15/12/2022 Monitoring
PACE’s Monitoring Committee has welcomed the far-reaching reforms undertaken by the Republic of Moldova to consolidate its democratic institutions, in spite of “the difficulty and challenges” involved.
Approving a draft resolution based on a report by Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC) and Inese Lībiņa-Egnere (Latvia, EPP/CD), the committee pointed out that – for the first time in its history – Moldova was governed by “a stable parliamentary majority held by a single party” and had electoral support for its efforts to eradicate corruption and build transparent state institutions.
The reform process was “a huge challenge, without any ready-made solution”, the committee acknowledged, while urging the authorities to ensure the changes were made in accordance with the rule of law and Council of Europe standards. It called on Council of Europe member States to provide humanitarian and financial assistance.
The parliamentarians also commended the authorities’ efforts to manage multiple crises – the outbreak of war in neighbouring Ukraine, dealing with Covid-19, the energy crisis and high inflation rates – and applauded the “solidarity and resilience shown by the Moldovan people”.
The EU’s decision to grant candidate country status to the Republic of Moldova was “a powerful response to the electorate’s aspiration to join the EU and the country’s efforts to shore up its democracy”, they added.
The committee set out a list of recommendations to the authorities in the fields of democracy, the rule of law and human rights, and resolved to observe how the situation develops through its monitoring procedure.