On December 23, 2025, at IDIS „Viitorul”, the award ceremony for the most transparent level I and level II LPAs for 2024 was held.

During the opening of the event, Liubomir Chiriac mentioned: „Starting in 2016, IDIS „Viitorul”, based on a well-established methodology that examines in detail approximately 53 indicators, has identified the level of transparency of district councils and the largest mayoralties in the country. Through this process, we aim to contribute to the development of local democracy and to the strengthening of the European path of the Republic of Moldova.”

The event was organized to raise awareness on the issue of local public administration transparency, the level of which was assessed in a study conducted by IDIS „Viitorul” for the 31 districts and 59 mayoralties (http://viitorul.org/ro/library). The IDIS „Viitorul” team decided to reward the top five most transparent district councils and the top five most transparent mayoralties for the activities carried out in 2024. Thus, the districts of Strășeni, Soroca, Șoldănești, Cantemir, and Cimișlia are considered the most transparent regions in the country. The top five most transparent mayoralties are: Bălți, Strășeni, Cimișlia, Chișinău, and Cahul.

The monitoring report prepared by IDIS „Viitorul” covers the activity of local public administration in 31 district councils, 39 town mayoralties, and 20 mayoralties of the largest villages and communes. Level I and Level II LPAs were evaluated and ranked according to nine areas (transparency criteria) and 53 indicators: access to information, participation in the decision-making process, public procurement, public property management, budgeting, human resources, professional ethics and conflicts of interest, social services, investments, municipal enterprises, and participation in commercial companies.

The maximum score for the administration of a locality, across all areas, was 100 points. According to the report, the most transparent city halls are the municipality of Bălți (87 points), the city of Strășeni (72 points), the city of Cimișlia (70 points), the municipality of Chișinău (69 points), and the city of Cahul (67 points). Regarding districts, the most transparent were the districts of Strășeni (78 points), Soroca (77 points), Șoldănești (75 points), Cantemir (74 points), and Cimișlia (74 points).

In this context, Silviu Plopa and Nicoleta Gherman, associate experts of IDIS „Viitorul”, delivered a brief presentation on the level of transparency of municipalities and districts for 2024, highlighting the criteria in which progress was made and the areas that still require improvement. According to the analysis, 6.45% of district web pages (APL II) and 15.25% of those of local public authorities (APL I) do not have sections dedicated to decision-making transparency. Regarding the agenda of public meetings, announcements concerning the date, time, location, and agenda are published by 80.65% of districts (25 districts); however, 9.68% (three districts) do not include all of these details. In the case of local public authorities, 45.67% do not publish this information, and 5.08% (three localities) provide it only partially.

The best examples of compliance with access to information are the local public authorities in Bălți, Chișinău, and Cimișlia, each with 97%, as well as the districts of Basarabeasca (96%) and Strășeni, Telenești, and Florești (93.8%).

In terms of participation in the decision-making process, 19.35% of district administrations (APL II) and 33.9% of mayoralties (APL I) did not publish announcements on the organization of public consultations in 2024, while 14 district administrations and 52 LPAs did not publish transparency reports on their websites.

Regarding budgeting, 80.65% of districts and 52.54% of municipalities published the 2024 budget online, while 22 districts and 14 localities published reports on the execution of the 2024 budget on their websites.

The report „Transparency in local governance: between progress and involution” also shows that 12 districts and 17 first-level local governments published, on their websites, instituted social assistance programs and information on the social services provided.

Among the districts that stood out under this criterion are Telenești and Nisporeni, each with 75% transparency. Among municipalities and communes, the municipalities of Bălți, Cimișlia, Pelinia, Talmaza, Ceadîr-Lunga, and Varnița achieved 100% transparency.

It should be noted that in 2024 all public administrations recorded a slight increase in their overall transparency scores. While in 2022 no level I or level II LPA achieved an A+ rating - meaning no district or locality reached a transparency level between 80% and 100% - in 2024 the municipality of Bălți achieved 87 transparency points, earning an A+ rating. The Strășeni District came very close to this threshold, with 78 points. Among the districts with the most significant progress were Nisporeni District (up 22 places), Șoldănești District (up 15 places), and Cantemir District (up 12 places). Progress among municipalities and communes was even more notable: Ștefan Vodă moved up 37 places to 6th position, Otaci moved up 31 places, and Glodeni moved up 28 places, ranking 25th and 7th respectively.

The study was developed according to a well-defined methodology, drawing on Slovak experience in order to promote transparency in the activity of local public administration at both Level I and Level II.

The event concluded with the awarding of diplomas recognizing the efforts made to develop and maintain a high level of transparency, both for public administrations and for the citizens they represent.

Valentina Casian, Mayor of Strășeni, emphasized: „We thank the IDIS „Viitorul” team for supporting local authorities in the process of local development and Europeanization of the country. We know exactly what needs to be done and how public services at the local level must be improved to become more transparent and accessible to citizens in our communities.”

The level of transparency of districts and the largest localities in Moldova is presented on the local government transparency portal: http://localtransparency.viitorul.org/. The website allows citizens to evaluate the activity of local public authorities, compare several localities or districts, and even create their own rankings. The reports prepared by IDIS „Viitorul” are also available on the organization’s platform: http://viitorul.org/ro/library.

The event serves as a tool for recognizing the work of local public administrations, as well as motivating them to improve their efforts and act transparently in providing information of public interest to citizens, while also becoming examples of good practice and motivation for other local public administrations at both Level I and Level II.