COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Republic of Moldova 2024 Report Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF REGIONS 2024 Communication on EU enlargement policy
Date: 2024-10-30
Institutions: Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission
Subjects: Moldova, accession criteria, accession negotiations, pre-accession strategy, regional cooperation

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 30.10.2024  SWD(2024) 698 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Republic of Moldova 2024 Report Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF REGIONS 2024 Communication on EU enlargement policy                             {COM(2024) 690 final} - {SWD(2024) 690 final} - {SWD(2024) 691 final} - {SWD(2024) 692 final} - {SWD(2024) 693 final} - {SWD(2024) 694 final} - {SWD(2024) 695 final} - {SWD(2024) 696 final} - {SWD(2024) 697 final} - {SWD(2024) 699 final}  
 
 
Contents 

1. 

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................3 

1.1.  Context  3 
1.2.  Main findings of the report .........................................................................................................4 
State of play of the accession negotiations ............................................................................... 20 
1.3. 

2. 

CLUSTER 1: THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE ACCESSION PROCESS...................................... 21 

2.1. 

Functioning of democratic institutions and public administration reform................................ 21 
2.1.1 Democracy ...................................................................................................................... 21 
2.1.2 Public administration reform ........................................................................................... 24 
2.2.  Rule of law and fundamental rights ......................................................................................... 26 
2.2.1. Chapter 23: Judiciary and fundamental rights ................................................................ 26 
2.2.2. Chapter 24: Justice, freedom and security ...................................................................... 41 
Economic criteria ..................................................................................................................... 49 
2.3.1. The existence of a functioning market economy ............................................................ 49 
2.3.2. The capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the EU ........ 54 
Public procurement, statistics,  financial control ...................................................................... 55 
Chapter 5: Public procurement ................................................................................................. 55 
Chapter 18: Statistics ................................................................................................................ 56 
Chapter 32: Financial control ................................................................................................... 58 

2.4. 

2.3. 

3.  GOOD NEIGHBOURLY RELATIONS AND REGIONAL COOPERATION ................................. 59 

4.  ABILITY TO ASSUME THE OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERSHIP ................................................. 60 

Cluster 2: Internal Market .................................................................................................................... 60 
Chapter 1: Free movement of goods ........................................................................................ 60 
Chapter 2: Freedom of movement for workers ........................................................................ 61 
Chapter 3: Right of establishment and freedom to provide services ........................................ 62 
Chapter 4: Free movement of capital ....................................................................................... 62 
Chapter 6: Company law .......................................................................................................... 63 
Chapter 7: Intellectual property law ......................................................................................... 64 
Chapter 8: Competition policy ................................................................................................. 64 
Chapter 9: Financial services ................................................................................................... 65 
Chapter 28: Consumer and health protection ........................................................................... 66 
Cluster 3: Competitiveness and inclusive growth ................................................................................ 68 
Chapter 10: Digital transformation and media ......................................................................... 68 
Chapter 16: Taxation ................................................................................................................ 69 
Chapter 17: Economic and monetary policy ............................................................................ 70 
Chapter 19: Social policy and employment .............................................................................. 71 
Chapter 20: Enterprise and industrial policy ............................................................................ 73 
Chapter 25: Science and research ............................................................................................. 74 
Chapter 26: Education and culture ........................................................................................... 74 
Chapter 29: Customs union ...................................................................................................... 76 
Cluster 4: The Green Agenda and sustainable connectivity ................................................................. 77 

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Chapter 14: Transport policy .................................................................................................... 77 
Chapter 15: Energy .................................................................................................................. 78 
Chapter 21: Trans-European networks ..................................................................................... 80 
Chapter 27: Environment and climate change .......................................................................... 81 
Cluster 5: Resources, agriculture and cohesion.................................................................................... 83 
Chapter 11: Agriculture and rural development ....................................................................... 83 
Chapter 12: Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy ................................................. 84 
Chapter 13: Fisheries and aquaculture ..................................................................................... 85 
Chapter 22: Regional policy and coordination of structural instruments ................................. 86 
Chapter 33: Financial and budgetary provisions ...................................................................... 87 
Cluster 6: External relations ................................................................................................................. 87 
Chapter 30: External relations .................................................................................................. 87 
Chapter 31: Foreign, security and defence policy .................................................................... 88 
Annex I – Relations between the EU and Moldova ............................................................................. 90 
Annex II – Statistical data .................................................................................................................... 92 

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1.  INTRODUCTION1 

CONTEXT 

On  3 March  2022,  the  Republic  of  Moldova  (‘Moldova’)  applied  for  EU  membership.  Following  the 
Commission’s recommendation in November 2023, the European Council decided in December 2023 to 
open accession negotiations with Moldova. Since Moldova met the three remaining steps set out in the 
Commission  recommendations  of  November  2023,  in  June  2024  the  Council  adopted  the  negotiating 
framework.  The  first  Intergovernmental  Conference  marking  the  formal  launch  of  the  accession 
negotiations was held on 25 June 2024 and the Commission started the bilateral phase of the screening 
process immediately after in July 2024. A national referendum to anchor EU integration in the Moldovan 
Constitution took place together with the presidential election on 20 October 2024. The proposal to enshrine 
EU accession in the Constitution was supported by 50,38% of voters. A second round of the presidential 
election will be held on 3 November, between the two candidates who scored the highest in the first round.   

Moldova has continued to progress on the path to EU accession. It has shown resilience while continuing 
to cope with the unprecedented challenges resulting from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and 
intensified hybrid actions from Russia and its proxies seeking to destabilise the country. Moldova continued 
to accommodate large numbers of refugees and had to contain inflationary pressure, linked also to ongoing 
threats to its energy supplies and security. Reflecting growing bilateral engagement, in May 2024, the EU 
and Moldova signed a Security and Defence Partnership to enhance resilience of the country and address 
joint challenges.   

On 9 October 2024, the Commission adopted a Communication2 and a proposal for a Regulation3 on the 
Moldova  Growth  Plan  to  accelerate  the  reform  processes,  boost  socio-economic  growth  and  tap  the 
potential  of  gradual  access  to  the  single  market.  Moldova  continues  to  implement  the  EU-Moldova 
Association Agreement (AA), including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). 

The EU remains fully committed to Moldova’s territorial integrity and to the peaceful resolution of conflict, 
based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova in its internationally recognised borders, with 
a special status for the Transnistrian region. The DCFTA applies to the entire territory of Moldova. 

MAIN FINDINGS OF THE REPORT4 

CLUSTER 1: THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE ACCESSION PROCESS 

1 The 2024 report is presented in a renewed format and structure. Main findings of the report, together with the recommendations 
(previously grey assessment boxes) are brought together at the beginning of the report. Furthermore, under the fundamentals cluster, 
for better readability and comparability across all reports, certain data is provided (also) in the form of graphs. 
2 COM(2024) 470 final 
3 COM(2024) 469 final 
4 This report covers the period from 15 June 2023 to 1 September 2024. It is based on input from a variety of sources, including 
contributions from the government of the Republic of Moldova, EU Member States, European Parliament reports and information 
3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Democracy 

The  conduct  of  the  elections  is  mostly  satisfactory.  The  first  round  of  the  presidential  election  and  the 
constitutional  referendum  on  EU  accession  held  on  20  October  were  well-managed  according  to 
OSCE/ODHIR. Local elections were held under the provisions of the new Electoral Code, which had been 
aligned to a large extent with international standards. Due to hostile foreign interference, the Electoral Code 
was later modified to introduce the possibility to impose electoral bans. Guarantees for procedural rights 
and  individualised  assessment  were  not  sufficiently  developed.  De-registration  of  candidates,  that  took 
place shortly before the elections, was not in line with international standards. These amendments were 
later declared unconstitutional.  Moldova should continue to engage with the Venice Commission and the 
OSCE/ODIHR  on  any  potential  changes  to  the  Electoral  Code  and  other  relevant  legislation  or  action 
affecting the electoral process. Moldova should further strive to align its electoral processes with the highest 
democratic  standards,  such  as  the  ones  highlighted  in  Commission  Recommendation5  on  inclusive  and 
resilient electoral processes. Foreign interference in electoral processes remains a concern. 

Parliament can exercise its powers in a broadly satisfactory way. The institution should further strengthen 
the exercise of its oversight functions to improve government accountability. Building on recent positive 
steps, action should continue to provide longer consultation deadlines and advance publication of draft laws 
and  accompanying  documents.  The  process  of  amending  Parliament’s  rules  of  procedures  should  be 
accelerated. 

The  institutions  in  charge  of  the  EU  integration  process  are  in  place.  Moldova  created  the  position  of 
Deputy  Prime  Minister  for  European  Integration  and  appointed  a  chief  negotiator.    Going  forward,  the 
government needs to further strengthen the capacity of its EU coordination structures and engage in stronger 
public communication on the EU accession process. 

The  government  continued  implementing  policies  aimed  at  speeding  up  European  integration,  while 
countering  hybrid  activities  and  destabilisation  attempts  by  Russia.  Steps  were  taken  to  improve 
coordination mechanisms for policy planning and to increase the transparency of decision-making. Better 
coherence should be achieved across major policy objectives, and regulatory policies should be applied 
efficiently across all levels of government. The limited capacity of public administration puts a limit on 
consistent  and  efficient  policy  implementation.  Implementation  of  the  local  government  reform  should 
continue. 

Civil  society organisations (CSOs) in  Moldova  operate  in  a  broadly  enabling  environment.  Overall,  the 
transparency  of  the  decision-making  process  and  the  involvement  of  CSOs  have  improved  but  further 
efforts are needed to increase meaningful participation. 

Public administration reform  

Moldova has some level of preparation in the area of public administration reform and some progress 
has  been  made.  In  particular,  the  law  and  the  methodology  of  voluntary  amalgamation  of  the  local 
government  units  were  adopted  in  the  second  half  of  2023,  but  the  pace  of  implementation  should  be 
accelerated.  

from various international and non-governmental organisations. It also includes the results of comparative assessments and indices 
produced by other stakeholders, in particular in the area of rule of law. 
The report uses the following assessment scale to describe the state of play: early stage, some level of preparation, moderately 
prepared, good level of preparation and well advanced. To describe progress made during the reporting period, it uses the following 
scale: backsliding, no progress, limited progress, some progress, good progress and very good progress. Where appropriate, interim 
steps have also been used. 
5 Commission Recommendation(EU) 2023/2829 of 12 December 2023 

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The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should, in particular: 

→  continue  implementing the  public  administration  strategy, including  a credible  process of  voluntary 

amalgamation; 

→  design and approve an overall policy and legislation on reforming the central public institutions, with 
a detailed roadmap for gradual implementation and for professionalising the civil service and merit-
based human resources policies; 

→  improve  compliance  with  the  budget  calendar  and  strengthen  programme-based  budgeting  by 

specifying budget programmes and reducing the budget for ‘General Actions’. 

Chapter 23: Judiciary and fundamental rights 

Moldova has some level of preparation and has made some progress in the area of judiciary, fight against 
corruption and fundamental rights. 

Functioning of the judiciary 

Moldova has some level of preparation in the area of the judiciary. The country made some progress in 
reforming the justice sector. Progress was achieved on vetting and appointing top judges and prosecutors. 
The two main self-governing judicial and prosecutorial bodies are fully functional in a new composition, 
with 11 out of 12 members of the Superior Council of Magistracy and all members of the Superior Council 
of Prosecutors appointed. A new vetted Prosecutor General was appointed, and first appointments to the 
Supreme Court of Justice took place. A new judicial map has been drawn up by law to improve the network 
of  courts in  the  country;  its  implementation  is  pending.  Vetting  for  the  four  specialised  colleges  of  the 
judicial and prosecutorial governance bodies is ongoing, no appointments have been made yet. The length 
of proceedings and low clearance rates hampers the efficiency of the justice system. 

The  Commission’s  recommendations  from  last  year  were  mostly  implemented.  In  the  coming  year, 
Moldova should, in particular: 

→  continue making progress on the vetting process and on appointing top judges and prosecutors in line 
with European standards, especially the remaining member of the Superior Council of Magistracy and 
the Supreme Court of Justice, and the members of the four specialised bodies of the Superior Councils 
of Magistracy and of Prosecutors; 

→  improve the functioning of the National Institute of Justice by implementing all the outstanding 2022 
TAIEX recommendations, develop human resource strategies for the judiciary and prosecution services 
and pursue implementation of the judicial map;  

→  Improve significantly clearance rates and disposition time in the courts. 

Fight against corruption 

Moldova has some level of preparation in the fight against corruption and has achieved some progress in 
the fight against and prevention of corruption. The country has improved its track record in the fight against 
corruption.  The  National  Integrity  and  Anticorruption  Programme  for  2024-2028  entered  into  force  in 
February 2024. Repeated public disputes among key anti-corruption and justice institutions could impact 
the efficiency of the processes and adversely affect the trust in the reform. Targeted risk assessments and 
specific measures are needed to tackle corruption in the most vulnerable sectors. 

The Commission’s recommendations from last year were partly implemented. In the coming year, Moldova 
should, in particular: 

5 

 
 
 
 
→  ensure  proactive  and  efficient  anti-corruption  investigations  leading  to  a  positive  track  record  of 

prosecutions and convictions at all levels; 

→  step  up  cooperation  between  the  Anti-corruption  Prosecutor’s  Office,  the  National  Anticorruption 
Centre and law enforcement agencies; continuously monitor capacities of all institutions engaged in 
anti-corruption processes in carrying out their competences and provide sufficient resources for their 
functioning; 

→  Implement the ODIHR opinion and guidance on transparency and accountability and pending Group 
of  States  against  Corruption  (GRECO)  recommendations,  including  as  regards  strengthening  the 
capacity and improve the functioning of the National Integrity Authority (NIA) to effectively verify the 
assets and personal interests of high-level public officials. 

