Becoming a member of the European family implies full acceptance and implementation of its standards – Vladimir Ristovski

The statements of the ruling coalition, according to which Moldova is part of the European family of nations, must be proved by the full acceptance and proper implementation of the European standards and requirements, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to Moldova Vladimir Ristovski told a news conference on Friday, March 16. In this respect, the European official says it is very regrettable that certain important pieces of legislation have not been submitted by Moldova to CoE’s expert examination. In addition, Ristovski says that for those draft laws which were submitted to CoE’s expertise, “we can not exclude the possibility for eventual selective approach in implementation of recommendations”, and this fact can lead in an endless process of amending the legislation. Ristovski underlined that when authorities announce that certain legislative tasks are fulfilled, they should also be responsible for the quality of the adopted legislation. “Consequently, I hope that this year all the draft laws which are under the competence of the Council of Europe will be submitted for expert examination to our organisation”, Ristovski said. The official emphasised that the creation of a proper legislative framework is certainly important, but it is not enough, as its effective implementation into practice is key. Referring to the media situation in Moldova, Ristovski said that the heads of the diplomatic missions and the international community will continue to closely observe the evolutions in this field, especially in the upcoming local elections. On the other hand, Ristovski urged the media to be professional during the elections. First of all, these obligations refer to free access of all candidates, in order to give citizens the possibility to make a conscious choice. The special representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to Moldova issued together with other 13 diplomatic missions accredited in Chisinau a joint statement by means of which they express their concern over the freedom of media in Moldova. The signatories call on Moldova to adhere fully to its obligations to the OSCE, EU and Council of Europe as well as other international commitments and on all bodies concerned to implement fully international standards on media freedom, so that the Moldovan people receive the free and unfettered the views of all sides in the election campaign. “The lack of changes might make Moldova fail in fulfilling its international commitments”.