On 27 November 2025, the Council of Europe Project “Further strengthening the prison and probation systems, the provision of health care and the treatment of patients in closed institutions in the Republic of Moldova”  held its 2nd Steering Committee meeting, with 30 participants, including representatives from the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, the National Administration of Penitentiaries, and the National Probation Inspectorate and observers from Ministry Labour and Social Protection and National Health Insurance Company.

Participants reviewed the progress achieved in 2025 across the fields of criminal justice and public health, while jointly outlining the key priorities to be addressed by the Project in the first half of 2026. Throughout the year, the project strengthened institutional capacities for dealing with violent offenders in probation and the rehabilitation of prisoners with alcohol dependency. Both systems also advanced in applying risk and needs assessment and translating them into individualised rehabilitation plans for offenders, while the National Probation Inspectorate was also equipped with, and trained to apply a new methodology for measuring post-probation reintegration rates. Prison medical and non-medical staff strengthened their ability to manage critical health-care challenges and addressing ethical dilemmas in line with CPT recommendations.

In his opening speech, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, Falk Lange, emphasised the strong working relationship and engagement of all Project partners, and underlined that these joint efforts have already materialised in several endorsed recommendations and progress in many areas. He reiterated the Council of Europe continuous commitment to further support initiatives aimed at improving the observance of human rights in closed institutions in the Republic of Moldova.

Following the discussions on priorities for the project's activity in the next implementation phase, the Steering Committee endorsed the operational Work Plan for January-June 2026.

The Project has a duration of 4 years and is implemented as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova for 2025-2028.

Building on the achievements of the previous Council of Europe interventions, the Project aims at further modernising the prison management practices, improving the quality of prisoners’ health care (including mental health), strengthening the capacity of the probation system, and enhancing the treatment of patients in psychiatric institutions, including forensic patients.