Our Mandate

• Representing the Secretary General vis-à-vis the authorities of the Republic of Moldova;
• Promoting and supporting the policies and activities of the Moldovan authorities, as well as those of the Council of Europe bodies, related to Moldova’s membership of the Council of Europe;
• Providing advise, support and co-ordination with national authorities in planning, negotiation and implementation of targeted Council of Europe cooperation activities;
• Maintaining dialogue with all relevant stakeholders, including civil society, with a view of identification of needs for capacity-building interventions.

The main aim is to facilitate, maintain and strengthen working relations between the Council of Europe and the national authorities (mainly government and parliament), regional and local authorities, representatives of civil society, political parties and the media, as well as members of the international community.

The activities of the Office allow the Council of Europe to assist the country in fulfilling its membership commitments and obligations, influence legislative and other reforms, provide expertise in the Organisation’s fields of competence, develop effective training programmes, implement pan-European activities such as thematic campaigns and so on.

The Office strives to target Council of Europe advice and assistance more effectively in support of the process of reform in the Republic of Moldova, particularly in the promotion of democracy and good governance and the promotion and protection of human rights and the rule of law.

Care is taken to coordinate initiatives with our main intergovernmental partners, most importantly the EU, the OSCE, bilateral development agencies and Embassies, as well as the UN and its agencies.

Our added value

The Council of Europe sets the pan-European standards which are legally binding for all our member states.

We have vigorous monitoring mechanisms to assess the observance of these standards as well as efficient enforcement mechanisms.

We make sure that the results of the monitoring procedures are fed into technical assistance and capacity building programmes.

We maintain a constant dialogue with the decision-makers and major stakeholders with a view to the fulfilment of membership requirements.

Office History

Moldova became a member of the Council of Europe on 13 July 1995.

The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova ratified the European Convention on Human Rights on 24 July 1997.

The Council of Europe started its activities  in Chisinau in June 1997.

In October 2002 the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe appointed a Special Representative of the Secretary General in Chisinau.

In December 2010 was signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the Council of Europe concerning the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau and its Legal Status.