The seven organizations selected are: Association of Environmental and Ecological Tourism Journalists (Ecopresa.md), Meridian Media Group (Radio EcoFM), TARSMI Civic Association (Tuk.md portal of Taraclia), local TV stations Bas TV of Basarabeasca and Studio L of Căușeni, and the periodicals Est Curier of Criuleni and Gazeta de Chișinău.

In the following months (the projects will last six months), the newsrooms will carry out specific activities aimed at:

• raising public awareness of the benefits and challenges of providing public services, energy efficiency and environmental protection, so that citizens demand actions from the public authorities, while fulfilling their obligations as customers of local public services;

• informing citizens about subscription to and payment for quality public services, understanding the formation and purpose of tariffs to cover the costs that will ensure the sustainability of quality public services;

• promoting good practices, positive examples, human stories, successful partnerships, activism and civic engagement at local level, which have contributed to improving quality public services in the regions;

• raising public awareness of the challenges faced by public service operators in the regions and the proper management by local operators, as well as by citizens, of waste hazardous to health, generated in particular during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The beneficiary organizations have been selected after a complex administrative and technical evaluation that, in the last phase, included interviews conducted directly or online with the representatives of each organization. Click here to read how the evaluation process unfolded.

The project "Civil Society and Regional Media in Support of European Reforms, Sustainable Development and Citizen Participation in Strengthening Local Democracy" is implemented by API and aims to provide financial support, training and professional advice to civil society organizations and regional media to promote European values in the regions.

The project "Empowering Citizens in the Republic of Moldova" is funded by the European Union and is implemented by the Agency for International Cooperation of Germany (GIZ). The project partner for increasing the potential of visibility and citizen engagement is the Association of Independent Press (API).