Agreement between City Hall and civil society remains only on paper

[Info-Prim Neo report from the series “2011: the way it was and was not”] {Chisinau with its achievements, failures and prospects – cooperation with civil society} The cooperation agreement between the Chisinau City Hall and the National Council of NGOs, signed in February, failed to bear fruits. Authorities claim that this accord offered the NGOs a framework in which they could participate in any of City halls’ activities. On the other side, representatives of the nongovernmental sector say they often tried to draw authorities’ attention to certain problems, but nobody heard them, Info-Prim Neo reports. “We offered them a framework that allowed them to participate in any of City Hall’s activities. They could stay in the mayor’s office all day long and watch how things work. But they have to start from the very first level- enterprises, clerks”, the Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca told Info-Prim Neo. The official stressed that this kind of involvement meant a lot of effort, nearly a second job for the representatives of civil society. “Let’s hope they’ll find enough time to participate. Until then, let’s start with the problems they have with the City Hall. The ball is in their half of pitch”, said the mayor. Secretary general of the National Council of NGOs Antonita Fonari told Info-Prim Neo that civil society members participated in the City Hall’s meetings and often tried to draw attention to some problems, like the market on Cantemir Avenue that occupies half of the street. However, they were also met with reluctance, including from the mayor. “I don’t know whether the City Hall actually wants the support of civil society. Our last interaction with the City Hall was the broom protest, when we wanted to tell them we couldn’t support the squalor in the city anymore- cars parked everywhere, even on pedestrian crossings, demolished monuments and zillions of billboards”, said Antonita Fonari. Even if it’s impossible to build parking lots immediately and everywhere, they should at least build one or two fee-charging parking lots near the City Hall. According to the secretary general of the National Council of NGOs, the agreement with the City Hall was a starting point that showed the authorities' openness, but things changed afterwards. “We worked a year to sign this agreement, but it didn’t solve anything. There must be a proper attitude from authorities. They must let the people help them”, said Antonita Fonari. The Chisinau City Hall and the National Council of NGOs in Moldova signed a cooperation agreement on February 22. It was supposed to enable civil society representatives to intervene and make appeals during the presentation of reports. [Elena Nistor, Info-Prim Neo]