Republic of Moldova

Council of Europe Office in Chisinau

The Steering Committee of the Council of Europe Project “Support to criminal Justice Reform in the Republic of Moldova”, funded by the Government of Denmark (the Project) held its third meeting on 13 December, 2016, in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (hereinafter - representative of the Donor), the representatives of CJR MD project beneficiaries and the CoE Secretariat,  as well as representatives of the relevant international and civil society organisations  took part in the SC meeting.

The aim of the SC meeting was to discuss the implementation of the CJR MD Project, achieved results and outputs during 2016 (second year of the implementation), as well as to discuss and approve detailed work plan of activities for 2017 (third year of the implementation).  

Welcoming and opening remarks made by Mr Jose-Luis Herrero (Head of the CoE office in Chisinau), Mrs Theresia Kirkemann Boesen (representative of the Donor) addressed the importance of the entry into force of the Law on Public Prosecution Service (hereinafter- the PPS Law) and amendments of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova related to the appointment of the General Prosecutor, capacity enhancement of the Ombudsperson’s Institution and the establishment of the National Preventive Mechanism (hereinafter - the NPM) and the continuant fight against torture and ill-treatment were emphasised. The importance of the civil society’s involvement in the CJR MD Project’s activities, well-established cooperation between stakeholders and international development partners were highlighted by the representatives of the Donor and the CoE. The CoE’s readiness to provide further assistance to the Republic of Moldova for the implementation of meaningful criminal justice reforms, particularly in the ambit of the CJR MD Project, was underlined.

The main activities and achieved results during the second year of the implementation of the CJR MD Project were presented and discussed. The representatives of the stakeholders not only enumerated the activities performed in 2016, in cooperation with the CJR MD Project, but also stated the importance and the impact of these activities. Particularly, the following areas of the support were highlighted by Project stakeholders:

• the CoE expert technical support provided to the Superior Council of Prosecutors of the Republic of Moldova in developing its internal regulations in line with the new PPS Law and related legislation;
• the expert and capacity development support provided to the office of the Government Agent of the Republic of Moldova in front of the ECtHR in enhancing its capacities;
• the CoE expert and technical support channeled to the Ombudsperson’s office for  the creation of the NPM in a new set-up;
• as well as number of capacity-building activities for the all CJR MD Project beneficiaries with the involvement of international and national experts.

At the same time, challenges faced both by stakeholders and by management of the CJR MD Project during 2016 and their implications to the project implementation were discussed.

The Steering Committee approved the CJR MD Project Work Plan for 2017, with suggested amendments raised by the stakeholders during the meeting.

In closing remarks the stakeholders expressed their gratitude both to the CoE and the Donor for the provided assistance and reconfirmed their further readiness to continue close cooperation with the CJR MD Project. The CoE and the Donor reiterated their commitment to further support the stakeholders, in the scope of the CJR Project, aiming at further development of the criminal justice reforms in the Republic of Moldova.  

The next regular SC meeting will be convened in the end of 2017 (date to be negotiated with the SC Members and the Donor), unless an ad hoc SC meeting is required.