Recruiting and retaining qualified and honest judges and prosecutors has become a challenge in the Republic of Moldova, partially due to the ongoing vetting process. As has been the case with judges, the increase in prosecution vacancies, retirements and resignations has led to heavy workloads and delayed court proceedings.

This matters because increasing the number of qualified and honest prosecutors and judges would contribute to reducing courts’ backlogs, which should in turn improve the performance and independence of the justice system, as an important milestone in the Republic of Moldova’s path toward European integration.

In this context, the Council of Europe and the European Union have supported a series of initiatives by the Superior Council of Prosecutors (SCP) and by the Superior Council of Magistrates (SCM) to attract qualified Prosecutors and Judges into the criminal justice system.

In the case of prosecutors, a Study assessing prosecutors' social guarantees in the light of European standards has been developed and endorsed by the SCP in May 2026.

The Study, which was presented at the premises of the Ministry of Justice in Chișinău on 21 October 2026, outlines the evolution of the national regulatory framework on social benefits and guarantees for prosecutors. It also includes recommendations for aligning such regulations with European standards, such as reviewing prosecutors’ salaries to reflect the complexity and risks of their key role in the criminal justice system.

The justice stakeholders’ dialogue that followed, highlighted the importance of social guarantees for strengthening the professional status of prosecutors and their relevance for promoting their functional independence, professional stability, and the attractiveness of the prosecution service. The discussions also provided an opportunity to reflect on future initiatives to consolidate the status of prosecutors, which would in turn contribute to modernising the justice system.

In this context, the Chairperson of the SCP referred to guidance provided in the Opinion no. 21 of the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors on Prosecutors, adopted on 16 October 2026, on the provision of support and safeguards for prosecutors to enable an efficient prosecution service. The Study which recalls the importance of supporting Prosecutors to promote their efficient work, respond to public expectations and serve the rule of law.

The Study and the event presenting it to justice stakeholders were supported by the joint Council of Europe/European Union Project “Support to the Justice Reform in the Republic of Moldova,” which contributes to the implementation of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2025-2028 and to the objectives of the New Democratic Pact for Europe.