Fundamental rights 

The legislative and institutional framework is largely in place. Moldova adopted a new national human 
rights  action  programme.  Detention  conditions  remain  a  concern,  as  does  the  treatment  of  people  with 
mental disabilities in state care. There is a renewed effort to combat gender-based violence. 

 The Commission’s recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain broadly valid. 

In the coming year, Moldova should, in particular: 

→ improve interinstitutional cooperation, especially with the Equality Council and the People’s Advocate 

as well as ensuring adequate resources; 

→ take steps to improve detention conditions and address all the recommendations of the 2023 report of 
the Committee on the Prevention of Torture, and towards improving the medical treatment given to 
vulnerable groups in the state’s care; 

→ continue implementation of the national programmes on preventing and combating domestic violence 

and violence against women, gender equality and in support of the Roma6 population.   

Freedom of expression 

Moldova has some level of preparation in freedom of expression and has made some progress notably 
by adopting new legislation on access to information, media ownership concentration and establishing a 
media subsidy fund. In practice, issues such as ownership concentration and political influence persist. The 
intimidation of journalists continues and no notable progress has been made on journalist protection. Efforts 
to  counter  foreign  interference  and  information  manipulation  (FIMI)  must  be  in  line  with  international 
standards on freedom of expression and opinion. 

The Commission’s recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should, in particular: 

→  review  the  rules  for  selecting  members  of  public  media  institutions  such  as  the  public  service 

broadcaster and the Audiovisual Council; 

→  extend  the  ownership  transparency  requirements  to  online  and  print  media;  review  the  national 
mechanism allowing the suspension of TV channels under the law on strategic investment to bring it 
in line with EU and international standards; 

6 In line with the terminology of European institutions the umbrella term ‘Roma’ is used here to refer to a number of different 
groups, without denying the specificities of these groups. 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
→  ensure adequate protection of journalists against intimidation and attacks, including by thorough law 

enforcement investigations. 

Chapter 24: Justice, freedom and security 

Moldova has some level of preparation in aligning with the EU acquis in the area of justice, freedom and 
security. Some progress was made during the reporting period by adopting a national security strategy and 
a new national strategy on trafficking in human beings. There is scope to extend the use of existing tools 
and mechanisms for information exchange and operational cooperation. 

The Commission’s recommendations from last year were partially met and remain valid. In the coming 
year, Moldova should, in particular: 

→  continue  improving  interinstitutional  cooperation  and  coordination,  strengthen  institutional  capacity 
and sharing information in the area of security to ensure effective prevention and response capabilities, 
including in a crisis; 

→  strengthen the legal framework and institutional capacity for assessing risks and fighting cybercrime; 

→  update  national  strategic  documents  in  line  with  the  national  security  strategy  and  adopt  a  national 

serious organised crime threat assessment (SOCTA). 

Fight against organised crime 

Moldova has some level of preparation and has made some progress in implementing the EU acquis in 
this area, in particular by tackling financial crime and the recovery of assets.  

Moldova continued to progress in the fight against arms trafficking, drugs and trafficking in human beings 
and migrant smuggling. In September 2023, it adopted the new strategy and its related action plan to combat 
human trafficking 2024-2028. 

The Commission’s recommendations from last year were partially met and remain valid. In the coming 
year, Moldova should, in particular: 

→  continue  strengthening  the  fight  against  organised  crime,  including  through  cooperation  with  EU 
Member States and EU institutions and agencies, such as Frontex and Europol, the European Union 
Agency  for  Law  Enforcement  Training  (CEPOL),  the  European  Drugs  Agency  (EUDA)  and 
cooperation under the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) and 
the EU-Moldova Support Hub for Internal Security and Border Management; 

→  continue to increase and improve data exchange via SIENA and related collection, analysis and sharing 

across services, supported through the proactive use of information exchange tools; 

→  operationalise the national focal point on arms and establish an early warning system on drugs. 

ECONOMIC CRITERIA  

The existence of a functioning market economy 

Moldova is between an early stage of preparation and having some level of preparation and has made 
some  progress  in  establishing  a  functioning  market  economy.  The  authorities  remain  committed  to 
pursuing  macroeconomic  stability  and  economic  reforms  and  published  the  country’s  first  Economic 
Reform Programme.  

7 

 
 
 
 
 
However, the 2023 dismissal of the governor of the National Bank of Moldova raised some concerns about 
good  governance.  Significant  steps  were  taken  to  improve  the  execution  of  public  investment,  and  the 
government started to pursue critical reforms to increase the labour participation rate, including to increase 
the share of women in the workforce. The banking sector remains well capitalised and stable.  

Nevertheless, major structural challenges remain, including high levels of undeclared work and weak rule 
of law. Reforms in areas such as state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are still pending. 

Moldova  has  made  progress  on  last  year’s  recommendations,  which  remain  valid.  In  the  coming  year, 
Moldova should, in particular:  

→  gradually reduce the fiscal deficit as the economic recovery takes hold, increase public investment, 
including by applying the new single project pipeline framework, continue to broaden the tax base and 
conduct spending reviews in the most significant areas of expenditure, such as social protection; 

→  implement  the  National  Strategy  for  Economic  Development,  in  particular  actions  related  to  the 
privatisation and reform of state-owned enterprises, while improving competition and reducing state 
interference in price setting; 

→  implement the Strategy for the Reduction of Undeclared Work in order to reduce undeclared work and 
carry  out  a  review  of  the  tax  system  to  identify  possible  avenues  to  encourage  workers  to  shift  to 
declared work. 

The capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the EU 

Moldova is between an early stage of preparation and having some level of preparation and has made 
limited progress to cope with competitive pressures and market forces within the EU. The government has 
taken steps to improve the quality of education and training; however, the shortage of skilled labour, low 
levels of FDI and innovation negatively affect the country’s competitiveness. There has been good progress 
in improving energy security, and digitalisation is slowly improving, but large gaps in quality infrastructure 
persist. Integration with the EU continues to deepen but declining levels of price competitiveness could 
weigh on Moldova’s exports in the coming years.   

Moldova has advanced on last year’s recommendations, which remain valid. In the coming year, Moldova 
should, in particular: 

→  take further steps to improve the quality and inclusiveness of education and training and improve the 
assessment of labour market needs, including through regular surveys and stronger consultations with 
social partners; 

→  prioritise  investment  in  infrastructure,  especially  to  further  improve  energy  security  and  climate 

resilience, to overcome the rural-urban digital divide and facilitate international trade;   

→  implement  the  National  Investment  and  Export  Promotion  Programme  to  attract  foreign  direct 

investment and support the integration of local business in global value chains. 

Chapter 5: Public procurement 

Moldova has some level of preparation in the area of public procurement, and some progress has been 
made.  Legislation  for  procurement  in  the  energy,  water,  transport  and  postal  services  was  amended,  a 
National Programme for Development of the Public Procurement System was adopted, and the mandate of 
the Public Procurement Agency was extended.  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should, in particular: 

8 

 
 
 
 
→  align laws on concessions and public-private partnerships with the EU acquis; 

→  monitor low-value public procurement procedures more effectively; 

→  continue  taking  effective  steps  to  ensure  the  efficiency  and transparency of the public  procurement 

system, including by boosting efforts to design and develop the new e-procurement system. 

Chapter 18: Statistics 

Moldova has some level of preparation on statistics. The country made good progress over the reporting 
period,  in  particular  through  conducting  the  population  and  housing  census  and  increasing  institutional 
capacity. Data transmission to Eurostat remains limited, but with a clear upward trend.  

The  Commission's  recommendations  from  last  year  were  mostly  implemented.  In  the  coming  year, 
Moldova should, in particular:  

→  further align sectoral data with EU standards to improve comparability by improving the use of both 

administrative and privately held data; 

→  ensure the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has adequate staffing and financial resources. 

Chapter 32: Financial control 

Moldova is at an early stage of preparation in the area of financial control. Some progress was achieved, 
notably  with  the  implementation  of  the  2023-2030  Strategy  for  the  development  of  public  finance 
management  and  the  adoption  of  the  public  internal  financial  control  programme.  The  efficiency  of 
parliamentary oversight of  public funds management needs to improve. 

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should, in particular: 

→  grant the Court of Accounts full organisational, functional and financial independence; 

→  ratify the 1929 Geneva Convention on the suppression of counterfeiting of currency; 

→  appoint an anti-fraud coordination body and develop an anti-fraud coordination network. 

CLUSTER 2: INTERNAL MARKET 

Chapter 1: Free movement of goods   

Moldova has some level of preparation in the area of the free movement of goods. Limited progress was 
made  on  standardisation  by  adopting  EU  standards  Additionally,  a  legislative  pre-assessment  of  the 
technical barriers to trade provisions in the EU-Moldova Association Agreement was conducted. 

The Commission's recommendation from last year were partially implemented and remain valid.  In the 
coming year, Moldova should, in particular: 

→  continue  to  screen  legislation  and  administrative  practices  in  non-harmonised  areas  and  prepare  a 
strategy to ensure compliance with Articles 34-36 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European 
Union (TFEU) and Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) case law; 

→  align with the EU acquis on vehicles; 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
→  strengthen the administrative capacity needed to implement and enforce the EU acquis, especially in 
the sectors for which it seeks to sign an Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of 
Industrial Products (ACAA) with the EU. 

Chapter 2: Freedom of movement for workers 

Moldova is at an early stage of preparation in the area of freedom of movement of workers.  Limited 
progress was made during the reporting period on bilateral agreements on social security coordination with 
EU Member States and on starting the preparatory work to join the European Network of Employment 
Services (EURES).  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should, in particular:  

→  continue to work on concluding additional agreements on social security coordination, in particular 

with EU Member States;  

→  continue the preparatory work for joining EURES upon accession. 

Chapter 3: Right of establishment and freedom to provide services 

Moldova has some level of preparation in the area of the right of establishment and freedom to provide 
services. Limited progress was made, notably by updating the AA/DCFTA annex on rules applicable to 
postal and courier services.  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should, in particular:  

→  continue  aligning  its  legal  framework  with  the  requirements  of  the  Directive  on  the  recognition  of 
professional  qualifications,  including  the  Directive  on  minimum  training  requirements  and  on  the 
directives on the free movement of lawyers, and take measures to align with the Proportionality Test 
Directive;   

→  continue aligning its legislation with the Services Directive. 

Chapter 4: Free movement of capital  

Moldova is between having some level of preparation and a moderate level of preparation in this area. 
Some  progress  was  made  by  implementing  the  5th  Anti-Money  Laundering  Directive.  Moldova  has 
addressed  some  of  the  technical  deficiencies  with  the  FATF  Recommendations  for  which  it  was  rated 
partially or non-compliant, however some technical deficiencies remain.  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should, in particular:  

→  align  the  legislation  on  foreign  exchange  with  the  EU  acquis  to  liberalise  capital  foreign  exchange 

operations;   

→  continue strengthening the institutional capacity of the Office for Prevention and Combating of Money 

Laundering in the Financial Intelligence Unit; 

→  continue  to  address  the  remaining  technical  deficiencies  with  the  FATF  Recommendations  and 
introduce legislative and institutional changes to facilitate the AML/CFT regulation and supervision of 
virtual asset service providers. 

10 

 
 
 
 
Chapter 6: Company law 

Moldova is between an early stage of preparation and having some level of preparation in company 
law. Limited progress was made during the reporting period, including amendments to national legislation 
on financial reporting and audit legislation and by the integration of electronic signature into the company's 
registration and filing processes to be more aligned with the EU acquis.  

The Commission’s recommendations from last year were only partially implemented and therefore they 
remain largely valid. In the coming year, Moldova should, in particular: 

→  strengthen the administrative capacity of the Public Service Agency; 

→  continue further alignment with the EU  acquis on financial reporting and audit, takeovers, single-
member  companies’  provisions,  shareholder  rights  (including  the  encouragement  of  long-term 
shareholder  engagement),  and  on  disclosure  of  company  information,  cross-border  conversions, 
mergers and divisions, and on the use of digital tools and processes in company law; 

→  continue improving the capacity and independence of the audit oversight systems. 

Chapter 7: Intellectual property law 

Moldova has some level of preparation in the area of IPR. Some progress was made during the reporting 
period. The State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) continued to improve cooperation with the 
European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should, in particular:  

→  continue drafting legislation to improve the enforcement of intellectual property rights;   

→  further improve collective rights management to safeguard appropriate royalty payments;  

→  increase  the  administrative  and  institutional  capacity  of  the  AGEPI  and  continue  to  benefit  from 

collaboration with the EUIPO to improve aligning legislation and enforcement. 

Chapter 8: Competition policy 

Moldova has some level of preparation in the area of competition policy. Limited progress was made 
during the reporting period. In July 2023, the Law on competition was amended. The new structure of the 
Competition Council was approved in February 2024, including to strengthen its institutional capacity.  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should, in particular:  

→  align the legislative framework with the EU acquis on antitrust, mergers and State aid;  

→  increase the transparency of State aid granted by the government and further align State aid schemes 

in place with the EU acquis, including those applied in free economic zones;  

→  continue to strengthen the administrative and institutional capacity of the Competition Council. 

Chapter 9: Financial services 

Moldova has some level of preparation in the area of financial services. It made some progress in the 
reporting period by adopting legislation to partially align it with the EU Solvency II Directive and the Motor 
Insurance Directive.  

