The delay in implementing the Law on the Decentralization of the Local Public Finances is not connected with the parliamentary elections of 2014. Some of the mayors are not yet ready to manage the local finances independently. The impact of the reform must be assessed so as to minimize the risks, Liberal-Democratic MP Valeriu Ghiletski said in the program “Moldova live” on the public TV channel Moldova 1, IPN reports.
According to the MP, about one third of the local public authorities are unable to individually and coherently administer the finances. “The argument that the implementation of the law is delayed because of the future legislative elections is unjustified. We must cooperate with the mayors and avoid possible problems,” stated Valeriu Ghiletski.
Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca said that such a law should have been adopted in 2000, while the fact that it will start to be applied in 2015 is related only to the future election campaign. “The government wants to keep the mayors under control,” he stated. According to him, the strategy for implementing the decentralization of the local public finances in the four pilot territorial-administrative units was adopted only in order to show the European Commission that work is done in this respect.
Mayor of Festelita village of Stefan Voda district Nicolae Tudoreanu said the work on the reform lasted for three years and he is disappointed that the lawmakers decided to postpone it until January 2015. “We had great expectations of this law. The new public financing system is beneficial for the local public administration and for the central one as well,” stated the mayor, adding that the finances for mayor’s offices are distributed according to political criteria and the mayors and MPs hold negotiations as regards the amounts that are to be allocated.
On November 1, Parliament passed a bill with amendments to the Law on Local Public Finances in the final reading. In 2014, the new provisions will be implemented in three pilot districts - Basarabeasca, Ocnita and Rascani - and in the municipality of Chisinau. In the other territorial-administrative units, the changes will start to be applied in 2015.
Earlier, the mayors staged protests, demanding implementing the law starting with 2014.
