On 11 July 2018, the member organizations of the Moldovan National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) expressed their deep concern and indignation regarding the current Government’s shrinking from the responsibility for the failure of the justice sector reform and shifting it to the development partners and civil society.

In the statement, our members draw Government and public opinion’s attention to the fact that the responsibility for justice sector reforms rests only with the national authorities — the Parliament, the Government and, to a large extent, with the judiciary. They also bear responsibility for not using all the tools available to prevent the enforcement of court decisions that attack the fundamental right of citizens to elect and be elected. Dangerous practices have been instituted in the judiciary, and political influence on judges and prosecutors, a common phenomenon for the entire state apparatus, has increased. Our members raise their concern and indignation regarding:

  • the way in which the Cabinet and the Government as a whole has chosen to react to the resolution of the European Parliament of 5 July 2018 and to the EU position on the invalidation of the election results in Chisinau municipality expressed by the EU Ambassadors accredited to the Republic of Moldova and the unprecedented language to which a high-ranking official of the Republic of Moldova has resorted, making unfair accusations regarding the way of the EU Delegation to Chisinau is informing the European officials, even giving instructions to foreign diplomats regarding what kind of information they should send to the EU institutions.
  • the Government’s shrinking from the responsibility for the state of affairs in the justice sector, shifting the responsibility for the failures of the justice sector reform to development partners and civil society representatives. The remarks about the responsibility of the European partners and civil society for the lack of progress in the reform of the justice sector are unacceptable, as progress has not been achieved mainly due to lack of political will or, even worse, due to a bad political will.

In this context, our members urge the Government and all the authorities of the Republic of Moldova to respect European values and to abandon the practices established in recent years contrary to these values.