11 

 
 
 
 
The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should, in particular:  

→  perform  a  balance  sheet  review  for  all  insurers  to  evaluate  their  readiness  for  the  subsequent 
implementation of and full alignment with Solvency II (Pillar I) and the Motor Insurance Directive; 

→  continue efforts to align legislation with the EU acquis related to the regulation of the banking and 
insurance sectors (including bank resolution and bank deposit guarantee schemes), securities markets, 
investment funds and investment services, financial market infrastructure and digital finance. 

Chapter 28: Consumer and health protection 

Moldova has some level of preparation in this area. Some progress was achieved by aligning legislation 
with several pieces of the EU consumer acquis, including on unfair commercial practices and alternative 
dispute resolution.  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should, in particular:  

→  continue to align with the legal framework with the acquis on consumer protection and product safety, 

and improve cooperation between the public institutions dealing with consumer protection; 

→  improve the quality of healthcare by implementing the national health strategy effectively, including 
developing an integrated e-health system and ensuring interoperability between all information systems 
in the health sector; 

→  tackle the geographical  and socio-economic divide in health services and  ensure outreach to 
those in most vulnerable situations by continuing to invest in rural healthcare infrastructure and 
in retaining human capital. 

CLUSTER 3: COMPETITIVENESS AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH  

Chapter 10: Digital transformation and media 

Moldova has some level of preparation in the area of digital transformation and media. Some progress 
was made during the reporting period as the government remained committed to implementing the Digital 
Transformation Strategy 2023-2030 (MDTS) and notable progress was made on the digitalisation of public 
services. The Cybersecurity Agency was established in December 2023. 

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should, in particular:  

→  align with and implement the EU Roaming acquis, including the European Electronic Communication 

Code to allow for the integration of Moldova into the EU “roam like at home” area;  

→  ensure institutional capacity to implement the priority areas under the MDTS 2023–2030, in particular 
to align legislation with EU electronic identification requirements, data protection and cybersecurity, 
including EU’s Toolbox for 5G cybersecurity;  

adopt and implement media and digital services legislation in line with the EU acquis, including 
the EU Media Freedom Act and the Digital Services Act. 

Chapter 16: Taxation 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
Moldova has some level of preparation  in taxation. Good progress was made by joining the inclusive 
framework on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS). There was progress on indirect and direct taxation 
and excise duties and improved the digitalisation of tax administration services. Moldova further improved 
its capacity in administrative cooperation and mutual assistance. 

The  Commission's  recommendations  from  last  year  were  mostly  implemented.  In  the  coming  year, 
Moldova should, in particular:  

→  further align excise duties and VAT regulations with the EU acquis, particularly reduced rates and their 

structure, including exemptions and deductions, special schemes and scope of reduced rates; 

→  step up procedures to limit tax avoidance and increase tax revenue, in particular by aligning legislation 
with the Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (CFC rules), through implementation of BEPS provisions, and 
by concluding a thorough, comprehensive review of the tax system; 

→  continue  strengthening  the  administrative  and  operational  capacity  of  the  tax  administration,  in 
particular by developing an IT strategy to bring in risk management and by strengthening widespread 
taxpayer compliance. 

Chapter 17: Economic and monetary policy 

The country has some level of preparation in economic and monetary policy and made limited progress 
in the reporting period. Moldova took steps to improve its public investment management system, though 
implementation  of  the  reform  is  not  yet  complete.  The  country  submitted  its  first  Economic  Reform 
Programme  in  January  2024.  The  abrupt  dismissal  of  the  governor  of  the  National  Bank  of  Moldova 
(NBM) raised concerns over the central bank’s independence. 

The Commission’s recommendations from last year were only partially implemented and therefore remain 
valid. In the coming year, Moldova should, in particular: 

→  strengthen the independence and governance of the central bank and fill the remaining vacancies on 

the Executive Board of the NBM;  

→   in order to support the achievement of fiscal targets, improve budget execution in particular of capital 
investments, by applying the single project pipeline to identify public investment projects eligible for 
funding; 

→  improve the capacity to produce macroeconomic and fiscal forecasts, in particular of the cyclically 

adjusted fiscal balance. 

Chapter 19: Social policy and employment 

The country has some level of preparation in social policy and employment and made some progress 
during the reporting period. Measures were taken to increase employment and to strengthen cooperation 
between social assistance authorities and employment authorities.  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were only partially implemented and remain valid. In 
the coming year, Moldova should in particular:  

→  further implement the measures set out in the concept paper on reforming the National  Employment 

Agency to ensure adequate capacity; 

→  take concrete steps to strengthen the mandate and administrative and institutional capacity of the State 

Labour Inspectorate in line with ILO standards; 

→  continue the reform of social assistance, including its digitalisation. 

13 

 
 
 
 
Chapter 20: Enterprise and industrial policy  

Moldova  has  some  level  of  preparation  in  enterprise  and  industrial  policy.  Some  progress  was  made 
during the reporting period. Moldova has adopted and started implementing the national programme for 
the  promotion  of  entrepreneurship  and  increasing  competitiveness  for  2023-27  and  the  national 
industrialisation programme for 2024-2028. The national strategy for the development of the economy was 
adopted in June 2024.  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should in particular:  

→  advance  on  implementation  of  the  national  programme  for  the  promotion  of  entrepreneurship  and 
increasing competitiveness for 2023-2027, the national industrialisation programme for 2024-2028 and 
the national strategy for the development of the economy; 

→  further reduce the regulatory and administrative burden by enacting proposals to simplify and digitalise 

processes;  

→  accelerate implementation of the strategy on the management of state property, state enterprises and 

entities with state capital. 

Chapter 25: Science and research 

Moldova is moderately prepared in the area of science and research. Some progress was made during 
the reporting period. The National Program for Smart Specialisation for the years 2024-2027 and its action 
plan was adopted in August 2024.  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should in particular:  

→  start implementing the Smart Specialisation Strategy and its action plan; 

→  take  further  steps  to  provide  sufficient  financing  for  research  and  innovation  under  national 

programmes; 

further  develop measures  to  promote  Horizon  Europe  and  other  financing instruments  to support  R&I, 
including through the National Horizon Office. 

Chapter 26: Education and culture  

Moldova is between having some level of preparation and a moderate level of preparation in the area 
of  education  and  culture.  Good  progress  was  made  during  the  reporting  period  as  the  authorities  are 
stepping up the relevance, quality and inclusiveness of education. The creation of the National Institute for 
Educational  leadership  began  the  process  of  redesigning  professional  development  for  teachers.  The 
development of cultural policies is also advancing, but the cultural sector generally suffers from limited 
capacity.  

The  Commission's  recommendations  from  last  year  were  largely  implemented.  In  the  coming  year, 
Moldova should, in particular: 

→  start  reforms  to  consolidate  the  quality  and  efficiency  of  the  school  network  in  both  general  and 
vocational  education,  building  upon  the  ‘model  schools’  pilot  launched  in  the  2023/2024  academic 
year; 

14 

 
 
 
 
→  advance the reform of the continuous professional development of teachers and school leaders, which 

was initiated when the National Institute for Educational Leadership was set up in 2023; 

promote the development of comprehensive strategies for culture and cultural heritage, ensure the adoption 
of the draft National Development Strategy ‘Sport 2030’, and secure stable funding mechanisms for youth 
policies and sport. 

Chapter 29: Customs union  

Moldova has is moderately prepared in the area of the customs union. The country has made good progress 
in bringing the new Customs Code which came into force on 1 January 2024 but full implementation of the 
new rules and procedures is pending.  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should in particular:  

→  approve (at government level) and start to implement the Customs Service IT strategy, including the 
work  programme  for  the  gradual  development  and  deployment  of  digital  solutions  to  enable  a  full 
paperless  environment  and  interconnection  and  interoperability  with  EU  electronic  customs 
environment; 

→  finalise the legal and technical preparations for the country to join the Common Transit  Convention 

(CTC) and for full-fledged implementation and operations of the NCTS; 

→  carry out a reorganisation of the Customs Service, aimed at increasing its capacity, performance, and 
integrity, as well as optimising the clearance and border crossing processes to move towards a risk-
based operating model. 

CLUSTER 4: THE GREEN AGENDA AND SUSTAINABLE CONNECTIVITY  

Chapter 14: Transport policy 

Moldova has some level of preparation in transport policy. Some progress was made in the reporting 
period, notably with the adoption of the new Railway Code. The country needs to continue alignment with 
the EU acquis, on all modes of transport, and to implement the acquis effectively. 

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should in particular:  

→  continue progress made to be removed from the blacklist of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding 

on Port State Control; 

→  adopt the social and market rules for road transport; 

→  develop and adopt a new road safety strategy based on the safe system approach. 

Chapter 15: Energy 

Moldova is moderately prepared in the area of energy. It made good progress during the reporting period. 
The diversification of gas and electricity supply routes has further reduced dependence on Russian energy 
supplies,  replacing  them  with  supplies  from  Europe  and  the  US.  Moldova  aligned  with  and  started 
implementing the EU Renewable Energy Directive, the EU Energy Efficiency Directive and Governance 
of the Energy Union and Climate Action Regulation. The national energy and climate plan (NECP) was 

15 

 
 
 
 
 
drawn up. The country nominated and licensed the electricity market operator. Moldova also created the 
Residential Energy Efficiency Fund (REEF). 

The  Commission's  recommendations  from  last  year  were  largely  implemented.  In  the  coming  year, 
Moldova should in particular:  

→  adopt and start implementing the NECP; 

→  prioritise the alignment with the electricity integration package and take further action on electricity 

market coupling with the EU; 

→  organise the first tenders for large renewable investments, implementing the EU Renewable Energy 
Directive as well as accelerate the transportation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. 

Chapter 21: Trans-European networks 

Moldova has some level of preparation in trans-European networks on transport and made some progress 
over the reporting period.  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should in particular:  

→  accelerate the implementation of infrastructure projects on Solidarity Lanes, in particular rehabilitating 
the north-south railway corridor as well as projects approved under the Connecting Europe Facility 
Calls of 2022 and 2023; 

→  finalise the ongoing pre-feasibility and feasibility studies for the development of priority TEN-T road 
and  rail  corridors,  notably  for  Chisinau  ring  road,  Ungheni  –  Chisinau  –  Odesa  road  corridor,  and 
Ungheni - Chisinau standard gauge rail connection; 

→  speed  up  the  strengthening  of  electricity  interconnections,  focusing  on  the  completion  of  the 
Vulcanesti-Chisinau 400 kV overhead power line by end 2025 and make progress on Balti-Suceava 
400 kV, paving the way towards its completion by end 2027 at the latest. 

Chapter 27: Environment and climate change  

Moldova  is  between  an  early  stage  of  preparation  and  having  some  level  of  preparation  in 
environmental and climate change policies. Good progress was achieved by approving the Environmental 
Strategy  for  2030,  complementing  the  Law  on  environmental  impact  assessments  with  implementing 
legislation,  and  increasing  alignment  on  waste  management,  water  management  and  nature  protection. 
Moldova adopted a Climate Law in April 2024, ratified the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol in 
September 2023 and became a full-fledged member of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). 

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should in particular:  

→  allocate to the Ministry of Environment and subordinated bodies the human and financial resources 
needed  to  increase  policy  and  law  enforcement;  improve  environment  and  climate  mainstreaming 
across all public policies; 

→  implement commitments under the Energy Community’s Decarbonisation Roadmap, 

implement the Monitoring, Reporting, Verification and Accreditation package with a view to introducing 
carbon pricing and to aligning with the EU ETS; and adopt the National Energy and Climate Plan. 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
CLUSTER 5: RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE AND COHESION  

Chapter 11: Agriculture and rural development 

Moldova is at an early stage of preparation in agriculture and rural development. Some progress was 
made during the reporting period to develop the farm register and adopt the implementing legislation on 
organic production.  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should in particular:  

→  take further steps to strengthen the administrative capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food 

Industry and of the National Agency for Interventions and Payments in Agriculture; 

→  adopt legislation to further align it with the EU acquis on support schemes in the agriculture and rural 
development sectors, farm advisory services and the EU agricultural knowledge and innovation system 
(AKIS); 

→  progress  in  establishing  the  Integrated  Administration  and  Control  System  (IACS),  in  particular  by 
setting up a national farm register and a land parcel identification system, and progress in establishing 
a Farm Sustainability Data Network.  

Chapter 12: Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy 

Moldova has some level of preparation on food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy. During the 
reporting period, Moldova made some progress in boosting the capacities of the competent authorities. 
Moldova  adopted  a  human  resource  development  strategy  and  a  specialised  training  programme  for 
inspectors.  Moldova  was  also  authorised  to  export  fresh  poultry  meat  and  certain  plant  reproductive 
material. The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. 
In the coming year, Moldova should in particular: 

→ strengthen the diagnostic resources of the competent authorities and broaden the scope of the national 
monitoring and surveillance programme for food safety, animal feed and veterinary drugs to increase 
the level of assurance for animal origin products; 

→ continue to implement the human resource development strategy for the National Food Safety Agency 

and specialised training programme for inspectors from local subdivisions; 

→  raise  awareness  about  food  safety  and  quality  standards  among  producers,  food  businesses  and 

consumers to improve compliance and implementation. 

Chapter 13: Fisheries and aquaculture 

Moldova  is  at  an  early  stage  of  preparation  in  the  area  of  fisheries.  During  the  reporting  period,  no 
progress  was  made  in  strengthening  the  legal  framework  and  institutional  capacity.  The  multiannual 
strategy and national legislation on aquaculture have not been adopted or implemented.  

The Commission’s recommendations from last year were not implemented and remain valid. 

In the coming year, Moldova should in particular:  

→ adopt a multiannual national strategic plan dedicated to aquaculture;  

→ make progress on aligning quality and marketing standards with those under the EU common market 

organisation in fishery and aquaculture products;  

17 

 
 
 
 
→ improve the traceability of fishery and aquaculture products and strengthen import inspections to prevent 

importation of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. 

