Mechanisms of cooperation between the Government, Parliament and civil society were discussed at the seventh annual conference “Cooperation between Parliament and civil society” that was held on July 4. The event included a number of workshops that involved representatives of the NGO sector and of the authorities. The conferences is to end on July 5 with particular decisions following debates on the methods by which the civil society’s platforms and each interested NGO can become involved to help work out public policies and monitor their implementation, IPN reports.

Ecaterina Mardarovici, a member of the National NGO Council and ex-head of the National Participation Council, said the event involved a number of NGOs. Some of these represented either platforms or individual positions. Some of the participants pleaded for continuing the work of the National Participation Council that was created on the Government’s initiative as a consultative body. Others said that this Council is not so necessary. However, the representatives of civil society expressed their readiness to cooperate, if the Government and Parliament consider that they need this instrument. According to participants, for the National Participation Council to become more efficient and for increasing the people’s confidence in this body, the Law on Transparency must be implemented and observed.

Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu said civil society should ensure transparency in authorities’ actions by their involvement and by different instruments of cooperation.

Also today, civil society and the authorities discussed the continuation of the civil society development strategy and the role of civil society in the process of implementing and monitoring the Moldova-EU Association Agreement. On July 5, the participants are to set the common principles of cooperation between the Government, Parliament, civil society and the development partners.