The territorial-administrative structure of the Republic of Moldova remains one of the most fragmented ones in Europe. For a population lower than 3 million, there are 898 mayor’s offices, 32 districts and an autonomous territorial unit. Even if the lowest legal limit for forming a territorial-administrative unit is 1,500 inhabitants, at least one third of the territorial-administrative units no logger meet this criterion. In the current conditions, a reform of the local public administration is inevitable. This is one of the main conclusions of an analytical note produced by Adrian Ermurachi, team leader of the Good Governance and Rule of Law Program of the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE), IPN reports.
According to the expert, Chisinau concentrates two thirds of Moldova’s economy and has a greater concentration tendency. This substantially affects the economic development at the regional and local levels and the quality of life in rural areas. The financial and administrative capacity in the localities with a population lower than 1,500 is two times and a half lower than in localities with 5,000 inhabitants.
To do a successful reform of the local public administration, the existing studies and analyses should be examined. The option to do one more complex study concerning the current situation would mean losing at least 6-12 more months, but this will not change the trends and will not generate a bigger will to do this reform. Coalitions to support the reform should be created. The responsibility to do this reform should be borne not only by the Government and Parliament. It is important to extend the number of those who become involved and support this reform so that this is successful.
The return to the symmetric or symmetric decentralization model in the process of reforming the local public administration would mean annihilating the efforts made during the past ten years in this field. In Moldova’s realities, mixed amalgamation can have one of the biggest chances of success, if this enjoys broad support among politicians and people.
The implementation of the reform will necessitate a substantial effort. A team that would be responsible exclusively for this process should be identified, concluded Adrian Ermurachi.
