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The Promo-LEX Association presented today, October 11, the Monitoring Report No. 3 on the Transparency of the Activity of Level II Local Public Administrations and ATU Gagauzia, based on the findings reported by the monitors, who surveyed the activity of the actors involved in the decision-making process over the period of 1 January to 30 June 2018.

The monitoring process aimed at studying compliance with the legal provisions and identifying the level of decisional transparency of the LPA II, giving an impetus to the civic activism and offering assistance to the LPA in order to increase transparency.

Increased use of social networks for communication with local authorities

According to the report, on-line communication channels continue to be most popular with the citizens, who want to be informed about the activity of the LPA II, recording a continuous increase compared to the previous period, i.e. social networks gained 17.14% in the second half of 2017. According to the Monitoring Report no. 3, both the LPAs II and the parties concerned prefer online sources, showing a ratio of 89.52% and 62.54%, respectively. With a 25% share, “traditional” mass media ranks second in communication preferences.

Webpages of LPAs do not provide for decisional transparency

Promo-LEX found that the webpages of LPAs II continue to ensure a low level of decisional transparency with the legal provisions in the field. However, the number of LPAs that have published, for example, the synthesis of recommendations has increased. The best results in this respect has been recorded by the authorities of the Straseni, Riscani and Cahul districts and the municipality of Balti. The LPAs from the Briceni, Calarasi, Nisporeni and Ialoveni districts are at the opposite extreme, showing the weakest results.

The number of people involved in public consultations is decreasing

Over the monitoring period, it was found that the number of people involved in public consultations decreased by 10% compared to the previous period. The reasons for such a decrease include, among other things, lack of their organization (18.51%) and lack of information (14.81%). Similarly, it has been revealed that certain categories of population, such as mothers with children and persons with special needs, faced impediments in their involvement in the decision-making processes and public consultations.

On the other hand, the accessibility of LPA buildings has increased due to the fact that they have been equipped with access ramps and a sufficient number of seats on the hallways. Similarly, LPAs significantly improved their attitude towards requests for official information.

Information on anti-corruption module is not placed on the webpages of LPAs

Positive developments have been registered with regard to the transparency of local public authorities’ activity in terms of their professional integrity. The most significant increase, by about 31%, was due to the publication of the CVs of the LPA leaders on official webpages. However, no LPA has placed information on the person responsible for anti-corruption. At the same time, the situation with anti-corruption hot-lines and institutional integrity plan remains alarming. It should be kept in mind that these requirements are mandatory, according to the existing legal norms, namely the provisions of Government Decision no. 188 on the content of LPA webpages.

The Promo-LEX Association finds a moderately positive state of affairs with regard to the transparency of public office contests. The LPA authorities, who indicated the organization of contests, largely followed the advertising conditions by placing the notice and their requirements on the webpage and in the media.

Low transparency of procurement process

It is alarming that the official webpages of LPAs ensure a low level of transparency in the procurement process, only 40% of LPAs publish reports on low-value public procurements and quarterly / semi-annual and annual monitoring reports on the execution of public procurement contracts. However, compared to the second half of 2017, we see an increase in the number of LPAs that have published information on procurement plans and annual reports on procurements.

Monitoring the transparency of decision-making process in LPAs II is a continuous activity, carried out by the Promo-LEX monitors during 2017, 2018 and 2019. Every six months, Promo-LEX will publish Monitoring Reports on the Transparency of LPA II and ATU Gagauzia.

The full report can be accessed here.

The initiative to monitor the transparency of the activity of the level II LPA authorities and that of UTA Gagauzia is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the framework of the Program for Democracy, Transparency and Responsibility (August 2016 – July 2019). The opinions expressed in the public reports of Promo-LEX belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders.

For further information, please contact:
Inga Stegarescu, Promo-LEX Association Press Officer;
GSM: 069 26 96 84;
E-mail: [email protected]