Participative process in formulating policies reduces risks, project

The ensuring of a participative process in working out policies, including the budget, reduces the risk of setting objectives that do not meet the real necessities of society. This thesis was formulated in a roundtable meeting where there was presented the project “Budgetary process in Moldova: monitoring transparency and promoting public control”, Info-Prim Neo reports. The participants in the meeting discussed five areas of the 2012 budget: healthcare, protection of the socially deprived groups, education, agriculture, and small and medium-sized enterprises. ”Though the welfare of each of us depends greatly on the national public budget and the use of the public patrimony, the method of forming and spending the budget is not always clear and the correctness and efficiency of the process is doubted,” said Valeriu Prohnitski, director of the Independent Analytical Center “Expert-Grup”. Eugenia Veverita, expert in public management, said she regrets that the people do not know much about how the money they pay into the budget as taxes is spent. Economic and social policies are imposed on them though the budget should be planned with the involvement of the ordinary people. Eugen Roscovan, chairman of the Small Business Association, said the transparency in the budget formulation process is often not ensured. Representatives of businesses and trade unions are invited to meetings to debate the draft budget law, but their proposals are not always taken into account. It is not clear why some of the companies are supported with money from the budget, while others are not. Experts and other participants in the roundtable meeting recommended respecting the terms of presenting the draft budget and fiscal policy laws for public consultation so that the economic, social and political players are able to state their opinions. They also proposed making public the results achieved within every program that is part of the budget or is financed from the budget. The project “Budgetary process in Moldova: monitoring transparency and promoting public control” will be implemented by the Independent Analytical Center “Expert-Grup” and financed by the Good Governance Program of Soros Foundation Moldova.