Foreign ministers meeting on Monday 26 February urged Moldova to “continue with its overall reform process” and enhance it “in line with the commitments undertaken under the Association Agreement”.
While noting the efforts already made, ministers, in their conclusions, call for the reforms begun in 2016 to be implemented. “The Council is convinced that renewed efforts should be urgently dedicated to a more decisive fight against corruption with tangible results that should be also accompanied by a thorough reform of the judiciary, including the prosecution service”, the Council adds, also highlighting reform of public administration and the importance of swiftly setting up an autonomous office responsible for preventing and tackling money laundering. The Council says that the reform process should include thorough, impartial and comprehensive investigations and prosecution of all those implicated in the massive bank fraud uncovered in 2014.
Ministers regret that the new electoral law did not take account of some of the recommendations of the Council of Europe and the OSCE and they suggest that the consequences of the new electoral system “should be thoroughly and closely monitored” during the electoral process. “Transparent, inclusive and credible elections at central and local level are of key importance”, the Council states, noting that international recommendations on political party and electoral campaign financing should be followed. Ministers also urge the country to pursue reforms aiming to address the issue of concentration of media ownership and guaranteeing media freedom and pluralism.
While welcoming economic and financial reforms, the Council encourages Chișinău to carry out further reform to address weak governance, politicisation of state institutions, systemic corruption and the need to improve the business environment.
The Council also notes in its conclusions that assistance provided by the EU is conditional on concrete and satisfactory progress being made in all areas of reform and that it will continue to strengthen coordination and monitoring of support to the reform process. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)