Decentralisation, the driving force behind the Franco-Moldovan partnership

On 19 and 20 September, local and national leaders from France and Moldova gathered in Grenoble (France) for the first forum on decentralised cooperation between the two nations. Organised by the French Association of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (AFCCRE) under the PLATFORMA Eastern Neighbourhood programme, the event was titled ” Choosing Europe: decentralisation as a driving force behind the Franco-Moldovan Partnership”. It brought together around forty elected officials, reinforcing the links between France and Moldova and highlighting decentralisation as a key tool for Moldova’s EU accession process.

A longstanding partnership

Grenoble has a deep-rooted connection with Moldova, having been twinned with Chisinau, the Moldovan capital, since 1977. This historical partnership set the stage for the forum, following a successful initial meeting of elected officials from both nations in Chisinau in March 2023. That meeting sparked productive discussions and allowed exchanges of experiences between local and regional authorities on a range of mutual interests, from inter-municipal cooperation to public service management.

The forum in Grenoble was designed to deepen these ties, focusing on strengthening Moldova’s path to EU integration. Through the sharing of best practices in decentralisation and territorial governance, French and Moldovan authorities explored collaborative solutions in areas like local democracy and public service delivery.

Around forty participants

The forum was hosted by Grenoble’s mayor, Éric Piolle, and his Deputy for international cooperation, Emmanuel Carroz. High-profile attendees included the Moldovan Ambassador to France, Corina Calugaru, Senators Christophe Chaillou and Ronan Dantec, Secretary General of the Congress of the Council of Europe, Mathieu Mori, and Delegate for Local Authorities and Civil Society at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Frédéric Cholé.

Mayor Éric Piolle proudly announced the upcoming inauguration of a public space in Grenoble to honour of Chisinau, further symbolising the strength of this international partnership. A street in Grenoble named after the Moldovan capital has already existed for many years.

Three roundtables

The two-day forum included three roundtable discussions on:

• “Better organising yourself to better ensure essential services to the population: Joint France-Moldova look at our systems of decentralisation and territorial organisations”, moderated by Christophe Moreux, Director General of AFCCRE
• “Local democracy: how to preserve and promote the role of local elected officials?”, moderated by Christian Daudel, Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Moldova in Auvergne Rhône-Alpes
• “On the road to accession, what are the prospects for trade between our two countries? What modalities of cooperation between local authorities?”, moderated by Bella Tskhelishvili, Advisor – Eastern Partnership and Geographic Dialogues at PLATFORMA.

Looking ahead

AFCCRE has plans to continue fostering decentralised cooperation seminars with Moldova and expand this initiative to another Eastern neighbourhood country, Georgia. As Moldova edges closer to EU membership, such city-to-city partnerships will be pivotal in shaping its future as a fully integrated European state.