Laws on meetings and on officials’ behaviour voted in final reading

The Law on meetings and the Law on the ethical behaviour code of the public servant were voted in final reading on Friday, February 22. The drafts suffered no essential intervention compared with the versions approved in the first reading. As for the Law on meetings, the MPs established that the meetings with a reduced number of participants are the ones attended by 100 people at most. It was only ten persons in the first reading draft. According to the draft law, anyone intending to hold a meeting will only have to notify, in a written form, the local public administration bodies of the respective locality, at least 5 days in advance. The notifying declaration shall contain the name of the organizer (the name of the entity in case it is a legal one,) the contacts, the purpose of the meeting, the date, the place, and, if it is the case, the route, the organisation form, the starting hour, the approximate number of participants, the planned duration, the services requested from the local administration authorities. Concerning the spontaneous meetings, or the reunions with a reduced number of participants, the written and beforehand notification of the local authorities is not compulsory. MP Gheorghe Susarenco said the law was good, in accordance with the European norms. He believes once it enters force, the lawsuits against the Chişinău mayor and against meeting organizers will cease. Susarenco also pointed out the law had been drafted by the Communists Party so that they can organize manifestations when in opposition. The new text of the Law on the ethical behaviour code of the public servant provides that „in the name of the public authority, the communication with the mass-media is made only by the entitled official.” The draft voted in the first reading in general stipulated that „the communication and the contacts with the media are realised only by the public servant entitled with this right.” According to this code, the public servant is banned to ask for or to accept presents, to benefit of services, favours or other advantages that are meant for him/her personally, his/her family, relatives, friends, natural and legal entities with which he/she had business or political relationships, which may influence his/her correctitude in exerting the held public function or which can be considered as a reward for carrying out the job duties. The public servant can accept, according to politeness and hospitality norms unanimously recognised, signs of attention and token souvenirs the value of which does not exceed the quota established by the law. In exerting the public function, the public servant is forbidden to participate in collecting funds for the activity of political parties and of other social-political organisations, to use administrative resources to support running politicians, to promote and campaign in favour of any political party etc.