The OSCE will become involved to better support Moldovan authorities’ endeavors to combat corruption. This can be deduced from a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly that is quoted by IPN.

For the purpose, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President and Special Representative on Fighting Corruption Irene Charalambides and Prof. Anita Ramasastry, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Combating Corruption, paid a two-day visit to Chisinau. On Monday and Tuesday, they met with representatives of the international community, the Moldovan parliament and government, civil society and the business community to discuss Moldova’s anti-corruption efforts and areas for further improvement.

The two OSCE Special Representatives discussed the good governance challenges and creating a positive investment climate in Moldova with the private sector, chambers of commerce, investment promotion agencies, other relevant actors in Moldova. In their remarks, they emphasized the importance of ensuring the implementation of best practices in promoting government policies to ease doing business, combat corruption, and strengthen co-operation and co-ordination. They also underlined the progress done by the Moldovan authorities in this regard so far.

 “Moldova, like all OSCE countries, has committed to core anti-corruption principles, which provide a solid foundation on which to promote a sound business environment and political stability. To make this a reality, what is needed is sustained political will. The OSCE may play a crucial role in supporting these endeavors,” said the OSCE Special Representatives.

Talks also focused on the effectiveness of existing anti-corruption legislative and institutional frameworks, which should be fully implemented and properly funded. Interlocutors agreed that promoting transparency and ensuring accountability are key prerequisites also in establishing a favorable business and investment climate, which in turn will lead to greater development, political stability and security.

The sides discussed persisting legal and operational challenges and how the OSCE can better support reform efforts in this context, with a special focus on good governance tools and digitalization.

The joint visit, the first of its kind in the context of preventing and fighting corruption, was initiated by the Polish OSCE Chairmanship and ran in parallel to a project organized by the Office of the Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities on promoting good governance and a positive business climate in the OSCE region through digitalization and the use of open data.