The reform of local public administration must be achieved through consensus and with the participation of communities, not through political pressures and forced amalgamations. The statement was made by the mayor of the capital and the president of the National Alternative Movement Party, Ion Ceban, following the meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, reports IPN.

The Mayor emphasized that the representatives of the Congress insisted that any reform should be voluntary and built on real dialogue with mayors and citizens. In this context, Ion Ceban expressed his concern about unofficial information regarding the possible liquidation of about 600 mayoralties, without a clear strategy or impact assessments.

The mayor also said that the current process is excessively politicized, unfolding through financial pressures and conditions, which could marginalize the local administration by simply reducing the number of town halls.

The mayor of the capital emphasized that small town halls are inefficiently labeled, even though they are the closest to the citizens and represent the basis of local democracy. The lack of financial guarantees and real decentralization can lead to excessive centralization of power, said Ion Ceban. He concluded that reform is necessary, but only if it is transparent, with the involvement of communities and without political or financial constraints on local authorities.