During his working visit to London, the Mayor General of Chișinău, Ion Ceban, met with Anne Hidalgo — former Mayor of Paris for two terms (2014–2024), the first woman to hold this office, and the current GCMCE Ambassador, TRIBUNA reports.

“I expressed my appreciation for the enormous effort she invested in developing Paris’s infrastructure during the Olympic Games, when she served as mayor. We talked about Chișinău, the projects we are implementing, as well as the current situation in the Republic of Moldova in the context of the reforms imposed by the government,” Ceban stated.

The mayor also referred to what he described as unprecedented pressure on the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova (CALM), including major blockages, attempts at discreditation, and even efforts to liquidate this structure, which has been operating for years in the interest of local public administrations and citizens.

“For the first time in the country’s history, no previous government has ever attacked CALM in such a way, nor allowed itself to create another parallel institution serving exclusively those in power today. I spoke about the local public administration reform, which is being carried out through blackmailing mayors and against the will and consensus of society, and about the fact that people do not want the liquidation of town halls — a referendum is needed. I said that we support reforms and are ready to vote for amending the Constitution to eliminate the districts, which have become political structures that do not help local communities,” the Mayor General underlined.

Ion Ceban and Anne Hidalgo also discussed the fiscal reform proposed by the government in Chișinău, which, according to the mayor, will lead to the destruction of the country’s economy, impoverishment of the population, and increased migration, while placing a huge financial burden on local public administrations.

“Last but not least, I informed her about the government’s attack on schools and their takeover at any cost for political purposes, without presenting a clear vision for how these schools will be modernised, especially since in recent years they have closed dozens of educational institutions. I will speak about the illegalities at home whenever I have the opportunity to discuss them with high‑level officials,” the mayor concluded.