Falk LANGE, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, underlined the importance of the conference in the openings and the support offered by the Council of Europe to the national electoral stakeholders within the Council of Europe 2025-2028 Action Plan for Moldova: "We are supporting now elections observation by the civil society observers abroad, in the diaspora. Also, he stressed the importance “of putting into practice the first-ever international legally binding Framework convention aimed at ensuring the respect of human rights, the rule of law and democracy legal standards in artificial intelligence systems in 2024”.
This year’s agenda spotlighted the growing impact of digital technologies on democratic systems and the integrity of elections. Discussions explored pressing issues such as the strengthening oversight of party financing, including online, foreign influence, the role of cryptocurrencies in politics, online disinformation, third-party donations, vote buying, and emerging cross-border threats to electoral integrity.
Ms Veronika Bilkova, Vice-President of the Venice Commission and Mr Yves-Marie Doublet, GRECO expert, shared insights on how European countries are working to prevent foreign interference and fight disinformation during and between elections, as well as European bodies’ efforts to regulating the use of cryptocurrency in public life, including electoral funding. Council of Europe senior election expert, Vladimir Misev, provided a comparative look at persistent and emerging challenges in regulation of campaign finance in the Council of Europe Member States.
In her concluding remarks, Ms Liri Kopaçi-Di Michele, Head of the Parliamentary and Electoral Cooperation Division of the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), recalled the relevance of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Recommendation Rec(2003)4b on common rules against corruption in the funding of political parties and electoral campaigns, along with the related recommendations of GRECO, the Venice Commission, and PACE.The conference concluded with participants outlining key recommendations for national authorities, political parties, social platforms, and civil society aimed at p enhancing transparency and accountability in online campaigning and political financing, particularly in the lead-up to the September 2025 Parliamentary election in the Republic of Moldova.
The event was carried out within the Project ”Improving Electoral Practice in the Republic of Moldova (IEPRM) 2025-2028”, part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2025-2028, in cooperation with the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.
