The approval of the budget for 2009 is a top priority. Info-Prim Neo interview with the president of the Chisinau Council, Eduard Musuc

[ - Last year, the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) had two decisional majorities. Would you speak about their efficiency?] - In the first half of the year, we faced many deficiencies and problems in the activity of the CMC, but we must yet say that we started to work more efficiently from June 6. {(On June 6, Eduard Musuc was elected to the post of president of the CMC – e.n.)} We made thousands of decisions and contributed to larger budget incomes. Therefore, we can now plan how to use an additional sum of 70-100 million lei in 2009. This is due to the efficient activity of the CMC, not mentioning the Council’s involvement in the thermo-energy crisis faced by the municipality. [ - How did the relations between the CMC and the Mayor General develop last year and what effects did they have on the Chisinau residents?] - The approaches adopted by the two sides are very different. The Mayor General focuses on political not administrative matters. He should solve the problems encountered by the municipality in cooperation with the Municipal Council and the central public administration. The problems faced by the people not the political interests or problems should be a priority. A number of decisions taken by the CMC have not been carried out. Among these are the plan for preparing to the heating season. As this decision has not been implemented, we now have to deal with the second thermo-energy crisis. I consider we must return to normality, though I realize it would be difficult to do this in the first half of 2009 because we will be in the middle of the election campaign. After the elections yet, the Mayor General and the Council must establish non-politicized and constructive relations as these conflicts do not help solve the problems, but multiply them. [ - What can your faction and the Council do together to improve the situation in Chisinau in 2009?] - The approval of the budget for 2009 is the top priority. We must use the planned revenues so as to fulfill all the plans. In order to optimize the work of the CMC, we will consider changing the agenda of the Council’s meetings so that the councilors make the statements not at the beginning of the meetings, but in the end. This will enable us to work more efficiently and not only deliver speeches from the central rostrum. We now lose time on unnecessary things. The councilors give speeches in order to appear on the TV in the evening. Later, we will also modify the regulations concerning the Council’s activity.