Eight local authorities in the Republic of Moldova formalised their commitment to strengthening inclusive and participatory local governance by signing Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.

The pilot municipalities — Andrușul de Sus, Anenii Noi, Bălți, Cimișlia, Izbiște, Lăpușna, Sireți, and Zubrești — were selected through an open call within the project “Promoting civil participation in political decision-making in the Republic of Moldova”, implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2025–2028.

The ceremony to mark the signing took place in Chisinau, in the presence of Gudrun Mosler-Törnström, Standing Rapporteur on Human Rights of the Congress. In her address, Ms Mosler-Törnström underlined the importance of fostering a culture of participation at local level: “Democracy becomes stronger and more resilient when people are actively engaged in public decision-making. These partnerships mark a concrete step in further strengthening inclusive local governance in the Republic of Moldova.” Representatives of the local authorities highlighted their commitments to increasing public participation. As stated by Ina Codreanu, Mayor of Andrușul de Sus: "We, the local public administration authorities, want to open our doors more to citizens, especially young people, in order to shape the community, create solutions together, and bring fresh energy to public life through active participation."

Over recent months, the eight municipalities have participated in a capacity-building programme, which included three Regional Academies, a series of training sessions gathering 281 participants, and a hands-on workshop introducing key Council of Europe tools such as the Civil Participation Toolkit, CivicLab, and UChange. Each locality has developed a draft action plan to guide its participatory initiatives.

Through the signed MoUs, the Congress and the partner municipalities commit to jointly piloting new forms of civil participation, strengthening institutional capacities for consultation and dialogue, expanding opportunities for youth engagement, and ensuring the inclusion of women, vulnerable groups, and civil society in local decision-making processes.

The pilot initiatives will be implemented at the beginning of 2026, with the experiences and good practices shared with other local authorities across the country as part of the Congress’s ongoing support to democratic innovation and citizen participation in the Republic of Moldova.