The project provides local administrations with assistance in applying the provisions of the new Law on Local Public Administration. In order to implement the objectives, three project-modules are envisaged: training for LPA staff, assistance in implementation of reforming measures at the local level and follow-up networking.

 Goal of the project:

The project aims at facilitating the introduction of the use of minority languages in the LPA in order to assure equal access and participation to public life to individuals belonging to ethnic minorities.

Objectives:

 to increase efficiency in the communication between LPA functionaries and citizens
 to improve the communication of LPA functionaries and citizens belonging to national minorities, assuring the latter the use of native language;
 to participate in the implementation of these objective on the local level as well as mutually promote the practices of LPA’s involved [networking].

Target group:

 Civil servants and functionaries from the Local Public Administration in 8 towns.
 The citizens of the settlements, minorities and majority as well [population ranging from 10 000 to 26 000 inhabitants for each town]

Activities:

Romania’s endeavors for creating a decentralized and efficient LPA system have been stipulated in several legally binding regulations from which the new LPA Law from March 2001 is the most relevant. According to the new law, wherever the number of individuals belonging to national minorities is over 20 per cent, the local authorities, in relation with these individuals have to use the language of that minority.

We have identified the need for improvement of communication processes and institutions of public relation in general, and for development of capacities for the local administrations and their employees to face the challenges of the new legislation regarding the use of several languages in addressing the citizens.

In order to implement the objectives, 2 project cycles are envisaged, each designed for 4 settlements. The first cycle started in May 2002, and the second will start in November 2002. Each cycle contains three activity modules training, implementation, follow-up networking [sharing the practices].

The training, carried out in partnership with the CIVITAS Foundation for a Civil Society, focuses on both building the capacity for managing multilingualism in LPA and developing the action plans bases on which the new PR instruments will be implemented in the local administration.

The training is organized for the selected local government representatives, focusing on improving knowledge and skills of the participants in order to remove obstacles to the promotion and establishment of local problem solving partnerships between local administration and representatives of multiethnic communities.

The implementation module focuses on putting into practice the action plans developed by the participants at the workshop part of the training. The module is envisaged as a task oriented one and will result in concrete outcomes as PR workflow plan, PR instruments [multilingual forms and headers, Internet site, multilingual inscriptions, leaflets etc.].
In the networking component the participants in the programme share experience for mutual benefit by site visits.

 Outcomes:

Several problems related to the usage of minority languages were discussed, and the representatives of each LPA set up action plans containing proposals to specific issues encountered in each settlement. Bilingual brochures are to be printed as well as bilingual boards containing information on services offered by the LPA. A multilingual web page will be available soon presenting to the general public the settlements concerned as well as the benefits of multilingualism.