Legal framework – Ma-implic

Event for the phase I conclusion of the MĂ IMPLIC project

Veronica Tomescu — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 12:31:35 +0000

30 groups of rural communities have developed public services with the support of the MĂ IMPLIC project

48 mayors from all over the country, Government representatives, Parliament representatives, and development partners participated on September 26, 2023, in the national event marking the conclusion of phase I of the MA IMPLIC project, which was implemented from 2019 to 2023. During the event, discussions were held on the perspectives of local development and governance for strong communities, as well as the results achieved within the MA IMPLIC project.

And on September 21, during the regional event that brought together local councilors, municipal enterprise directors, members of Community Initiative Teams from partner communities of the MA IMPLIC project, progress and results were discussed, and experiences and best practices regarding citizen engagement and the provision of sustainable services were exchanged.

The civic engagement project in local governance MĂ IMPLIC aims to create conditions for the population in the villages of the Republic of Moldova to have equitable access to quality public and communal services.

30 communities/groups of communities from the northern, central, and southern regions of Moldova have benefited from the support of the MĂ IMPLIC project to implement projects aimed at improving public services in four key areas: waste management, street lighting, sewage/sanitation, and water supply. This has allowed local public authorities to provide public services in a participatory, efficient, inclusive, and sustainable way.

At the national level, the MĂ IMPLIC project has contributed to establishing a favorable policy, legal, and financial framework for the provision of public services and the decentralization reform, significantly impacting the sustainable development of communities in the Republic of Moldova.

Over these four years, over 10,000 citizens have been directly involved in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of development activities. Currently, 83,120 users benefit from improved access and quality of services provided, resulting from investments under the project. Additionally, partner communities of the project have received significant resources under grant agreements, totaling over 42 million Moldovan lei from the MĂ IMPLIC project. The communities’ contribution to project implementation was over 20 million Moldovan lei.

Artur Mija, General Secretary of the Government of the Republic of Moldova: “Since November 2019, the MĂ IMPLIC project has significantly contributed to improving the living conditions of rural communities in the Republic of Moldova, especially in local public administrations, by strengthening their institutional capacities to provide higher-quality services, generate their own income, and develop local autonomy. The MĂ IMPLIC project achieved this through financial contributions and technical assistance to improve the infrastructure of public services in 30 localities, as well as assistance in implementing participatory, inclusive, and transparent decision-making processes. All these activities have already yielded results, and, furthermore, they align perfectly with the strategic objectives in the domain of local governance. The MĂ IMPLIC project is a trusted partner for the State Chancellery, demonstrating its firm commitment to ensuring an efficient policy framework in the field of local governance, decentralization, and the promotion of Local Public Administration reform. The project team has made a significant contribution to the process of conceptualizing, drafting, and consulting on the Public Administration Reform Strategy for the years 2023-2030.”

Larisa Voloh, President of the Public Administration Committee, Parliament of the Republic of Moldova: “The MĂ IMPLIC project is a heartfelt project for us, and our partners continue to believe in Moldova. Similarly, they believe in the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, and they help Local Public Authorities develop communities, meet the expectations of citizens for a better life, create conditions and quality services in our rural areas. MĂ IMPLIC means participation, cohesion, and inclusion; it means democracy and transparency, and, furthermore, it means everyone’s involvement in solving local problems. Not only at the local level, but also at the national level, the MĂ IMPLIC project has achieved results during this period. Together, we continue to advance in the decentralization process and implement important reforms for our European path.”

Guido Beltrani, Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova: “For us, supporting Local Public Administrations and reforms is a very important element in international cooperation worldwide. The MĂ IMPLIC project has been an essential part of our efforts, and we are here to celebrate the results of four years of intensive work. Thanks to the project’s involvement and our partners, we can confidently say that this cooperation between Local Public Authorities and citizens has become more inclusive and reliable. Secondly, approximately 48 municipalities benefit from better public services in waste management, water supply, sanitation, public lighting, etc. Thirdly, I would like to mention that Local Public Authorities have managed to attract significant funding from third parties (state funds, citizens’ contributions, other development partners), and the efforts to attract these funds have been much greater than the planned investment grants.”

Florian Klingel, Executive Director of Skat Consulting Ltd.: “We have been able to work on a series of different projects, and we have always worked closely with Local Public Authorities and national partners. We have always supported them when it came to improving governance and public services. Consequently, when we reach the end of such a large project, after four years, it is a special moment and, at the same time, a moment of reflection and celebration. We are proud of these excellent results achieved by community groups along with our team, which provided technical assistance, managed financial support, facilitated solution development, provided training, and more.

