Settlements with a small number of inhabitants will face difficulties in accessing funds for development projects, including those for European pre-accession, which is why the LPA reform is necessary to increase investment attractiveness. The statement belongs to the PAS deputy, Larisa Voloh, and was made during the public debate “LPA Reform and European Integration: Mandatory Condition or Political Myth?”, organized by the IPN Press Agency.
According to the deputy, one of the essential criteria in the allocation of funds for projects is the number of beneficiaries, and small localities risk not being able to access the available financial resources due to their reduced population.
“When the funds for projects, including pre-accession European funds, will be allocated, the number of beneficiaries of each project will be taken into consideration. Localities where there are currently 1000-1500 inhabitants, simply, will not be able to absorb these funds. These localities, simply, will not be eligible to apply for projects,” explained the deputy of the PAS faction, Larisa Voloh.
The deputy argues that a larger population within an administrative-territorial entity increases the chances of local authorities to obtain funding and to implement infrastructure projects more quickly.
“Therefore, the more beneficiaries there are, meaning the more inhabitants in a locality, the greater the chances for the respective local public administration to obtain funds and implement that project. There will be more funds for water and sewerage projects and we will no longer implement such projects over the course of decades, but much faster,” stated deputy Larisa Voloh.
Larisa Voloh referred to her experience as the mayor of the village of Palanca, a position she held for 14 years. “I remember, in Palanca, we created the sewage system over the course of seven years, because we received one million lei from the state budget each year. People get disappointed when projects take that long. That’s why our intention is for these projects not to be long-lasting, but to be quickly completed and others started,” said the PAS deputy.
Disclaimer: This material was prepared by the IPN Press Agency, within the project “Local Public Administration Reform in Dialogue”, funded by the Ministry of Culture from the Media Subsidy Fund.