Chapter 22: Regional policy and coordination of structural instruments 

Moldova has some level of preparation on regional policy and made some progress in the reporting 
period, in particular due to set of management and control structures for Interreg programmes. 

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should in particular: 

→  ensure  it  has  sufficient  administrative  capacity  to  implement  all  cross-border  and  transnational 

cooperation (Interreg) programmes;  

→  set up effective management and control system for Interreg cooperation programmes, as well as audit 

structures specialised in auditing EU funds. 

Chapter 33: Financial and budgetary provisions 

Moldova is at an early stage of preparation in the area of financial and budgetary provisions. No progress 
was achieved over the reporting period. Moldova has yet to set up the institutional environment required 
for an efficient own resources system. 

The Commission's recommendations from last year were not implemented and remain valid. In the coming 
year, Moldova should in particular:  

→  further engage in capacity-building activities on the EU own resources system and fraud-related rules; 

→  set up a coordinating body to implement the administrative processes for an own resources system. 

CLUSTER 6: EXTERNAL RELATIONS  

Chapter 30: External relations 

Moldova  is  moderately  prepared  in  external  relations  and  made  some  progress  during  the  reporting 
period. Moldova introduced an import licensing mechanism, which is problematic under the Association 
Agreement/DCFTA. On bilateral trade, the free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association 
(EFTA) was ratified by Parliament and entered into force in April 2024. In July 2024, the law on the control 
regime of trade in strategic goods was adopted. Further action is expected on alignment with the EU acquis 
on dual-use export controls.  

The Commission's recommendations from last year were partially implemented and remain valid. In the 
coming year, Moldova should in particular: 

→  finalise the work to align national legislation on export controls for dual-use items with the EU acquis; 

→  remove any import licensing or other import control mechanisms that are not in line with the WTO and 

DCFTA provisions; 

→  build up the capacity of a new department for development cooperation within the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs  and  advance  work  on  the  legal  framework  on  international  cooperation,  development  and 
humanitarian aid to non-EU countries, aligned with EU policies and principles. 

Chapter 31: Foreign, security and defence policy 

18 

 
 
 
 
 
Moldova is between having a moderate and a good level of preparation in the area foreign, security and 
defence policy. Good progress was made in the reporting period. Moldova’s alignment rate with the EU’s 
common foreign and security policy (CFSP) increased significantly, including with more than half of the 
EU’s  new  restrictive  measures  (sanctions)  against  Russia  during  2024.  Moldova  has  increased  its 
participation in EU crisis management missions and operations under the common security and defence 
policy (CSDP). Moldova signed a Security and Defence Partnership with the EU in May 2024. 

The recommendations from last year were partially implemented. In the coming year, the country should 
in particular: 

→  continue improving alignment with the CFSP, ensure that the restrictive measures are implemented and 
continue the good cooperation on preventing any attempts to circumvent sanctions against Russia and 
Belarus; 

→  continue  its  efforts  to  strengthen  resilience  to  hybrid  threats,  notably  by  following  up  on  the 
recommendations from the hybrid risk survey in line with a whole-of-government and whole-of-society 
approach. 

STATE OF PLAY OF THE ACCESSION NEGOTIATIONS 

Following  the  first  Intergovernmental  Conference on  accession  negotiations  with  Moldova,  the 
Commission launched the bilateral phase of the screening process on 10 July, building on the explanatory 
meetings held earlier. The process is ongoing. 

   

19 

 
 
 
 
 
 
2.  CLUSTER 1: THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE ACCESSION PROCESS 

2.1. FUNCTIONING OF DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM 

2.1.1 Democracy 

The  functioning  of  democratic institutions  is mostly  satisfactory.  During the  reporting period,  Moldova 
enjoyed  political  stability  and  showed  a  continued  commitment  to  implement  reforms,  despite  hybrid 
attacks from Russia and its proxies on the democratic institutions and a notable level of polarisation. Local 
elections  were  held  in  November  2023.  In  the  context  of  recurring  hybrid  incidents  and  attempts  to 
disinform the society, the authorities have struggled to strike a balanced approach between measures to 
counter malign interference and the respect of rule of law and fundamental rights, in line with international 
standards. In parallel, Moldova has taken significant steps to structure government work to make tangible 
progress on EU integration. 

Elections 

Local elections in Moldova were held in November 2023, during the state of emergency. The elections 
were  peaceful  and  managed  efficiently  under  challenging  circumstances.  However,  interference  from 
abroad and restrictive measures imposed due to national security concerns had a negative impact on the 
process. The de-registration of candidates on the eve of elections lacked individualised assessments and did 
not  sufficiently  guarantee  procedural  rights,  including  effective  legal  remedies.  Overall,  media  outlets 
provided  sufficient  and  diverse  information  to  enable  voters  to  make  an  informed  choice.  Moldova 
suspended many media outlets due to security and disinformation concerns, which raised reservations as to 
the proportionality of the measures. 

Following local elections, the priority recommendations issued by the OSCE/ODIHR electoral observers 
focused on several issues, including the need for an effective parliamentary control mechanism for elections 
organised  during  a  state  of  emergency,  to  enhance  the  transparency  of  the  lower  level  election 
administration, to guarantee that the principles of legality and proportionality are applied in the event of the 
de-registration of candidates, and to improve implementation of procedures for campaign finance oversight. 
In addition, the Central Electoral Commission should be equipped with sufficient resources, especially at 
district level. 

The new Electoral Code has been amended three times since its entry into force, most recently in January 
2024, with less than one year before elections. Amendments banning certain individuals from running in 
elections based on their prominent positions in banned parties were declared unconstitutional in April 2024. 
Moldova  brought  in  a  new  law  on  postal  voting,  which  it  presented  as  a  pilot  initiative  for  the  2024 
presidential elections and referendum on EU accession. Moldova should also align with the Commission 
Recommendation7 on inclusive and resilient electoral processes, including by strengthening  rules on the 
transparency of political party funding and the accountability of campaign finance.  

Moldova  will  organise  presidential  elections  and  a  referendum  on  EU  accession  on  20  October.  In 
preparation for the elections, the Contravention Code was amended in July 2024 strengthening fines for 
passive  bribery  during  electoral  campaigns.  Since  the  start  of  the  electoral  period  the  Central  Electoral 
Commission operates in full composition (9 members) and is fully staffed. The Autonomous Territorial 

7 Commission Recommendation(EU) 2023/2829 of 12 December 2023 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
Unit of Gagauzia lacks a permanent electoral body, further to the decision  of the People’s Assembly in 
December 2023. 

drawn 

In  a  positive  step  for  women 
participation, candidate lists at local 
in 
election  were 
compliance with the 40% minimum 
representation  quota  for  men  and 
women.  However, the law  does  not 
ensure  that  the  quota  is  maintained 
when mandates are allocated. 

up 

Parliament 

rules 

Work  continued  on  updating  the 
draft 
of 
of 
Parliament. Public consultations were held in October 2023; the legislative procedure has yet to start. The 
draft law on the status, conduct and ethics of members of Parliament (MPs) was approved in first reading 
in December 2023. 

procedure 

Only  part  of  the  parliamentary  oversight  instruments  was  used,  in  particular  interpellations  and 
parliamentary  hearings.  The  replacement  of  the  Central  Bank  Governor  by  Parliament  was  carried  out 
without a parliamentary inquiry. No effective parliamentary oversight mechanism was adopted to cover the 
activities of the Commission for exceptional situations between February 2022 and December 2023. 

Cooperation among the parliamentary majority and opposition political forces should be strengthened to 
increase trust and build consensus. Only a few plenary sessions were dedicated to opposition draft bills, 
disregarding the applicable provisions of the rules of procedure. 

The approval of the legislative plan for 2024 in December 2023 has helped increase transparency and the 
predictability of the legislative process. Advanced publication of draft laws and increased publication of 
supporting documents, with longer consultation deadlines would further improve the process. Building on 
recent  positive  steps,  action  should  continue  to  provide  longer  consultation  deadlines  and  advance 
publication of draft laws and accompanying documents. 

The  number  of  draft  laws  submitted  under  urgent  procedure  (three)  or  priority  procedure  (42  in  2023) 
remains high. 

In  February  2024,  the  Parliament  launched  under  the  platform  for  dialogue  and  civic  participation  in 
decision-making, civil society organisations expert councils to advise permanent parliamentary committees. 
The annual conference ‘Cooperation between Parliament and Civil Society’ resumed in June 2023 after 
having been on hold for 7 years. 

EU integration 

Moldova created the position of Deputy  Prime Minister for European Integration and appointed a chief 
negotiator.  In  November  2023  it set  up  the  Bureau  for  European integration  as  a  structural  subdivision 
within the State Chancellery. The staff of the Bureau is planned to include 42 people in total; it is now 
composed of 25 staff. Its administrative capacity still needs to be strengthened. 

In October 2023, the government adopted the National Action Plan for the Accession of the Republic of 
Moldova to the European Union for 2024-2027. It updated the Plan in January 2024 and has not yet issued 
a monitoring report. 

21 

 
 
 
 
In March 2024, the government set up the national coordination mechanism for the EU accession process 
and  created  the  negotiating  team.  Relevant  departments  in  all  ministries  and  key  government  agencies 
actively participated in technical explanatory meetings of the EU acquis from February to May 2024. 

A national referendum to anchor EU integration in the Constitution will take place on 20 October 2024. 
The  government  has launched  an  official campaign to  support  the  pro-EU  accession  vote.  In   2023  the 
government launched a 2-year communication campaign to promote EU integration in Moldova. 

Governance 

The  end  of  the  state  of  emergency  on  30 December  2023  and  reshuffles  at  the  level  of  central  public 
administration bodies did not significantly affect political stability or functionality of the government. 

The renewed Inter-Ministerial Committee for Strategic Planning and the newly established Council for the 
Coordination of Sustainable Development in December 2023 helped strengthen coordination mechanisms 
for policy planning and development. Amendments to the Law on normative acts adopted in March 2024 
increased  the  transparency  of  decision-making.  Measures  to  promote  integrity  and  to  regulate  lobbyist 
activities should be strengthened. 

The  government  approved  the  methodology  of  voluntary  amalgamation  of  local  government,  and 
Parliament  adopted  amendments  to  the  laws  on  administrative  decentralisation  and  local  public 
administration.  The  reorganisation  of  competencies  between  central  and  subnational  levels  should  be 
carried  out  in  a  more  coherent  manner  to  avoid  inconsistencies  such  as  those  that  emerged  during  the 
implementation of the reform of the social assistance system. 

After concerns about the election of the Governor (Bashkan) of Gagauzia and ongoing investigations, the 
Bashkan was not appointed a full member of government by presidential decree, as stipulated by law. The 
activities of the parliamentary working group on Gagauzia were suspended. The government’s efforts to 
centralise fiscal regulation and streamline the court system were contested by the Gagauz authorities. The 
central authorities are attempting dialogue in Gagauzia, despite the Bashkan-elect’s active contacts with 
Russia. It is important to continue regular communication between the central authorities and Gagauzia. 

Civil society 

The  Civil  Society  Development  Programme  2024-2027  was  approved by  the  government  in  November 
2023. Moldova adopted a new Law on access to information of public interest to increase transparency of 
decision-making.  In  April  2024,  the  government  created  an  interinstitutional  group  of  civil  servants 
specialised  in  public  consultation  procedures.  In  2023  and  2024,  the  government  set  up  permanent 
consultative platforms in the central public administration. So far, 8 out of 14 ministries have created these 
platforms.  The  established  platforms  should  be  generalised  and  used  to  improve  the  quality  of  public 
consultations process and increase transparency.  

Civilian oversight of the security and intelligence sector 

On 20 March 2024, Parliament decided to establish an ad hoc commission to monitor the activities of the 
Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) and to strengthen parliamentary oversight over the SIS. Opposition 
and civil society members could participate in the commission. The National Security Strategy adopted in 
December 2024 foresees that the Supreme Security Council will inform the Parliament annually on the 
implementation of the strategy. 

2.1.2 Public administration reform  

Strategic framework on public administration reform 

22 

 
 
 
 
In  the  second  half  of  2023,  Moldova  adopted  the  legislation  on  voluntary  amalgamation.  The 
implementation  and  monitoring  structures  of  the  2023-2030  Public  Administration  Reform  (PAR) 
Strategy have been created at the level of State Chancellery and they are functional. In 2024, 15 potential 
clusters of local government units were identified that can undergo voluntary amalgamation and be used as 
pilots. 

The  government  has  budgeted  funds  in  the  mid-term  budgetary  framework  for  2024-2026  to  support 
implementation of the PAR strategy. The 2024 budget allocates a total of EUR 20 million for the PAR, 
mainly  funding  financial  incentives  for  voluntary  amalgamation.  The  disbursed  amounts  compared  to 
allocated amounts are low. 

The government follows a cautious approach to communicate the benefits of the PAR strategy, particularly 
regarding voluntary amalgamation of local government units. Political support for PAR is primarily from 
the government and civil society organisations, while local government reform, central public institution 
reform, and civil service professionalisation remain sensitive issues. 

Policy development and coordination   

During the reporting period, the government adopted several key policy documents: the National Action 
Plan for EU accession (2024-2027), the National Development Plan (2024-2026), and the Government's 
Action Plan for 2024. These documents outline the government's short and medium-term priorities and are 
partially reflected in the budgetary framework (2024-2026) and the 2024 state budget.  

