Council of Europe support to criminal justice reforms in the Republic of Moldova
It’s twenty years since Moldova undertook, upon accession to the Council of Europe, to fulfil a number of specific commitments laid out in PACE Opinion No. 188 (1995).
The Council of Europe appreciates the considerable steps taken by the Moldovan authorities in recent years to reform the justice sector. Several important strategic documents have been adopted, among which the Strategy for Justice Sector Reform 2011-2016 (JSRS), seen as a road map for building an accessible, efficient, independent and transparent justice sector in line with European and other international standards.
The Council of Europe provided expert assessment on the concept, structure and concrete provisions of the JSRS, and continues to support its implementation. Council of Europe standards are of the utmost relevance with regard to reform of specific areas of the justice sector. Among the Republic of Moldova’s remaining accession commitments to the Council of Europe and the reform pending its implementation under the Strategy, is reform of the role, organisation and functions of the Public Prosecutor’s Office to meet Council of Europe standards.
Conducting specific criminal justice and human rights reforms is challenging in scope and complexity. In close consultation with the Moldovan Government, the Council of Europe has launched an important 3-year cooperation Project “Support to Criminal Justice Reforms in the Republic of Moldova”, funded by the Government of Denmark. Its specific objectives focus on: 1) enhancement of the key stakeholders’ capacities to ensure the compliance of the criminal justice sector legislation with European standards and support to be provided to the institutional reform of the Public Prosecution Service; 2) development of the institutional capacity to implement the mandates of the Ombudsman and the National Preventive Mechanism; and 3) strengthening of institutional capacities aimed at preventing and ensuring remedial action in cases of ill-treatment. The Project is part of the Council of Europe Action Plan to Support Democratic Reforms in the Republic of Moldova, 2013-2016 and provides support to Moldovan authorities for implementation of the reforms under the pillars “Criminal Justice” and “Ensuring protection of human rights in the justice sector” of the JSRS.
The Project was launched in Chisinau, Moldova on 15 July, 2015 with the participation of the high-level national authorities, justice sector stakeholders, representatives of civil society and international organisations.
*An executive summary of the Project, the agenda of the launching event and the expert comments on the revised draft Law on the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Moldova are attached. Executive summary of the Project
**Live broadcasting of the Launching event: http://realitatealive.md/live--lansarea-proiectului-consiliului-europei-----sustinerea-reformei-justitiei-penale-in-republica-moldova---_23850.html |
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 22 July 2015 20:04 |
Chisinau, 17 July, 2015 
