On 26 - 27 June 2025, the Ombudsperson of the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Ceslav Panico, and 10 representatives of the Ombudsperson’s Office of the Republic of Moldova visited the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg. The visit aimed at further strengthening the institution’s cooperation with European human rights bodies.
The delegation of the Ombudsperson’s Office met with Council of Europe’s Cooperation Programmes Division and held a series of high-level meetings and in-depth discussions with key counterparts.
The judge of the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Moldova shared insights on the Court’s jurisprudence and the role of national human rights institutions in supporting the implementation of its judgments.
The exchange with the Director of the Secretariat of the Venice Commission focused on the democratic standards related to the functioning of the Ombudsperson’s Offices. In particular, the Venice Principles for Ombudspersons were discussed, highlighting the importance of independent and effective national human rights institutions.
Representatives of the Office of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights discussed shared priorities in the work with the Ombudsperson’s Office and explored possible approaches in the promotion and protection of human rights.
The meeting with the Executive Secretary of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) focused on strengthening the national preventive mechanisms and enhancing protection against ill-treatment.
Besides, the delegation met with representatives of the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, which provided an opportunity to share experiences, to discuss challenges and best practices in the execution of the Court judgments at the national level.
The visit also included meetings with the Steering Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Lanzarote Committee, the Committee on Artificial Intelligence. These exchanges facilitated a rich dialogue on emerging human rights challenges and opened avenues for future cooperation between the Council of Europe and the Ombudsperson’s Office of the Republic of Moldova.
This visit is part of the ongoing Council of Europe project “Support to the Office of the Ombudsperson in the Protection of Human Rights in the Republic of Moldova - Phase I” aimed at enhancing the institutional capacities of the Ombudsman’s Office, with a particular focus on strengthening its interaction with the European human rights system.