The government also adopted several measures to increase the institutional capacities to carry out reforms, 
improve the quality of policy design and the coordination process related to accession to the EU. It improved 
and  streamlined  the  procedures  and  working  practices  of  the  Inter-ministerial  Committee  on  Strategic 
Planning  and  improved  the  system  of  inter-ministerial  consultation  and  decision-making  process  at 
government level. The government consolidated the Directorates for Policy Coordination and European 
Integration  (DPCEI)  at  line  ministry  level,  now  staffed  by  84  positions  (execution  and  management 
together) of which 58 have been filled.  

Moldova's regulatory framework is sound, but challenges remain in administrative capacity within central 
public institutions. Key issues include: a siloed approach to policy design, insufficient consultations and 
early-stage dialogue; limited use of ex ante and ex post evaluations, with a need for better evidence-based 
policy tools; inadequate cost estimations and alignment between policy financial requests and the medium-
term budgetary framework; poor reporting quality, including policy design and key performance indicators. 
Although the legal framework for regulatory impact assessments (RIA) is in place and guidelines provided, 
RIA  quality  requires  improvement  and there is  a need  to  enhance the  capacity of  bodies checking  RIA 
submissions for budgetary impacts as well as a general need for better policy coordination. 

Public financial management 

The  2023-2030  strategy  for  the  development  of  public  finance  management,  which  was  drawn  up 
according  to  international  standards,  is  under  implementation.  To  implement  the  public  finance 
management  strategy,  additional  resources  are  needed.  The  Ministry  of  Finance  needs  to  strengthen  its 
capacity and improve the quality of dialogue on the governance of public finances with both public and 
private stakeholders. 

The  budget  calendar  is  not  systematically  followed,  as  prescribed  by  the  Law  on  public  finances  and 
budgetary-fiscal  responsibility.  The  link  between  strategic  planning  and  the  medium-term  budgetary 
framework needs improvement. A high share of expenditure is kept under the ‘General actions’ budget line, 
which undermines budget transparency. 

23 

 
 
 
 
Moldova has submitted its first ever Economic Reform Programme which is expected to further strengthen 
country’s medium term budget planning and macro-economic forecasting. The country is taking steps to 
implement  green  and  gender  sensitive  budgeting.  The  Ministry  of  Finance  remains  committed  to  the 
transparency of public finances.  

The  new  Public  Internal  Financial  Control  Development  Programme  and  the  new  Public  Procurement 
Development  Programme  were  developed  in  the  reporting  period  to  improve  the  efficiency  and 
effectiveness of the use of public funds. The government has taken specific steps to implement the new 
system of  public investment management,  including through  a  web-based  application  system.  However 
additional  effort  is  needed  to  effectively  apply  the  procedure  across  the  government.  Furthermore,  it  is 
necessary  to  improve  public  procurement  and  national  public  sector  accounting  standards  to  improve 
accountability and effective governance of public finances. 

Public service and human resources management   

The  legal  framework  in  Moldova  ensures  a  professional,  non-politicised  public  service.  Despite 
improvements,  there  is  still  political  influence  in  top  management  appointments  where  competitive 
recruitment procedures are not compulsory for filing  in vacant positions. The civil service management 
system  remains fragmented  and  understaffed,  with  non-functional  national  HR systems and limited  HR 
staff  in  ministries.  The  new  law  on  paid  internships  has  successfully  attracted  young  talent.  However, 
challenges persist in attracting and retaining competent civil servants due to low applicant ratios and high 
voluntary  resignation  rates.  Progress  was  lacking  in  public  sector  salary  reform  in  2023/2024,  with  a 
fragmented pay system exacerbated by recent salary increases for certain sectors. More work is needed to 
develop a comprehensive and merit-based promotion system. 

Service delivery to citizens and business  

As  regards  user-oriented  service  delivery,  the  government  has  made  progress  in  modernising 
administrative  services  based  on  a  solid  institutional  set-up  and  clear  policy  objectives.  The  new  PAR 
strategy  emphasises  de-bureaucratisation,  digitalisation  and  improved  service  delivery through  one-stop 
shops, with the State Chancellery as the main policymaker. The Digital Transformation Strategy for 2023-
2030 aligns with the PAR strategy objectives and measures. 

Approximately 40% of the services mapped for businesses and citizens are available digitally, but service 
delivery  conditions  vary.  In  2023,  83  new  Unified  Public  Service  Centres  (CUPS)  were  established, 
providing access to electronic public services for rural citizens. Fifteen online services were launched on 
the electronic services platform, including extracts from various state registers. 

There  is  no  government-wide  methodology  for  producing  and  reporting  performance  metrics. 
Administrative services mapping has been conducted via the public services register, aiding the process of 
service re-engineering. E-signature usage is active with 200 000 users, representing 9.8% of Moldova’s 
adult population. While user engagement and feedback tools are widely used, there is no state-level quality 
management policy, leaving some state bodies to employ their own quality management initiatives. 

2.2. RULE OF LAW AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS 

2.2.1. Chapter 23: Judiciary and fundamental rights 

The EU’s founding values include the rule of law and respect for human rights. An effective (independent, 
high-quality  and  efficient)  judicial  system  and  an  effective  fight  against  corruption  are  of  paramount 
importance, as is the respect for fundamental rights in law and in practice. 

Functioning of the judiciary 

24 

 
 
 
 
 
Strategic documents 

Strategic documents are in place and their implementation is satisfactory. Implementation of the 2022-2025 
justice reform strategy and its action plan is ongoing. This is coordinated by a monitoring group in the 
Ministry of Justice. Moldova remains highly committed to implementing the strategy. Progress during the 
reporting period includes (new or amended) legislation on the selection and evaluation of the performance 
of judges, on the selection, evaluation and disciplinary responsibility of prosecutors, the composition of the 
Superior  Council  of  Prosecutors,  the  oversight  of  prosecutor  inspection,  strengthening  the  role  and 
accountability of bailiffs, on salary raises for court staff to reduce staff turnover, a new judicial map, and 
improved mechanisms for access to justice for victims of domestic violence and victims of sexual crimes 
in line with the Istanbul Convention and the Lanzarote Convention. 

Additionally, in August 2023, Parliament adopted the law for vetting judges and candidates for vacancies 
at the appeal courts, the presidents and vice-presidents of the district courts and of prosecutors in high-level 
positions. This represents approximately a third of all judges and prosecutors. The law is in line with the 
Venice Commission recommendations. 

Management bodies 

The management bodies are in place and functional. Their capacity should be further strengthened by fully 
setting up specialised colleges. 

The Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM) is now fully functional with 11 vetted members out of 12 total 
positions. The vetting and appointment process for the other remaining member is ongoing. The SCM, with 
the  quorum  now  restored,  exercises  its  mandate,  including  its  role  in  appointing,  suspending  and 
transferring judges and in creating specialised panels (for instance, 12 new district judges were appointed 
in March 2024).  

All members of the Superior Council of Prosecutors (SCP) have been vetted and appointed. A law adopted 
in July 2023 adjusted the composition of the SCP: from 2026, the Minister of Justice will no longer be ex 
officio SCP member. 

The  vetting  of  members  of  the  four  specialised  colleges  for  the  selection,  evaluation  and  disciplinary 
proceedings for judges and prosecutors is ongoing, however, no appointments to the colleges have been 
made yet. In the meantime, the responsibilities of these specialised bodies are carried out by the SCM and 
SCP themselves. 

The  re-evaluation  of  appeals  pending  the  process  of  extraordinary  evaluation  of  candidates  for  vacant 
positions in the SCM and the SCP (also known as ‘pre-vetting’) is still to be finalised. 

25 

 
 
 
 
Independence and impartiality 

The  independence  and  impartiality  of 
judges  and  prosecutors  is  improving 
through the extraordinary evaluation of 
judges and prosecutors in top positions. 
During the reporting period, vetting has 
progressed for judges of and candidates 
to  the  Supreme  Court  of  Justice.  In 
addition, in April 2024 and May 2024 
respectively,  vetting  of  the  Appeal 
Court  judges  and  specialised  anti-
corruption prosecutors started. 

A  new  vetted  General  Prosecutor  was 
appointed on 1 June 2024, following a 
merit-based  procedure.  An  earlier 
in 
selection  procedure, 
October 2023 was paused by the SCP 
following the introduction in parliament of a draft law changing the selection process, which would have 
decreased  the  level  of  transparency  and  due  process  and  was  later  withdrawn.  The  procedure  was  then 
cancelled in February 2024 due to an alleged irregularity in the procedure which influenced the final result. 

launched 

 Opposition to vetting continues, although to a slightly lesser extent. In May 2024, half of the judges of the 
Chişinău Court of Appeal resigned following the start of the vetting process. To encourage candidates to 
fill vacancies generated by resignations, the 2024 state budget included significant salary increases of 25% 
to 72% for key judicial positions such as Supreme Court justices and specialised prosecutors. 

Some court decisions in high-level corruption cases raised concerns from the political leadership regarding 
the independence of judges. The criticism was condemned by a judges’ association. In January 2024, the 
Buiucani  District  Court  decided  to  merge  the  high-profile  bank fraud  case  of  Vladimir  Plahotniuc  with 
another bank fraud case involving at least six other suspects, potentially causing further delays of the trial. 
A 2019 SCM approval to launch a criminal investigation into the alleged illicit enrichment of a former 
Supreme Court judge was annulled. 

In a positive change of practice in judicial appointments, since June 2023, the SCM and the SCP selected 
new judges and prosecutors amongst graduates from the National Institute of Justice, reducing the list of 
NIJ graduates waiting for judicial appointment. 

Accountability 

The accountability of the judiciary should be improved, including by the creation of disciplinary colleges 
under the SCM and the SCP. There is a continued need to further strengthen, the disciplinary liability of 
judges in law and practice in terms of objectivity, transparency and efficiency of proceedings. 

26 

 
 
 
 
In the past, the SCM and SCP disciplinary 
boards were unable to examine disciplinary 
matters due to a lack of quorum. With the 
adoption of legislative amendments in July 
the  Boards  are  now  partially 
2024, 
functional  again.  Additionally,  in  some 
cases,  the  examination  of  disciplinary 
matters  has  been  barred  by  the  statute  of 
limitation.  

A  case management  system  is  in  place  in 
Moldova, in the form of an integrated file 
management programme. The programme 
types  of  procedural 
covers  different 
registration, 
activities, 
distribution and file transfer. There are criteria defined by law for distributing cases, such as specialisation 
and complexity of the case. The integrated file management programme should be complemented with a 
common online calendar for judges, lawyers and prosecutors. This would help accelerate court proceedings 
and avoid the postponement of court hearings. Furthermore, the court president should proactively monitor 
the distribution of the cases and provide clear reasons for each case assignment, including any exceptions, 
and communicate this information publicly. Digitalisation of the justice system needs to be improved. 

including 

Quality of justice 

The quality of justice needs to improve. The functioning of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) should be 
improved  by  implementing  the  outstanding  recommendations  issued  by  the  2022  TAIEX  peer  review. 
These include the current model of recruiting and appointing judges and prosecutors, and the admission 
and graduation process for the NIJ. 

setting 

On  18  January  2024  Parliament 
amended the Law on the NIJ. The 
main  modifications 
include 
changing  the  criteria  for  the  NIJ 
Director  position, 
a 
minimum  threshold  grade  for 
admission  at  NIJ  and  integrity 
checks  of  NIJ  candidates.  In 
March  2024,  the  Minister  of 
Justice  appointed  a  new  NIJ 
interim  Director  who  was 
successfully 
A 
competition  for  the  position  of 
NIJ  Director  was  launched  in 
August 2024.  

vetted. 

Further  amendments  to  the  Law  on  the  NIJ  were  adopted  in  July  2024,  which  aim  to  improve  the 
management  of  NIJ,  initial  training  admission  and  examination  processes  and  clarify  the  NIJ  target 
audience.  However,  transparency  of  the  intake  to  the  initial  training  should  be  further  increased. 
Traineeships of future judges and prosecutors within public institutions should be reinstated.  

In 2023, 94% of all judges and 70% of all prosecutors received continuous training, while 55 candidates 
for judges and 50 candidates for prosecutors received initial training. 

27 

 
 
 
 
The NIJ has adequate human and material resources. Although the NIJ’s allocated budget for 2023 was 
EUR 1.22 million, representing a 12.7% increase from its 2022 budget, it does not cover all the training 
needs. Additional income from paid services is used to fund initial and continuous training. 

In 2023, EUR 29.5 million was allocated to courts of law (0.69% of the state budget) and EUR 21.3 million 
to the prosecutor’s office (0.5% of the state budget), constituting a budget increase of 27% for the courts 
and 22% for the prosecution service. 

Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in the form 
of  non-judicial  mediation,  conciliation  and  arbitration 
are used in less than 1% of all cases. Public awareness 
of these mechanisms should be improved. In December 
2023,  amendments  to  the  law  on  mediation  integrated 
the services of mediation guaranteed by the state into the 
system of state-guaranteed legal aid (for criminal cases, 
civil  and  contravention  cases),  thereby  extending  the 
categories  of  people  eligible  for  state-guaranteed 
mediation. 

The Supreme Court of Justice is the institution in charge 
of ensuring the consistency of jurisprudence. To further 
improve the quality of court decisions, the Quality Standards for Judicial Decisions should be adopted by 
the Supreme Court of Justice and the NIJ training on court decision reasoning should be improved. 

A new law on the judicial map reorganisation was approved by Parliament on 13 June 2024. The changes 
entail merging courts and will affect the locations of courts in eight regions with some reassignments to 
other district courts and premises. The reorganisation into three regions for appeal courts takes into account 
the size of the regional population, the number of judges per institution, the workload per judge and court 
and the infrastructure in those regions.  

