More than 20 environmental nongovernmental organizations sent an open letter to the candidate for premiership Iurie Leanca, asking him to examine a candidate for the post of minister of the environment. In the letter, the NGOs say the Ministry of the Environment should be headed by a competent person with integrity who fully supports the European values to which Moldova aspires.
The NGOs ask that this candidate should be a person who wouldn’t be subject to pressure on the part of the members of the ruling alliance or other parties of the government coalition. They also request consulting the environmental civil society organizations so as to select persons for the responsible posts at “Moldsilva” Forestry Agency, the State Ecological Inspectorate, and Moldova’s Water Agency.
The performance study in the field of the environment carried out by the United Nations Environment Program in 2014 shows that Moldova didn’t make much progress in increasing the quality in the area of environment protection. “It’s not a secret that the advanced corruption in this field is the decisive factor for such a state of affairs. As a result, the environmental situation worsens at a time when it improves at European level,” reads the letter.
On January 28, President Nicolae Timofti nominated Iurie Leanca for the post of Prime Minister of Moldova. Within 15 days of the nomination, the candidate is to present the work program of the future Government and the members of the Cabinet and to ask for Parliament’s vote of confidence for being invested as Premier.
