Expert-Grup

Political Instability – the Decisive Factor in the Stagnation of Budget Transparency in Moldova

Monday, 15 February 20163921 views
Political Instability – the Decisive Factor in the Stagnation of Budget Transparency in Moldova

Automatically translated summary. The full article is available in Romanian.

Independent Think Tank “Expert-Grup” has assessed Moldova’s Budget Transparency Index, calculated from 2013-2014 data using the International Budget Partnership’s Open Budget Index methodology. Moldova scored 59 out of 100 in 2015, unchanged since 2012, indicating that the government gives the public only limited budget information, largely because of political factors.

The score puts Moldova 27th, level with Argentina and Indonesia. New Zealand leads with 88 points, followed by Sweden (87) and South Africa (86). Moldova improved the transparency of the Enacted Budget and the Year-End Report, but did not produce the Citizens Budget or the Mid-Year Review, and other documents worsened, cutting comprehensiveness by 11 points on average. Citizen participation scored 20 out of 100, down from 27 in 2012 and the lowest in the region.

Expert-Grup blames mainly political instability, along with unpublished key documents and weak oversight. It recommends publishing a Citizens Budget, a summary of the Audit Report and the Mid-Year Report, holding legislative and public audit hearings, involving the public in audits and respecting the Budget Calendar. The study was supported by the Soros Foundation-Moldova.

View the original article in Romanian