Efficiency 

The efficiency of justice needs to be improved.  

In the area of efficiency, despite some improvements in recent years, the disposition time and the clearance 
rate remain a concern, in particular in administrative and civil and commercial cases. A particular concern 
is the disposition time in first instance administrative cases with 544 days. The clearance rate ranges from 
76% in first instance administrative cases to 106% in second instance criminal cases. In the long term, if 
courts performance does not improve, this may lead to accumulation of pending cases, accumulation of 
backlog and prolonged duration of trials. 

28 

 
 
 
 
Fight against corruption 

Track record 

The fight against corruption track record has improved.  

On high-level anti-corruption, 18 high-ranking subjects were sent to trial in 2023, including eight current 
and former members of Parliament. This is a good increase compared to the 13 high-ranking subjects in 
2022. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (APO) investigated 602 cases of high-level corruption in 
2023, compared to 656 in 2022. This slight decrease in the number of investigations can be accounted for 
in part due to the recent reform of anti-corruption institutions and the delineation of competences. 

In addition, in 2023, the National Anticorruption Centre (NAC) worked on 1 100 criminal cases and 164 
convicted people were sent to court. In the first half of 2024, NAC identified 391 criminal cases in the first 
six  months  of  2024,  a  38%  increase  from  the  same  period  in  2023.  NAC  documented  90  cases  in 
collaboration with the Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 

Institutional framework 

The  institutional  framework  on  the  fight  against  corruption  is  in  place  and  is  satisfactory  regarding 
preventive measures and needs to be improved regarding law enforcement.  

In 2023, Moldova adopted amendments to clearly separate the competences between the APO and the NAC. 
The APO is in charge of conducting criminal investigations and prosecuting high-profile cases, while the 

29 

 
 
 
 
  
    
 
NAC is charge of criminal investigations of systemic and petty corruption. Concurrently, the police do not 
have  the  competence  to  investigate  corruption  crimes.  To  eliminate  possible  gaps  in  the  effective 
investigation and prosecution of corruption, it is necessary to improve communication and coordination 
between  the  APO,  the  NAC  and  other  law  enforcement  agencies,  taking  into  account  their  respective 
competences. The capacity of all institutions engaged in the anti-corruption process should be continuously 
monitored and improved.  

The Moldovan government conducted a functional analysis of the APO in November 2023. Following the 
adoption of the organisational structure and the budget of the APO by Parliament in February 2024, the 
institution has been significantly reinforced in line with its mission. The human resources and budget of the 
Anti-corruption Prosecutor Office are adequate, however an appropriate solution should be found in terms 
of premises, to accommodate the additional staff to be hired. As recommended by GRECO, Moldova should 
continue allocating adequate resources, including equipment, and structures to the APO to build up full 
operational capacity. 

In May 2024, amendments to the NAC law aimed at streamlining the regulatory framework governing its 
activity,  assigning  additional  tasks  to  the  director,  extending  its  competences  to  cooperation  with 
institutions and organisations both at national and international level and implementing incentives for the 
employees and benefits for the anticorruption officers. Amendments to the law on the unitary salary system 
which provide salary increases for NAC employees entered into force in August 2024.  

To streamline reform work and better coordinate the policies and activities in the prevention of and fight 
against corruption, the Anticorruption Platform was set up under the Ministry of Justice as a consultative 
body. It is composed of relevant ministries and anti-corruption bodies. 

Moldova announced its intention to set up a new anti-corruption court in 2023, and a draft law is being 
discussed  in  Parliament.  Moldova  should  follow  the  and  Venice  Commission’s  recommendations  of 
October 2023 on this law. In addition, the Superior Council of Magistracy ordered on 13 February 2024 the 
creation of panels of specialised judges at the Chişinău Court to examine corruption and asset confiscation 
cases.  These  panels  of  specialised  judges  showed  good  results  so  far,  they  contributed  to  increase  the 
number of court hearings on corruption cases and cases related to acts of corruption by 31.09%.  

The law on the application of international restrictive measures was modified twice, lastly in May 2024. In 
August 2024 the Inter-institutional Supervisory Board, which ensures the implementation of the Magnitsky 
type measures adopted the decision to block funds and economic resources belonging or controlled by 11 
internationally sanctioned persons, for actions destabilising Moldova. 

Strategic documents 

The strategic documents are in place. The National Integrity and Anticorruption Programme (NIAP) 2024-
2028 and related action plan are the main strategic documents. The NIAP was adopted in December 2023 
and entered into force in February 2024. It is aligned with the UN Convention against Corruption standards 
and  is  consistent  with  other  key  national  strategic  documents,  such  as  the  “European  Moldova  2030” 
National  Development  Strategy.  The  NIAP  was  prepared  following  a  participatory  process,  including 
consultations with civil society and stakeholders. 

Legal framework 

The  legal  framework  for  the  fight  against  corruption  is  in  place.  It  is  working  satisfactorily  regarding 
preventive measures and needs to be improved regarding law enforcement. 

The  GRECO’s  Fifth  Round  Evaluation  Report  on  Moldova  acknowledged  the  progress  achieved  by 
Moldova in setting up an institutional and legal framework to promote integrity and prevent corruption in 

30 

 
 
 
 
the top executive functions of the central government and its law enforcement agencies. Recommendations 
were issued for further improvement, which Moldova should follow up on. 

New normative acts and amendments brought clarity in terms of APO’s investigative and prosecutorial 
jurisdiction. Since criminal investigations of a systemic nature and petty corruption carried out by NAC are 
supervised by local offices, the vetting of prosecutors in top positions in those offices will be important to 
ensure  integrity.    Moreover,  to  improve  its  track  record  by  strengthening  efficient  anti-corruption 
investigations, Moldova should ensure cooperation among all the institutions and bodies involved in anti-
corruption processes while continuing enhancing their capacities in line with their competence. The new 
law on whistle-blowers aims to improve the mechanism for disclosing instances of lack of integrity and to 
encourage disclosures of breaches of the law, while protecting whistle-blowers. Further amendments to the 
law  are required,  including  as  regards the  personal  scope,  the  conditions  for  public  disclosures  and  the 
measures for protection against retaliation.  

In June 2024, Parliament voted in first reading  amendments to the law on the declaration of  assets and 
personal interests.  The  amendments  aim to  improve the  functioning  of  the  National  Integrity  Authority 
(NIA). Nevertheless, proper implementation of the mandatory obligation for NIA to do ex officio checks is 
still required.  

In 2023, the NIA issued penalties to 350 subjects for breaches and imposed fines of some EUR 40 000. 
This is an increase from 140 subjects fined some EUR 25 000 in 2023. 

On 24 January 2024, Moldova approved a new methodology to verify assets and interests. Moldova should 
ensure that people holding top executive functions step aside from the decision-making process in the event 
of a conflict of interest. Moldova should publish registers of declarations of conflicts of interest to make 
the integrity checks more efficient and reduce the number of acts invalidated in courts. Moldova should 
also review the rules for public servants on declaring and accepting gifts. 

During  the  reporting  period,  Moldova  adopted  amendments  to  the  law  regarding  the  enforcement  of 
international  restrictive  measures  and  relevant  secondary  legislation.  The  aim  is  to  contribute  to  de-
oligarchisation  by issuing sanctions  on  certain  people  subject to restrictive measures.  However, experts 
voiced concerns regarding alignment with the national criminal justice system. 

Moldova developed a strategic approach to preventing eradicating undue influence on political, economic 
and public life with a dedicated action plan on de-oligarchisation. Coordinated implementation of the plan 
should continue to improve proactive and efficient anti-corruption investigations, and lead to a positive 
track record of prosecutions and convictions with effective asset recovery. 

Fundamental rights 

General framework 

The  legislative  and  institutional  framework  for  fundamental  rights  is  largely  in  place  but  further 
improvements are necessary. 

International human rights instruments 

Moldova has ratified most key international human rights instruments. Some ratification procedures still 
need to be completed, for example the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and Protocol 
No 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights (on anti-discrimination). 

31 

 
 
 
 
European Court of Human Rights 

19

23

31

10

608

578

100

1048

1154

1000

10000

Graph 8: Moldova - ECtHR judgments 

In  2023,  the  European  Court  of  Human  Rights 
(ECtHR) found Moldova in breach of the European 
Convention  on  Human  Rights  in  cases  relating 
mainly  to  respect  for  private  and  family  life,  the 
right to a fair trial and no punishment without law, 
the right to  liberty  and security, the  prohibition  of 
torture,  inhuman  and  degrading  treatment  and 
discrimination,  the  right  to  protection  of  property 
and  the  right  to  the  freedom  of  expression. 
Currently,  there  are  26  cases  under  enhanced 
the  Committee  of  Ministers, 
supervision  by 
denoting systemic issues such as poor conditions in 
detention, ill-treatment in police custody, absence of 
an effective remedy and ineffective protection from 
domestic  violence,  and  violations  in  psychiatric 
institutions. 1 154 applications of Moldovan citizens 
to the ECtHR are still pending. Moldova’s low compliance rate with the ECtHR decisions remains an issue.  

New
allocated
applications

Pending
applications

16.06.2023 - 01.09.2024

16.06.2022 - 15.06.2023

Judgments Breaches

Source: ECtHR

19

1

The authorities need to address the systemic or structural problems raised by the Court in particular with 
regard to the penitentiary system and lack of effective remedies and to ensure systematic enforcement of 
ECtHR judgements. 

Promotion and enforcement of human rights 

Moldova approved the national human rights action programme for 2024-2027. Normative gaps persist in 
some sectoral areas, including on ill treatment, procedural rights and the fight against discrimination. The 
legislative  framework  still  lacks  a  specific  mechanism  to  assist  residents  from  the  Transnistrian  region 
exposed to human rights violations, where the human rights situation is of concern. 

In 2023, 261 discrimination complaints were lodged with the Equality Council of discrimination on  the 
grounds of language, sexual orientation, gender, ethnic origin and disability (mostly related to disability 
pensions).  

Of the 63 recommendations issued by the People’s Advocate in 2022, at the end of 2023 only 5 (8%) were 
fully 
implemented,  14  partially 
implemented,  while  7  were  in 
process  of  implementation.  Of  the 
remainder,  11  have  not  been 
implemented  and  in  26  cases  no 
submitted.  Of  287 
data  was 
complaints  examined 
in  2023, 
violations  were  found  in  61  cases, 
no  violations  found  in  118  cases 
and  57  cases  were  still  pending  at 
the end of 2023. As of August 2024, 
11  of  83  recommendations  from 
2023 have been implemented so far 
(13%).  In  July  2023,  Parliament 
appointed a new People’s Advocate 
(Ombudsperson)  for  the  rights  of 

32 

 
 
 
 
the child. In August 2023, amendments to the Law on the People’s Advocate extended the institution’s 
competences,  including  the  ability  to  investigate  complaints  from  legal  persons  and  strengthened  its 
independence and its organisational structure. In November 2023, it presented the strategic development 
programme for 2023-2030. It raised questions about the longer-term sustainability of many of the remedial 
measures  taken,  insufficient  cooperation  or  even  obstructionism  by  specific  institutions.  The  State 
Chancellery  set  up  a  registry  to  monitor  progress  by  public  authorities  in  implementing  the 
recommendations issued by the People’s Advocate.  

Prevention of torture and ill treatment 

The prevention of torture, in particular ill treatment, is an issue of great concern. Although the number of 
complaints of ill treatment fell from 485 in 2022 cases to 397 in 2023, the small number of cases of ill 
treatment  investigated  and  completed  with  a  conviction  reveals  the  lack  of  an  effective  mechanism  for 
referral and of a clear system to protect people who denounce acts of torture or ill treatment. 

On the prevention of torture and ill treatment in prisons, the recommendations published by the Committee 
for the Prevention of Torture in September 
2023  highlighted  chronic  overcrowding, 
inadequate medical services and precarious 
living  conditions  in  prisons.  The  problem 
of  inter-prisoner  violence  is  acute  and 
linked  to  an  enduring  informal  hierarchic 
system.  These  problems  remain  largely 
unaddressed  and  a  matter  of  serious 
concern.  According  to  ECtHR  case  law, 
this  could  be  considered  to  constitute  a 
continuing  violation  of  Article 3  of  the 
European Convention on Human Rights on 
the prohibition of torture. 

Moldova  remains  one  of  the  countries  in 
Europe with the highest incarceration rates (242 inmates per 100 000 inhabitants) and the highest rate of 
increase  in  prisoners  (up  to  52%  in  2023).  Most  ECtHR  rulings  against  Moldova  relate  to  inhumane 
detention conditions, and recent judgments indicate the lack of sustainable solutions. The lack of adequate 
facilities in police inspectorates has led to long pre-detention custodies. 

On 30 August 2024, the Ministry of Justice approved the Action Plan on the adjustment of penitentiary 
institutions to European standards and the fight against criminal subcultures for 2024-2027. In December 
2023,  amendments  to  the  Criminal  Code,  the  Code  of  Criminal  Procedure  and  the  Enforcement  Code 
reviewed the right to petition of convicts and upgraded procedural rights in trials for detainees subjected to 
torture or ill treatment. An electronic registry was created to document cases of injuries and mistreatment. 

Execution of criminal sanctions 

33 

 
 
 
 
Graph 11: Moldova - Prisons

94,80

90,30

100,00
80,00
60,00
40,00
20,00
0,00

Occupancy rate (%)

2022

2023

n/a: not available

2,75

3,75

Average duration of
pre-trial detention
(months)

Source: Ministry of Justice,
Prison administration

A  salary  rise  for  staff  working  in  prisons aims  to 
alleviate the staff shortage. In 2023, all minors in 
pre-detention  facilities  were  transferred  to  the 
Goian juvenile detention centre and new rules were 
introduced  to  facilitate  the  release  of  seriously  ill 
detainees.  The  plan  to  replace  Prison  No 13  in 
Chişinău  with  a  modern  facility  is  advancing 
slowly. 

