A number of civil society organizations have expressed their concern over an Emergency Situations Commission decree of 10 May that limits the duration of stay for foreigners entitled to temporary protection to 90 days during a period of 180 days. In a joint public statement, the organizations say the move will increase the vulnerability of people who have sought refuge in Moldova because of the Ukraine war.

According to the signatories, the decision will put an unnecessary strain on the General Inspectorate for Migration, which will be unable to process an increasing number of applications, thus leading to a higher risk of refugees being sanctioned for illegal stay, just because they failed to obtain a status regardless of their willingness to do so. And in the absence of an effective mechanism for managing cases of non-compliance with the 90-day deadline, conditions are created for the violation of refugees’ rights.

As a result, there is considerable risk that refugees with an expired term of stay and without a legal status in Moldova, returning to Ukraine for a short period of time (for various reasons, including medical, documentation, work, etc.), will then be denied re-entry to Moldova and the right to stay in our territory, which will amount to a violation of the right to life, an absolute right, argue the signatory organizations.

The civil society organizations also complain of deficiencies in the procedures for granting temporary protection and other forms of asylum, due to overly rigorous and impossible requirements for a number of categories of displaced persons. For refugees in rural areas, located far from local public authorities, for people from vulnerable groups (elderly, people with special needs, Roma and other vulnerable groups) imposing conditions for presenting documents, especially those confirming residence, in view of receiving the status of temporary protection, is a burden created independently of their will.

“All these conditions will generate situations of illegal stay in the territory of the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, the impossibility of returning home due to the war will increase their degree of vulnerability, as well as the risk of becoming victims of acts of corruption and organized crime”, the statement reads.

The signatories request that the CSE decree be suspended so that refugees from Ukraine could enjoy sufficient conditions and leverage to ensure their fundamental rights and security.

The signatory organizations include the Center for Policies, Initiatives and Research PLATFORMA, Active Communities for Participatory Democracy (CADP), the Center for Policies and Reforms (CPR), the Roma Women’s Platform ROMNI, the Coalition for Inclusion and Non-discrimination, the Citizen Initiative Moldova for Peace, and My City Hall.

Earlier, the Moldovan authorities ruled that, from March 2023, refugees from Ukraine can receive temporary protection in the Republic of Moldova for a period of one year.