On 16 January 2024, the HELP course on ’’Labour rights as Human rights’’ was launched for judges, lawyers, and prosecutors in the Republic of Moldova. The HELP course is implemented by the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP), in cooperation with the National Institute of Justice of the Republic of Moldova within the Council of Europe project "Enhancing employment rights in the Republic of Moldova".  This event brought together esteemed legal professional, officials, and experts. A total number of 67 professionals have been enrolled into the course.

The HELP Course on ’’Labour rights as Human rights’’ was designed to contribute to building capacities of legal professionals, judges, prosecutors and help them enhancing their knowledge on labour rights as provided under the European Social Charter and other international standards to effectively implement the new gender sensitive legislative amendments in the area of labour rights of persons from vulnerable/disadvantaged groups.

The Course includes comprehensive curriculum which covers the key concepts, the legal framework of the Council of Europe and the European Union (directly applicable at national level), the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and the European Committee for Social Rights (ECSR) as well as specific areas of labour law.  

Mr Falk Lange, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau highlighted Moldova's strong commitment to European values, emphasising that: "The right to fair and just employment is not merely a legal entitlement; it is a key determinant of social cohesion and stability. As we navigate the complexities of the Moldovan legal framework, we must recognize that by ensuring robust social and labour rights not only the rights of individual workers are protected, but also it contributes to the broader fabric of a just and equitable society."

At the same time, Ms Ecaterina Popa, Ad interim director of the National Institute of Justice and focal point for HELP, expressed enthusiasm for the launch of electronic courses developed by the HELP Program. Ms Popa mentioned that: "The launch of electronic courses developed by the HELP Program of the Council of Europe has become a tradition for the National Institute of Justice which, annually, adapts quality educational tools with the assistance of national HELP certified tutors, trainers of the institution. We have already successfully taken over 21 HELP e-courses intended for NIJ beneficiaries. A valuable resource to our extensive portfolio is the “Labour rights as human rights” - an essential training program for professionals to cultivate a deep understanding of the European Social Charter and its application at national level."

Ms Tatiana Puiu, Vice-president of the European Committee for Social Rights, welcomed the increased attention paid by participants to social rights and the European Social Charter system. She emphasised that: “Public authorities have a clear obligation to take all necessary measures to implement the European Social Charter, and courts are empowered to apply directly the provisions of self-executing international treaties. Today's event represents an excellent opportunity for direct engagement of judges and prosecutors in the field of social rights, or actors in the field of justice should apply the paragraphs of the revised European Social Charter that the Republic of Moldova has accepted in all cases where this is possible”.

The national tutors, Ms Olga Marandici and Ms Viorica Verdes, highlighted the course’s objectives, national adaptation process, activities for the trainees on the platform, and the evaluation methods and criteria.

 “This event is organized within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2021-2024, and the project "Enhancing Employment Rights in the Republic of Moldova" which is co-funded by the Austrian Development Agency and the Council of Europe.”