Territorial administration model should be identified through consensus, study

“Territorial administrative fragmentation is an impediment for decentralization”, said Ion Osoianu. He is one of the authors of the decentralization study made by Expert Grup within the Common Program of Local Integrated Development (PCDLI), Info-Prim Neo reports. The study is meant to be an independent source of information and analysis for the elaboration of the Decentralization Strategy. It evaluates the suitability of the current territorial administrative structure for national, regional and local development priorities, using the experience of European countries. The criteria of analysis have been the area of administered territory, its population, local financial resources, the economic background and others. Ion Osoian said that town halls with less than 5000 inhabitants must not have too many responsibilities, as they don’t have the necessary human or material resources. Besides, they don’t collect enough taxes to generate income and provide quality public services. The study proposes two models of organization: with one and with 2 levels. In the first variant, town halls will be big enough to assume 2nd level competences. This will reduce their number from 893 to 113. The model has two types of town halls: rural and urban. “The advantage is that tax-related decisions will be taken only by one institution. The process will be faster and expenses will be cut by 2/3”, said Valeriu Prohnitchi, Expert-Grup director. The second model will halve the number of town halls. The 5 development regions will become administrative regions. This model is optimized for reforms and balanced economy. The participants in the study presentation, including deputies, ONGs and local authorities, academicians, agreed that the territorial administrative structure had to be changed. The new model must be chosen by the Parliament with the consensus of local and central authorities and of the civil society. Ministry of Finances’ representatives argued that town halls should be supported in order to increase the tax revenue and attract investments. Many of the participants demanded that money transfers to local authorities were more transparent and that the inter-community cooperation tool was more advertised. The Common Program of Integrated Local Development (PCDLI) helps the Moldovan government to develop the political frame, the administrative system and to carry out the decentralization. It implemented by UNDP Moldova in cooperation with UNIFEM and with the financial support of the Swedish government.