The National Probation Inspectorate is continuing 
work to align the Moldovan probation system with 
European 
post-penitentiary 
probation system provides support for people with 
resocialisation issues, particularly juveniles. 

standards.  The 

Protection of personal data 

The  draft  law  on  the  protection  of 
personal  data  was  adopted  by 
Parliament on 25 July 2024. The law 
aims  at  aligning  national  legislation 
with the EU General Data Protection 
Regulation.  The 
legal 
framework is not yet aligned with the 
EU Directive on law enforcement. 

current 

The  National  Center  for  Personal 
Data Protection examined a growing 
number  of  complaints  and  issued 
penalties. The capacity of the Center 
should  be  increased,  especially  in 
terms of staffing. 

Freedom of religion or belief 

The  right  to  freedom  of  religion  or  belief  is  generally  respected  in  Moldova.  There  were  no  reports  of 
breaches of the freedom of religion or belief. Moldova has in place a national action plan promoting the 
memory of the Holocaust and the culture of tolerance to combat racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and 
other forms of intolerance, in line with the Commission’s recommendation. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------- 

Freedom of expression 

Protection of journalists 

Instances of intimidation persisted, including verbal attacks by politicians and state officials, although their 
number  decreased.  Public  authorities  did  not  make  statements  condemning  these  incidents.  Law 
enforcement institutions rarely intervene to protect journalists, resulting in most cases reported remaining 
unresolved. However, among the lawsuits against journalists and media opened in the last five years some 
70% were dismissed by the courts. Nevertheless, these cases are dealt with three times slower than all civil 
cases as a whole. In 2024, there were no SLAPPs cases. 

Legislative environment 

34 

 
 
 
 
The Audiovisual Media Service Code was amended in July 2023 to reduce the dominant audience share in 
order  to  reduce  market  concentration  and  promote  a  more  diverse  and  balanced  media  landscape.  The 
ownership transparency requirements should be extended to online and print media. A media subsidy fund, 
approved by Parliament in March 2024, aims to support media pluralism, improve editorial and economic 
independence, and foster investigative journalism. The prohibitions set under the Law on broadcasting or 
retransmitting programmes with informative, analytical, military, and political content must be aligned with 
EU  legislation.  The  clarity  and  proportionality  of  penalties  must  also  be  ensured,  in  line  with  the 
recommendations issued by the Venice Commission.  

The  strategic  investment  law  was  amended  in  December  2023  to  include  a  mechanism  to  suspend  the 
licences of TV channels that cannot prove their final beneficial owner. This mechanism should be reviewed 
and brought in line with EU and international standards. 

The local media environment in Gagauzia remains restricted, and the freedom of the press is undermined 
by a confluence of politicization, intense scrutiny, and a lack of legal protection. The new draft amendments 
to the local law on the procedure for obtaining a broadcasting license in the region, adopted in the first 
reading in June 2024, risk further undermining the freedom of the press.  

Implementation of legislation/institutions 

In January 2024, the Council for the Promotion of Investment Projects of National Importance (‘Investment 
Council’) extended the suspension of 12 TV channels during the state of emergency, which had been in 
place until the end of 2023, due to a pending scrutiny of their links with sanctioned oligarchs. Between 
March and August 2024, the Investment Council withdrew broadcasting licences of nine TV channels and 
two radio stations on the grounds of receiving financing from inappropriate sources, including from subjects 
under  international  sanctions.  This  is  pending  clarification  of  the  effective  beneficial  owner  of  these 
channels.  

These led to concerns about the lack of transparency of the mechanism for suspending media licenses. A 
Constitutional  Court  decision  from  July  2024  stated  that  the  legislative  framework  regulating  the 
broadcasting of elections should be improved.  

The  Audiovisual  Council  enforced  penalties  for  several  breaches  of  the  Audiovisual  Code,  such  as 
disseminating  unverified  information,  discriminatory  or  personal  attacks  on  journalists,  electoral 
campaigning, insufficient Romanian-language content, and retransmission of Russian TV channels. The 
new Centre for Strategic Communication and Combating Disinformation, established in December 2023, 
will  be  in  charge  of  strengthening  and  improving  inter-institutional  efforts  in  the  fight  against 
disinformation and manipulation of information in a coordinated manner. Efforts to make the Centre fully 
operational need to be enhanced.  

Public service broadcaster 

The independence and financial sustainability of the public service broadcaster continue to be a concern. 
The procedures for appointing and dismissing its supervisory board should be reviewed to increase their 
autonomy from political control. 

Economic factors 

The Audiovisual Council in cooperation with the Competition Council and the fiscal authorities took further 
steps to improve regulation and ownership transparency of the television in the media market. This is also 
an important part of the de-oligarchisation action plan. A new register has been published on the Council’s 
website. In April 2024, Moldova joined the Media Ownership Monitor, which identifies mass media owners 
and highlights risks to media pluralism from ownership concentration. The print and online media are not 

35 

 
 
 
 
subject to comparable legal obligations, creating a disparity in the level of ownership transparency. The 
Audiovisual Council should extend the regulation on transparency to written and online media. 

Internet 

The online space is not regulated in Moldova. In January 2024, after the end of the state of emergency, the 
National  Agency  for  Electronic  Communications  and  Information  Technology  Regulation  extended  the 
blockage of websites blocked during the state of emergency for spreading disinformation. The legal basis 
for this continuous blocking has yet to be clarified. In July 2024, amendments to the law on preventing and 
combating cybercrime strengthened the capacity of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to fight online crime. 

Professional organisations and working conditions 

Financial sustainability remains a significant challenge for independent media organisations, exacerbated 
by politically affiliated outlets practising ‘salary dumping’. The new law on media subsidies approved in 
March 2024 aims to address this issue. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------- 

Freedom of assembly and association 

Freedom  of  assembly  and  association  is  generally  upheld.  After  the  state  of  emergency  was  lifted,  the 
mandate of the Commission for Extraordinary Situations, entitled to impose limitations to assemblies, was 
adjusted and its competences were reduced. Around the time of elections, restrictive measures imposed for 
security reasons raised concerns for the expression of democracy, including on the freedom of opinion and 
association. The Law on assemblies adopted in November 2023 is progress on this front. It should better 
outline  the  duties  of  public  authorities  and  provide  safeguards  against  the  application  of  surveillance 
measures before and during assemblies. 

The amendments to the Criminal Code criminalizing 'separatism', introduced in 2023, remain in place and 
could  have  negative  bearing  on  freedom  of  expression,  minority  rights,  non-discrimination,  and  the 
Transnistrian conflict settlement. 

Property rights 

The  procedures  for  reinstating  property  rights  cases  remain  complicated  and  lengthy.  The  share  of 
applications at the ECtHR related to direct or indirect infringement of property rights remained high in 2023 
(48 of 53 applications), mostly related to non-enforcement or late enforcement of domestic judgments. The 
restitution of property provided for in national legislation is an unresolved issue for religious communities 
in relation to communal properties. 

Non-discrimination 

Moldovan  legislation  is  largely  in  line  with  EU  and  international  standards  on  non-discrimination  and 
equality.  Trainings  in  anti-discrimination  for  the  armed  forces  and  better  access  to  public  services  for 
speakers of minority languages were held. 

Hate speech is not effectively criminalised in Moldova. Amendments to the Criminal Code in July 2023 
brought in specific provisions on the incitement to violent acts on grounds of prejudice, but the definition 
of  hate  speech  remains  incomplete  and  fragmented  in  Moldovan  legislation.  New  amendments  to  the 
Audiovisual Code include heavier penalties, especially during election campaigns. Additionally, the Central 
Electoral Commission adopted a new Regulation in September 2023 prohibiting the use of hate speech and 
discrimination in messages and advertising related to the electoral campaign. Training for the police and 
prosecutors  has  increased,  and  there  have  been  convictions  ‘for  incitement  to  discrimination’  in  cases 

36 

 
 
 
 
brought  forward  by  members  of  the  LGBTIQ  community.  There  is  room  to  improve  data  collection  in 
official crime statistics as well as the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. 

The police set up a network of regional police focal points with the aim of improving reporting on cases of 
discrimination and bias-motivated crime. It also created multi-sectoral local support networks and a direct 
civil society communication mechanism for vulnerable groups. 

Gender equality 

The legislation in place is largely in line with EU standards. The steady increase in political participation 
of women elected to local office continued but it is still below the EU average. Women politicians and 
female candidates in elections are subject to smear campaigns, hate, and sexist attitudes during electoral 
campaigns.  There is  also  a  notable increase  in  women’s  participation  in the  labour market attributed  to 
factors  such  as  extended  childcare  and  parental  leave.  Moldova  is  working  towards  implementing  two 
strategic frameworks for gender equality and for preventing and combating domestic violence and violence 
against women (2023-2027). It should further integrate gender equality into the planning, implementation, 
monitoring  and  evaluation  of  governmental  policies  and  budgets.  The  gender  focal  points  (Gender 
Coordination Groups) set up within the line ministries should have clear accountability lines on their gender 
mainstreaming work and with groups working at local level. 

In June 2024, the government established 
a new National Coordinating Council for 
Preventing  and  Combating  Violence 
against Women and  Domestic  Violence. 
This  consultative  body  will  complement 
the  new  National  Agency 
the 
Prevention  and  Combating  of  Violence 
Against Women and Domestic Violence, 
which started its work in January 2024. In 
November  2023,  the  Council  of  Europe 
Group  of  Experts  on  Action  against 
Violence  against  Women  and  Domestic 
acknowledged 
Violence 
Moldova’s  progress 
the 
legislative  framework  with  the  Istanbul 
Convention’s standards and highlighted the support provided to women and children fleeing the war in 
Ukraine. The report noted the insufficient number of shelters and the unsatisfactory attention by the justice 
system to violence against women. Education in schools and training of police officers on gender equality 
are necessary areas for action. The National Council for Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality was 
established in June 2024 to promote economic empowerment and gender equality in Moldova. In July 2024, 
significant  amendments  to  the  Law  on  combating  and  preventing  domestic  violence  were  made  and 
introduced the term ‘femicide’ into Moldovan legislation. 

in  aligning 

(GREVIO) 

for 

Rights of the child 

Protection  of  the  rights  of  the  child  is  largely  in  line  with  EU  acquis  and  international  frameworks.  In 
November 2023, a new Law on children’s rights was adopted to increasingly align with the UN Convention 
on the Rights of Child. In July 2024, amendments to the cybercrime law expanded the authority of the 
government to block access to web content related to child abuse and child pornography and introduced 
changes to ensure immediate legal aid for victims. A draft law on combating sexual abuse against children 
has been adopted in first lecture in July 2024. The social protection system was extended to include families 
with children at risk of poverty, and the childbirth allowance almost doubled. Despite notable achievements, 

37 

 
 
 
 
significant gaps remain in the child welfare system. In relation to child-friendly justice, there is only one 
centre providing psychological support to child victims of crimes. Case management tracking requires a 
further strengthening of institutional cooperation. Further specialised services for children under the age of 
criminal  responsibility  are also  needed.  It  is  necessary  to  further  improve  integrated  assistance to  child 
victims  and  witnesses  of  crime  and  of  specialised  services  for  children  under  the  age  of  criminal 
responsibility. 

Persons with disabilities 

Moldova’s  legislation  is  partly  aligned  with  the  EU  acquis  on  disability  inclusion.  Data  collection  on 
persons with disabilities should be brought in line with the Optional Protocol of the UN Convention on the 
Rights of Persons with Disabilities that Moldova ratified in 2022. 

Moldova is making limited progress to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, with the process of 
deinstitutionalisation progressing slowly. More efforts are needed to ensure accessibility, including access 
to public buildings. The overall number of people with disabilities in residential institutions increased from 
1 700 to 1 900. Disability is one of the most frequently cited grounds for discrimination in the decisions of 
the Equality Council, together with gender, sex and age. Children with disabilities remain exposed to higher 
protection  risks,  including  gender-based  violence  as  well  as  family  separation.  Two  judgments  of  the 
ECtHR raised awareness of the treatment of minors and women placed in the state’s care. Moldova must 
take  measures  to  tackle  the  systemic  problem  of  children  with  intellectual  disabilities  being  placed  in 
psychiatric institutions.  

LGBTIQ persons 

On  the  rights  of  lesbian,  gay,  bisexual,  transgender,  intersex  and  queer  (LGBTIQ)  people,  the  anti-
discrimination legal framework adopted in 2022 is proving its impact and a number of investigations have 
taken place. However, negative stereotypes prevail and the awareness-raising actions which have impact 
are limited to the work by the LGBTIQ community. In 2023, the Equality Council found discrimination on 
grounds of sexual orientation in four cases, all involving politicians or public personalities. The 2023 crime 
statistics mention 15 criminal cases involving prejudice related to gender identity or sexual orientation. In 
June 2024, there were two first-instance convictions in prejudice-related cases, both resulting in fines. 

Following recent ECtHR decisions that reaffirmed that the state has the obligation to legally recognise and 
register gay couples, several same-sex couples sued the Public Services Agency for denying them the ability 
to publicly register their relationships. Little progress has been made to challenge negative stereotypes in 
society. Opposition political parties and individual politicians, as well as the Moldovan Orthodox Church, 
continue  to  accuse  the  LGBTIQ  community  of  undermining  ‘traditional  values’,  and  Russian-affiliated 
media inside Moldova regularly propagate misinformation. The June 2024 Pride parade attracted some 800 
participants  and  was  peaceful,  although  heavily  guarded  by  police.  Smaller  counterdemonstrations, 
including a march for family values, took place the same weekend. 

