A new Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova will be implemented as of January 1, 2021. The document defines the cooperation priorities for the next four years and aims to support the democratic reforms and the implementation of the CoE standards on democracy, the rule of law and observance of human rights. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe approved the new Plan following consultations with the Moldovan authorities, IPN reports.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, based on the Action Plan the Council of Europe will offer assistance in doing the justice sector reform aimed at ensuring the integrity and independence of the justice system players and also transparency, accountability and efficiency in the sector. It will also provide assistance in reforming the penal system and the penitentiary system so as to prevent the use of torture and ill-treatment, to fight corruption and money laundering, to ensure the freedom of assembly, to combat discrimination, hate speech and hate crime and to strengthen the independence of the media, especially with reference to the regulatory agency and the public broadcaster.

The activities in the electoral sector and in fighting of violence against children will also be continued. A special chapter is devoted to the building of confidence between the two banks of the Nistru.

There were identified and agreed areas whose strengthening necessitates additional common and sustained efforts on the part of the Council of Europe. Among these are legal assistance, mediation and reconciliation in penal matters, fighting of trafficking in human beings, social rights and human rights in the health sector, local administration, prevention and fighting of violence against women.