate the requirements concerning accessibility to road infrastructure during extensive repair works,” stated Vitalie Mester.

The representative of the Center of Legal Assistance for Persons with Disabilities also said that the wish for the roads to be accessible is not a caprice of the persons with disabilities, but a requirement of the donor, the EBRD, and a commitment made by the state, including of the local public administration.