“We reiterate the Republic of Moldova’s determination to defend and promote the common values and principles of the Council of Europe and express our confidence that at the next anniversary, we will be able to look with pride at the common accomplishments, for the benefit of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova and so as to achieve our European desideratum,” says Prime Minister Ion Chicu’s message on the 25th anniversary of Moldova’s accession to the Council of Europe. He noted this is a suitable moment for reflections, for reaffirming the desiderata of the young republic on the moment of accession – to become a state with solid democratic institutions based on the rule of law and observance of the basic human rights, IPN reports.
The message says that since the beginning, the Republic of Moldova has seen a reliable partner in the Council of Europe, which continues to be one of the main sources of valuable expertise in the internal reformation processes.
“I’m glad to ascertain that the Republic of Moldova has always benefitted from the Council of Europe’s support and understanding, the counseling of European experts, including through the agency of the Venice Commission, in making laws according to democratic standards and also guidelines both in more peaceful periods and in more tumultuous periods of the national political life. In this connection, we can also mention the valuable know-how on the supreme law, functioning of the judicial system, ensuring of the rights of minorities, strengthening of the local public administration, etc.” stated Premier Chicu.
According to him, besides being a political objective of any government, the continuous fulfillment of the commitments undertaken before the Council of Europe is a considerable jump in the country’s development, which is conditional upon by the existence of an independent justice system, zero tolerance of corruption, where each person can trust that their rights will be respected and protected.
“Therefore, we profoundly appreciate the Council of Europe’s assistance provided based on action plans for the Republic of Moldova and on joint programs of the Council of Europe and the European Union. From the position of Prime Minister, I want to thank the Secretary General of the Council of Europe for the creation and operation of the high-level ad-hoc working group of the Council of Europe on the justice sector reform, which, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, has been near us in advancing the processes of amending the constitutional provisions concerning the Superior Council of Magistracy and in finalizing the draft strategy for ensuring the independence and integrity of the justice sector reform for 2020-2023 and its action plan. These steps are decisive in the agenda of internal transformations and in the European integration path covered by the Republic of Moldova,” runs the message.
On July 13, 1995, Moldova signed the documents to join the Council of Europe, becoming thus the 36th member of the organization and taking the first step towards integration into the European system of values. The European Convention on Human Rights was signed the same day.
