Effective civil society dialogue with the support of EU4Accountability project

On 1 February, at the Europe Café, civil society organisations, media organisations and civic initiatives discussed inputs to the draft law "On Access to Information of Public Interest", open for consultations by the Ministry of Justice. The initiative "Policy Dialogue on Social Accountability in Moldova" is managed by the Centre for Policies and Reforms (CPR Moldova) with the support of the European Partnership for Democracy. CPR Moldova is engaging with various stakeholders to conduct a nation-wide and participatory policy dialogue on social accountability mechanisms in order to enhance the policy framework conducive to increased citizens’ participation and responsibility of the public authorities. CPR Moldova will seek to build consensus around a shared assessment of the policy field to overcome the policy gaps. Participants discussed the provisions of the new law, their consistency with international standards and other issues not covered by the law. At the same time, proposals for improvement were made on some key issues, such as the mechanism of law enforcement and protection of the right to information, access to personal information, access to information for persons with disabilities and proactive publication of information.

A very good news was the launch of the Glodeni Participation Council. It was established with the participation of 5 organisations, namely: NGO "Solidarii Neamului" (Glodeni), NGO "Neemia" (Cobani), AO "Terra-Gold" (Glodeni), NGO Association of the Natives "Ciuciulea-Vatră de Dor", and NGO "Centrul Comunitar din Balatina". The Council was established with the aim of increasing citizens' accessibility to the decision-making process, and to support start-up organisations in obtaining financing for implemented projects.

Within the Council, local organisations will receive support in the implementation of projects in the localities of Glodeni rayon. The total value of accessible grants is

€90,000, and part of this money has already been planned to make the local decisionmaking process more visible, transparent and inclusive. Computers will be purchased, Local Authorities' internet bills will be paid and high-performance equipment will be provided so that meetings can be broadcast live and citizens can participate in the process.

Access to information is an essential area for the functioning of democratic mechanisms and ensuring the accountability of the authorities to the citizens. The EU4Accountability project comes to bring democratic values closer to the inhabitants of the Republic of Moldova.