Moldovan foreign minister inaugurates regional conference on public money management

Chisinau, 8 October /MOLDPRES/- Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and European Integration Minister Natalia Gherman today inaugurated a regional conference entitled “Improving local public finance management through reference financial indicators: a joint instrument for Eastern Partnership countries,” the Foreign and European Integration Ministry’s information and communication service has reported.

The official said the conference coincided with the 30th anniversary of Moldova signing the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which became a milestone document for the Moldovan decentralization reform.

In particular, Gherman focused on the enforcement of the law on local public money management, in compliance with the recommendations of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CLARE). The law has previously been tested in three pilot districts (Basarabeasca, Ocnita and Riscani), as well as in Chisinau.

The deputy prime minister welcomed the assistance of the Council of Europe, especially the one of the Congress' Secretariat for the implementation of the National Decentralization Strategy for 2012-2015, which is coming to an end.

“The implementation of an system of related indexes of local public money, which is to be unveiled during today’s international conference, is of major importance and utility. In this context, I would like to voice hope that Moldova will be one of the pilot countries to put this system into practice in the next stages of the programme of the European Council, with the EU’s financial support,” Gherman noted.

Attending the event were members of Moldovan institutions in charge of decentralization, representatives of local public authorities from Eastern Partnership member states, as well as development partners delegated by the Council of Europe and the EU.

(Editor M. Jantovan)