Radu DANII, Local Governance Program Coordinator, Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova: “Switzerland works in the Republic of Moldova on three dimensions: public health, economic development and employment, and local governance. What unites these areas and projects is the emphasis on promoting and stimulating civic participation. From this perspective, the MĂ IMPLIC project is a model because civic participation and citizen engagement are at the core of this project. Another encouraging aspect that has occurred during these years of project implementation is how certain partner localities have managed to associate themselves when it came to creating a service. The project has become a reliable and highly competent partner of the Government in terms of preparing and implementing Local Public Administration reform.”

Anatolie Gnatiuc, the mayor of Fundurii Vechi village, stated, “I admit that when we filled out the project participation form and were selected, we were somewhat vulnerable, and our ideas were simple. We thought that we would procure the equipment and get to work, collect the waste, and take it to the landfill, and that’s it. But at some point, we realized that having equipment is not enough. It is much more important for citizens to understand what they need to do and what this service entails. The MĂ IMPLIC project helped us a lot in finding participatory solutions, as is our theme, where all locals had the opportunity to get involved and express their views on solving local problems. Today, Fundurii Vechi village, in terms of waste collection service, is almost at the end. We recognize that there is still much work to be done, but we have managed to invest all financial resources. We are pleased that we have been able to solve the waste problem in the locality, thanks to the MĂ IMPLIC project. Local residents are very satisfied with the new service created.”

Ala Taran, a facilitator in the northern region, added: “The MĂ IMPLIC project not only develops the infrastructure of communities but also brings citizens together to engage in community life. It helps them understand that the life, well-being, and development of communities depend on the involvement of each citizen. The MĂ IMPLIC project has introduced contemporary approaches to involve all community structures in solving local problems and decision-making.”

Ina Codreanu, a local coordinator, mentioned, “Together with the Local Public Administration, along with the community initiative team, we have created a sanitation service and modernized solid waste management. The Local Public Administration, in collaboration with the Community Initiative Team, came up with a bold idea aimed at changing people’s lifelong habits, as they were used to mixing all waste together. We proposed separate waste collection. How did we manage to convince them? Through an extensive campaign of awareness and consciousness-raising, but to carry out this campaign, we were trained and assisted by the MĂ IMPLIC project team.”

The MĂ IMPLIC project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by Skat Consulting (Switzerland). The first phase of the project was carried out over a period of four years, starting in 2019, with a budget of approximately 5,896,658 Swiss Francs (CHF).

Brochure: MĂ IMPLIC Project achievements and impact, phase I (2019-2023) can be downloaded here.

The video record of the national event is available on the link: https://www.facebook.com/ProiectulMaImplic/videos/1743507539403599

Photos from both events are available here: regional 21 September / National 26 September

#skatconsulting #maimplic #swisscooperation

Unveiling the Challenges: 3rd Edition of the Barometer on Communal Household Services in Moldova

Veronica Tomescu — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 06:37:10 +0000

Unveiling the challenges: 3rd edition of the Barometer on communal household services in Moldova

Local public authorities in the Republic of Moldova are responsible for organizing and providing citizens with communal household services. They rely on the rules and regulations set by the Government to carry out these important tasks.

On April 12, 2023, the MĂ IMPLIC project launched the 3rd edition of its report titled “Barometer of the main existing gaps, contradictions and constraints in the normative framework related to communal household services This report sheds light on the key issues faced by local authorities as they strive to improve and deliver community services.

The analysis offers an overview of the problems within the regulatory framework, presenting a format that facilitates the identification of priority areas for potential solutions. The project experts, Ion Beschieru (Public Administration and National Reforms Expert), Dorin Andros (Regional Development and Public Services Expert), and Diana Toma (Manager of Reforms and National Policies within the MĂ IMPLIC project), presented the main findings.

The barometer is the outcome of a comprehensive mapping exercise that involved documentary analysis, review of strategies, laws, decisions, studies, articles, and more. Additionally, interviews and discussions with relevant stakeholders such as representatives from central public administration authorities, mayors, local public administration representatives, service operators, and field experts were conducted. The goal was to identify gaps and discrepancies hindering the sustainable provision of quality and accessible communal services within communities. However, this study does not examine into structural and systemic issues unrelated to the normative framework, such as the lack of human and institutional capacities or insufficient financial resources.

Like previous editions, the analysis focused on two services: (1) water supply and sanitation, and (2) solid waste management. The latest edition of the Barometer assesses the trend and urgency of addressing the identified challenges in the years 2021, 2022, and 2023.

The event was attended by representatives from MĂ IMPLIC’s partner municipalities, the Ministry of the Environment, the National Energy Regulatory Agency, the Environment Agency, experts in the field of LPA and communal household services, representatives from development partners, and more. During the meeting, participants actively engaged in discussions and exchanged opinions.

