Statement by the Civic Movement “Building TRUST”: A Call for a New Culture of Governance Grounded in Accountability, Measurable Results, Equity, Transparency, and Genuine Dialogue with Citizens

The Republic of Moldova is at an important moment. Not only because a new Government is about
to be invested, but because citizens expect a new way of governing.
The Civic Movement “Building TRUST” welcomes the designation of a candidate for Prime
Minister from the investment and business community, who has publicly committed to ambitious
objectives for modernising the state, revitalising the economy and accelerating European
integration.
The country needs investment. It needs efficient institutions. It needs a professional public
administration. But above all, the Republic of Moldova needs trust.
There can be no investment without trust. There can be no development without trust. There can
be no lasting reforms unless people trust that the changes are fair, equitable and carried out in the
interest of citizens.
In recent months, the Civic Movement “Building TRUST” has issued public positions on fiscal and
customs policy, public administration reform, agricultural development, public debt management,
justice reform and citizen consultation in the voluntary amalgamation process.
All these statements have conveyed one common message:
The Republic of Moldova needs reforms. But reforms must be well-founded, owned,
measurable and built together with citizens.
Today, ahead of the vote of confidence in the new Government, we do not wish to put forward
another list of criticisms. We wish to set out the standard of governance that citizens have the right
to expect from any Government of the Republic of Moldova.

THE FIRST TEST: ACCOUNTABILITY
Every new beginning must start with an honest assessment of the previous stages. The previous
Government ended its mandate by resigning. Nevertheless, citizens have not received a public
report on the implementation of the Government Programme, the main results achieved, the
objectives not attained and the lessons learned.
We consider this an important gap in the democratic process. In any serious organisation, the
results of the previous strategy are reviewed before a new strategy is approved. The same
principle must apply in public administration.
Before Parliament grants its vote of confidence to a new Government, citizens have the right to
know the record of the outgoing Government.
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Not in order to identify those to blame, but to understand what must be done differently.
Trust begins with taking responsibility for what has been achieved and for what has not
been achieved.

THE SECOND TEST: CHANGE
A change of Prime Minister naturally creates the expectation of a new beginning. However, the
new Cabinet largely retains the same ministerial structure.
We do not dispute this choice. Continuity can be an advantage when it is based on performance.
But precisely for this reason, society has the right to receive answers to a few simple questions:

• What exactly will change in the way the country is governed?
• What lessons have been learned from the work of the previous Government?
• What are the specific objectives of each ministry?
• How will the results be measured?
  In the investment sector, a change of chief executive is accompanied by a new strategic plan,
  performance indicators and clearly defined responsibilities. Citizens have the right to expect the
  same standard from the Government of the Republic of Moldova.

In the investment sector, a change of chief executive is accompanied by a new strategic plan,
performance indicators and clearly defined responsibilities. Citizens have the right to expect the
same standard from the Government of the Republic of Moldova.

THE THIRD TEST: PERFORMANCE
The Republic of Moldova needs a new culture of public accountability. Ministers should not be
assessed only at the end of their mandate. They must be assessed continuously.
Every minister should have measurable objectives, clear deadlines and publicly available
performance indicators.
Without public criteria for assessing performance, it is difficult for society to understand why some
ministers remain in office while others are replaced. Trust in decisions concerning the formation of
the Government depends not only on who is appointed, but also on how these decisions are
explained and justified.
Performance must become the rule by which public administration operates.

THE FOURTH TEST: FAIRNESS
No reform is free of cost. Every change creates costs.
The fundamental question is: Who bears these costs?
In recent months, citizens have seen proposals to amend fiscal policy, increase certain taxes,
change the contributions system and introduce other measures with a direct impact on household
budgets. At the same time, the state must demonstrate that it is prepared to reduce its own unnecessary
expenditure, eliminate privileges and use public resources efficiently.
We call for every major reform to be based on transparent impact assessments and presented
publicly together with the arguments underpinning the decision. Citizens have the right to know not
only the solution chosen by the Government, but also the alternatives considered and the
estimated effects on different social and economic groups, including families, small and mediumsized enterprises, farmers and rural communities.
Citizens should not bear the costs of insufficiently substantiated policies.

THE FIFTH TEST: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
The Republic of Moldova cannot become a prosperous state if development is concentrated only
in a few urban centres.
The future of the country also depends on the future of its villages. Agriculture, the food industry
and local development are not separate fields. Together, they form the foundation of food security,
employment and territorial balance.
We call on the new Government to treat rural development as a strategic priority and to promote:
investment in local processing; support for small and medium-sized producers; rural infrastructure;
high-quality public services; the development of community initiatives; and policies that reduce the
gap between urban and rural areas.
A strong economy cannot exist without strong local communities.

THE SIXTH TEST: DIALOGUE
Trust cannot be built without citizen participation.
Recent experience has shown that merely organising public consultations is not enough.
Consultations must influence the decision.
The authorities must explain which proposals were accepted, which were rejected and for what
reasons.
Dialogue is not an administrative formality. Dialogue is the foundation of a European democracy.

THE SEVENTH TEST: INTEGRITY
Prime Minister-designate,
Your professional experience represents an important advantage for the Republic of Moldova. At
the same time, it entails an additional responsibility. Society has the right to know how conflicts
of interest will be prevented and to be assured that all Government decisions will be taken
exclusively in the public interest.

The highest offices in the state must comply with the highest standards of transparency. Not
because suspicions exist, but because trust is built through clear rules applied equally to everyone.
A NEW CULTURE OF GOVERNANCE
Prime Minister-designate,
The Republic of Moldova does not need only a new Government.
The Republic of Moldova needs a new culture of governance.

A culture in which:

• every Government begins with an honest assessment of its predecessor;
• every minister is assessed on the basis of results;
• every reform is accompanied by an impact assessment;
• every consultation produces a reasoned response;
• every promise can be verified by citizens.

This, in our view, is the true reform of the state.

APPEAL

The Republic of Moldova does not need only a new Government. It needs a new model of
state administration.
A model in which the Government Programme becomes a performance contract with citizens, and
every objective is accompanied by clear indicators, implementation deadlines and periodic
assessments.
We believe that every minister must publicly commit to measurable results and be assessed on
their achievement, not on media visibility or political affiliation. Remaining in office must be justified
by performance, and replacement by the inability to deliver the results undertaken.
Every reform must be assessed according to the impact it has on citizens, the economy and the
country’s development. When the results do not correspond to the objectives undertaken, the
Government must have the responsibility to correct course.
This is the administrative culture we expect: an administration that sets clear objectives,
continuously measures its performance, takes responsibility for results and learns from its own
mistakes.

We will support any Government that agrees to be assessed by results rather than
promises. Because genuine state reform begins when performance becomes the principal
criterion of governance and accountability the principal criterion for exercising public
office.
Trust is not obtained through a vote in Parliament.
Trust is earned every day through the way the Republic of Moldova is governed.