Moldova gets closer to European values, being part of process of awareness of citizens' assembly's role

Chisinau, 13 November /MOLDPRES/ - The Citizens’ Assembly is an instrument for the identification and settlement of the major problems locally and nationally, which can be implemented in Moldova as well. The director of the National Office of Implementation of Projects in Environment Sector (ONIMP), Nicolae Arnaut, last month participated in a workshop on the matter, organized by the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, and explained the benefits of this process to MOLDPRES.

„Moldova gets closer to the European values and principles, being part of the process of awareness of the role of the citizens’ assembly. Through the creation and intervention of the Citizens’ Assembly as form with decision-making effect, which is developed in the European Union, Moldova can solve the foremost problems through the direct contribution of the citizens, an example being the citizens’ assembly on climate changes,’’ Nicolae Arnaut said.      

According to him, in the European Union, the citizens’ assembly represent an ever more used way by the national and local governments, in order to involve the interested sides of the community in taking decisions on the climate policy. Arnaut considers that, nationally, such measures can provide opportunity to learn, share experiences and interact with experts and other practitioners as to the way of citizens’ efficient involvement in taking decisions.    

„Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Spain Austria and Scotland created all citizens’ assemblies, in order to help elaborate proposals for the transition to societies and economies with low emissions of carbon and resistant to climate,’’ the ONIMP head stressed.     

In Romania, the mechanism of citizens’ assemblies is provided for in the law, being stipulated in the Administrative Code. Thus, the citizens of the commune or city can be consulted both through citizens’ assemblies organized in villages, in the rural environment and according to districts and streets, in the urban environment. The citizens’ assembly is validly set up in the presence of most citizens with right to vote and adopts proposals with the majority of those present. The proposals are recorded in a report and are submitted to the authorities, in order to establish concrete ways of implementation and financing, if case may be.     

The workshop from Strasbourg, which brought together the public authorities from eight countries (Albania, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Turkey, Greece, Lithuania and Moldova), provided to the participants the instruments needed, in order to understand and implement the citizens’ assemblies as efficient instruments for the consolidation of the democratic processes.