The study is available for download on the “MĂ IMPLIC” project’s webpage, offering both the Romanian version and the English version.

The project on civic engagement in local governance “MĂ IMPLIC” aims at ensuring that the rural population of Moldova has equitable access to quality communal service provision. The project „MĂ IMPLIC” is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by Skat Consulting Ltd.

#maImplic #skatConsulting

Legal and regulatory framework for communal service provision barometer (April 2021)

Veronica Tomescu — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 06:38:53 +0000

Legal and regulatory framework for communal service provision barometer (April 2021)

The Project on civic engagement in local governance „MĂ IMPLIC” presents the first edition of a mapping of gaps, conflicts, and constraints in the legal and regulatory framework which prevent the provision of good quality and affordable communal services by the local public authorities in the Republic of Moldova.

This analysis of shortcomings in the legal and regulatory framework in the field of communal services is the result of a mapping exercise performed based on documentary analysis and review (strategies, laws, decisions, studies, articles, etc.) followed by interviews and discussions with relevant stakeholders (mayors and other representatives of the local government, service operators, Association Moldova Apă Canal, experts in the given field, central public authorities). In this first edition, only (1) water supply, sanitation, and (2) solid waste management were analyzed. Other communal services will be added in later editions.

The analysis aims to provide a comprehensive overview of problems in the legal and regulatory framework in a format that allows identifying priorities for solutions. Such solutions shall be discussed in a policy dialogue format between central government institutions that set the conditions and local government which has to implement them. The tool can also serve as an inter-institutional monitoring tool, showing the evolution over time of various aspects of communal service’s legal and regulatory framework. Moreover, this type of monitoring could incentivize government institutions to take action to improve the situation in the field of communal services. On the other hand, it could help to identify areas for improvement to be supported by the development partners through technical assistance, financial resources for investments, etc. For these purposes, the analysis will be repeated in regular intervals and the findings will be updated to the actual status, turning a snapshot analysis into a barometer-like monitoring tool.

In the first edition of the Barometer, we found that almost no changes to the legal and regulatory framework have been made during the past 12 months (“trend”). The notable exemption from this inactivity is the drafting of a methodology of tariff calculation and approval for SWM services which is expected to be finalized and adopted soon. The analysis further shows that in about one quarter of the identified issues the actual status does require urgent improvements. Here, the current practice of service delivery cannot be improved because of conflicts, contradictions, insufficiencies in the current legal framework. (“Urgency”)

The full document can be downloaded at: https://ma-implic.md/download/barometer-of-communal-services-april2021/

Presentation of the barometer of the main gaps, contradictions and constraints existing in the normative framework related to communal services

Veronica Tomescu — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 18:31:48 +0000

Presentation of the barometer of the main gaps, contradictions and constraints existing in the normative framework related to communal services

The project of civic involvement in local government “MĂ IMPLIC” presented today, April 29, 2021, the results of the barometer of the main gaps, contradictions and constraints existing in the normative framework related to communal services.

The event had several objectives:

Presentation of the scope, of the applied methodology, as well as of the practical value of the mapping instrument (barometer);
Presentation of the main findings of the mapping exercise carried out for two categories of communal services: (1) water supply and sewerage and (2) solid waste management;
Initiating the policy dialogue between central and local public authorities on the gaps and disagreements identified in the normative framework related to communal services.

The findings were presented by the project experts: Ion Beschieru (expert in Public Administration and National Reforms), Dorin Andros (expert in Regional Development and Public Services), Iordanca-Rodica Iordanov (Executive Director of EcoContact).

The event was attended by representatives of central and local public authorities, representatives of the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova, experts in the field of LPA, of communal services and other related fields, representatives of development partners. During the event, the participants actively participated in discussions, exchanged opinions, and agreed to subsequently organize additional technical meetings on specific topics.

Discussions focused on the five dimensions included in the barometer, which comprise the most important aspects of the creation, organization, operation, control and monitoring of communal services, namely:

1) Legal and institutional framework
2) Norms, standards and performance indicators
3) Financing and tariffs
4) Property management
5) Inter-communal cooperation

The value and primary function of the barometer is to provide a comprehensive look at the relevant issues in the regulatory framework for communal services on which policy dialogue between central and local public authorities could focus. The barometer could also serve as an inter-institutional monitoring tool, which presents the evolution over time of various aspects of the regulatory framework of communal services, including in the context of local public administration reforms. This type of monitoring could have a double impact: on the one hand it could motivate national authorities to take action to improve the situation in the field of communal services, on the other hand, in this dialogue platform, development partners could be identified, who could provide the necessary technical assistance to develop more in-depth studies on the issues identified, to develop national legislation, and to identify financial resources for investment.

The study can be downloaded on the following link.