During 20 years of the signing of the European Convention on Human Rights, Moldova has advanced a lot, but not enough and the implementation of the ECHR’s judgments in cases concerning the Eastern districts of the county, which are not controlled by the constitutional authorities, remains difficult, Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu said in an event held by the Constitutional Court to celebrate the 20th anniversary, IPN reports.

“Most of the inhabitants of Transnistria are citizens of the Republic of Moldova. That’s why we are profoundly concerned and look for solutions to ensure the observance of the rights of the people from the region,” stated the Speaker, noting that the government’s efforts will continue to be aimed at improving the system so as to ensure exemplary and coherent implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights and full execution of the ECHR decisions.

According to Andrian Candu, a series of important laws designed to guarantee the independence and efficiency of justice and the law enforcement agencies were adopted during the last few years. The constant decline in the number of complaints to the ECHR is a relevant indicator. The Parliament’s priority the current session is to monitor the implementation of reforms and to review, if necessary, the current provisions and adjust the legislation to the European standards.

In the event, president of the Constitutional Court Tudor Pantiru underlined the importance of joining the Convention, saying this act resulted in incommensurable benefits. The complexity of the efforts made to meet the European standards led to the Constitutional Court’s admission into the ECHR’s Superior Courts Networks and to its election as the holder of the presidency of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts for 2020-2023.

Minister of Justice Vladimir Cebotari said that after the Convention started to be implemented, the national authorities began to perceive it as a catalogue of imperative values that seldom allow for derogation. Moreover, owing to the implementation of the Convention, new mechanisms were created in Moldova, such as the Council for the Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination and Ensuring of Equality, while the existing ones were strengthened, including the Office of the People’s Ombudsperson.

President of the European Court of Human Rights Guido Raimondi, the guest of honor of the event, gave a speech, saying that given that the Constitutional Court examines 70% of the cases that refer to human rights, this can be considered an authentic human rights tribunal.