Procedural rights and victims’ rights 

Moldovan legislation broadly covers the main procedural rights. However, the right to a fair trial is affected 
by  systemic  issues.  According  to  ECtHR  judgments  issued  in  2023,  14  out  of  the  34  breaches  of  the 
European Convention on Human Rights were related to the right to a fair trial. Some judgments pointed out 
acute problems related to the transparency of proceedings. Abuses of pre-trial detention are also an enduring 
issue. In 2023, only a few judges were penalised for unjustified delays in trials. 

Moldova has not yet harmonised its legislation with EU directives on criminal proceedings and on victims’ 
rights and compensation to crime victims. A state-guaranteed legal aid system is regulated by law, but there 
are frequent complaints related to procedural deadlines and the poor quality of legal support. 

38 

 
 
 
 
Protection of minorities 

The  legislative  framework  safeguards  the  rights  of  people  belonging  to  minorities.  The  Agency  for 
Interethnic  Relations,  in  charge  of  relations  with  national  minorities,  is  insufficiently  staffed  and  its 
competencies should be further clarified. 

Moldova has signed but not yet ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The 
availability  and  quality of teaching  in  and  of  Romanian  in  public  education  should  be  improved,  while 
strengthening the teaching and use of national minority languages. A new Multilingual System of Education 
aims at strengthening the teaching of core subjects in Romanian language while promoting the parallel use 
of minority languages. This remains to be put in place. The decision to increase the number of hours of the 
Ukrainian language in some schools is also a positive development. 

People belonging to national minorities are generally well represented. The autonomy status of the Gagauz 
Territorial Autonomy (ATU) is generally respected, safeguarding cultural and linguistic rights, as well as 
autonomous  regional  institutions,  including  a  Governor  (Bashkan)  and  a  legislative  body  (People’s 
Assembly). However, following reports of irregularities during the Bashkan elections in May 2023, tensions 
have been mounting between the central authorities and the ATU.  

Roma 

The Roma in Moldova continue to suffer from racism and discrimination. There has been limited progress 
on  the  inclusion  of  Roma.  Although  16  municipalities  approved  local  level  action  plans  to  support  the 
Roma, local authorities need support to build their capacity at local level. The number of state-funded Roma 
community mediators rose to 56 positions but their salaries and working conditions are inadequate to the 
scope of the task. 

Roma  displaced  persons  from  Ukraine  face  challenges  in  relation  to  accommodation,  employment, 
documentation  and  social  discrimination  in  reception  centres.  The  exceedingly  low  level  of  school 
attendance of Roma refugee children (49 pupils out of over 600 in the first half of 2024) is a major concern.  
A National Roma focal point has not been appointed yet.  

2.2.2. Chapter 24: Justice, freedom and security 

The EU has common rules for border control, visas, external migration and asylum. Schengen cooperation 
entails the lifting of border controls inside the EU. There is also cooperation in the fight against organised 
crime and terrorism, and judicial, police and customs cooperation,  all with the support of the EU Justice 
and Home Affairs agencies. 

Fight against organised crime 

Moldova has continued to work on aligning its legal framework on organised crime with the EU acquis. 

Institutional set-up and legal alignment 

The overall institutional framework on organised crime and police cooperation is broadly in line with the 
EU acquis. 

The organisation of law enforcement agencies involved in combating organised crime is operational and 
there is the capacity to deal with the most serious offences. A high turnover rate and significant number of 
vacancies (approx. 10%) affect operational capacity across entities. 

The combination of postponing trials or transferring cases between courts together with the time limit for 
keeping suspects in custody being limited to 12 months is a legislative shortcoming in view of combating 
organised crime. Moldova should take steps to tackle this shortcoming in order to fight complex organised 

39 

 
 
 
 
crime,  with  a  special  focus  on  the  role  of  law  enforcement  in  the  criminal  justice  and  efficiency  of 
investigations, including financial investigations. 

On the strategic framework, Moldova has a general home affairs strategy for 2022-2030 and six sectoral 
development strategies specifically on organised crime, public order, safety, civil protection, migration and 
education/ethics/digitalisation. The first national threat assessment report of SOCTA for 2022-2023 was 
drafted in March 2024 and is under consultation with the relevant authorities. The national security strategy 
was adopted on 15 December 2023 and an implementation action plan has been developed. 

A new national strategy on trafficking in human beings was adopted in September 2023 and is aligned 
with the EU acquis. 

To combat the trafficking of small arms and light weapons, on 29 February 2024 a law expanding the 
list of prohibited firearms and ammunition was adopted. Moldova continues to implement the objectives of 
the  EU  action  plan  on  firearm  trafficking  and  actively  cooperates  with  the  South-Eastern  and  Eastern 
Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC). Moldova needs to 
further align its law on weapons with the EU acquis. 

Implementation and enforcement capacity 

Moldova pursued its efforts to build a good track record in fighting organised crime. It has made progress 
and continued to strengthen international cooperation, including with EU agencies and EU Member States. 
Moldova  should  continue  to  increase  its  capacities  in  detecting,  preventing  and  prosecuting  serious 
organised crime criminals, with special focus on trafficking in human beings, drugs, cybercrime, money 
laundering and arms.  

Moldova has increased the staff working on intelligence-led policing, further work is needed to develop 
efficient intelligence data collection, analysis and dissemination of the highest standard. A high turnover 
rate  and  a  significant  number  of  vacancies  continue  to  affect  the  operational  capacity  of  local  law 
enforcement. 

Graph 14: Moldova - Serious* and organised crime cases

949

971

843

152

87

71

72

63

55

141

42

39

174

63

37

31

1000

100

10

1

108

93

57

50

140

221

94

30

Organised
crimes

Serious
crimes

Organised
crimes

Serious
crimes

Organised
crimes

Serious
crimes

2021

2022

2023

Number of individuals / legal entities under Investigation
Individuals / legal entities indicted
Final court decision
Final convictions

Source: National data collected via the organised
crime and corruption track record (OCCTR) e-platform

*Data  on  serious  crime  cases  stem  from  the  aggregation  of  cases  of  money  laundering,  cybercrime,  production  and  trafficking  of  drugs, 
firearms related offenses, terrorism, trafficking in human beings and smuggling of persons. Corruption cases are showcased in Chapter 23. 

40 

On international police 
cooperation,  Moldova 
good 
continues 
under 
cooperation 
comprehensive 
agreements 
with 
Europol  and  CEPOL. 
Europol  deployed  guest 
officers to Moldova, and 
liaison 
a  Moldovan 
officer 
to 
Europol’s  headquarters 
in The Hague. There has 
substantial 
been 
the 
increase 
in 
of 
involvement 
law 
Moldovan 
enforcement 
in 
EMPACT 
operational 
actions,  with  a  50% 
increase  from  2023  to 
2024. 

is  posted 

a 

 
 
 
 
Moldova has signed several bilateral police cooperation agreements with EU Member States. 

Moldova has rolled out SIENA to several law enforcement authorities in the course of 2023. Exchanges 
facilitated through SIENA have improved. 

On the fight against trafficking in human beings, while Moldova demonstrated continued efforts through 
increased  interinstitutional  coordination  and  multidisciplinary  approach,  it  needs  to  strengthen  the  law 
enforcement response while giving a special attention to  abuse online (recruitment and exploitation, in 
particular of minors). 

On the trafficking of small arms and light weapons, in 2023 traceability markings were applied on 687 
weapons.  The  General  Police  Inspectorate  in  cooperation  with  the  South  Eastern  and  Eastern  Europe 
Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC) also carried out the eighth 
round of the disposal of small arms and light weapons by melting 1 300 firearms and destroying 5 798 
bullets withdrawn from civil circulation. 

On cybercrime, Moldova needs to establish a more effective law enforcement response focusing on the 
detection and traceability of cybercrime data and the prosecution of cyber criminals. Moldova is party to 
the  Budapest  Convention on  cybercrime.  In  November  2022, it signed the  First  and  Second  Additional 
Protocols on enhanced cooperation and disclosure of electronic evidence. 

The Cybercrime unit under the Ministry of Interior has a central forensic laboratory, which needs greater 
capacity, including on cryptocurrencies. The cybersecurity law has been adopted and has yielded positive 
results, including the set-up of a national Computer Emergency Response Team with dedicated resources. 
Although Moldova has strengthened existing capacities for investigating and prosecuting crimes against 
children committed through the internet, further work is needed.  

Since June 2023 (and up to March 2024), the General Police Inspectorate placed 24 adults and three minors 
in witness protection programmes. 

Cooperation in the field of drugs 

Cooperation in the field of drugs needs to be improved. 

Institutional set-up and legal alignment 

Moldova’s institutional model in cooperation in the field of drugs is broadly in line with EU standards. 
However, further efforts are needed to strengthen the institutional set-up and legal alignment on drug policy 
and  monitoring.  Since  the  national  anti-drug  strategy  for  2020-2027  was  cancelled,  inter-ministerial 
coordination on drugs is facilitated under the National Anti-Drug Commission. Its institutional model is in 
line with EU standards. As a follow-up to the recommendations issued in the previous reporting period, 
Moldova operationalized three working groups under the National Anti-Drug Commission to work on: (i) 
strengthening  national  drug  observatory;  (ii)  the  national  early  warning  system  on  new  psychoactive 
substances; and (iii) drafting a balanced national strategic framework on drugs. The country improved its 
legal framework governing the fight against drugs. In August 2023, Moldova updated the list of narcotics, 
psychotic substances and plants containing such substances, detected in illicit trafficking.  

Moldova is encouraged to ensure that its National Drug Observatory, which is the contact point for the 
EUDA,  becomes  fully  operational.  It  needs  to  put  in  place  a  national  early  warning  system  on  the 
surveillance, prevention, detection and criminalisation of new psychoactive substances. The country should 
furthermore further align its drug policy with the EU drug strategy for 2021-2025, ensuring that the national 
drug observatory and the national early warning system both have the regulatory basis required to ensure 
their successful operations and start standardising the reporting of drug-related information to the EUDA. 
Cooperation with the EUDA is good, and in 2023 Moldova for the first time participated in the EUDA 
reference group meeting on supply indicators. 

41 

 
 
 
 
The country also cooperates with Europol, including in the fight against drug trafficking. 

There are treatment centres in eight localities, and access to treatments is available in 13 prisons. During 
2023, 261 new patients registered with the national opiate pharmacotherapy programme, bringing the total 
to 2 376 beneficiaries (up from 2 332 in 2022).  

Implementation and enforcement capacity 

Moldova  is  a  transit  country 
for drugs. In 2023, it recorded 
994  drug-related  offences,  a 
slight  increase  on  previous 
years (in 2022: 925, 2021: 818 
cases)  and  dismantled  three 
underground  laboratories.  In 
2023,  Moldova  demonstrated 
a good level of cooperation on 
issues  with 
drug-related 
neighbouring  countries  and 
beyond,  and  increased  the 
number  of  exchanges  via 
SIENA.  The  country  should 
continue 
its 
forensic  capacity  to  detect 
new psychoactive substances. 

increase 

to 

Fight against terrorism 

The fight against terrorism needs to be improved. 

Institutional set-up and legal alignment 

Moldova’s anti-terrorism legislation is broadly aligned with the EU acquis and the applicable international 
law. Coordination of counter-terrorism activities is entirely under the responsibility of the National Anti-
terrorism  Centre  under  the  Security  and  Intelligence  Service.  Its  capacities  have  not  yet  been  tested  in 
practice; the procedures need to be streamlined to ensure the capacity for rapid coordination and response 
in the event of a terrorism threat. Moldova’s anti-terrorism legislation is generally aligned with the EU 
acquis  and  applicable  international law,  but  gaps remain, notably  regarding  countering  terrorist  content 
online. 

The  national  security  strategy  covers  the  fight  against  terrorism  and  terrorist  financing.  The  national 
programme  for  the  consolidation  and  realization  of  anti-terrorist  protection  measures  as  regards  to 
objectives related to critical infrastructure for 2022-2026 and its action plan are in place  but there is no 
alignment  with  the  new  EU  acquis  on  the  resilience  of  critical  entities  and  protection  of  critical 
infrastructure.  The  strategic  documents  do  not  include  detailed  actions  to  implement  the  pillars  of  the 
Counter-terrorism Agenda for the EU (2020) to anticipate, prevent, protect, and respond. 

Implementation and enforcement capacity 

Moldova has a national terrorist alert system that is structured in four levels. Currently, the assessed threat 
level is at moderate, and there have been no charges or convictions for terrorist offences so far. 

Judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters 

42 

 
 
 
 
Judicial  cooperation  in  civil  and 
criminal  matters  needs 
to  be 
improved. On 21 December 2023, 
Parliament  adopted  the  Law  for 
the  accession  of  Moldova  to  the 
Hague  Convention  on  Choice  of 
Court  Agreements,  which  took 
place  in  March  2024.  Moldova 
seconded a  Liaison  Prosecutor  to 
Eurojust  in  October  2023.  No 
request  has  been  submitted  to 
Eurojust 
Liaison 
Prosecutor – as shown in the table 
below. 

the 

by 

1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0

Graph 16: Moldova - Requests for mutual assistance in 
civil and criminal matters

1355

752

603

344

245

99

1208

1171

700

508

221

166

55

686

485

253

207

46

Civil

Criminal

Civil

Criminal

Civil

Criminal

2021

2022

2023

Incoming requests

Outgoing requests

Total

has 

Moldova 
strengthening  cooperation  with  the  European  Public  Prosecutor’s  Office  (EPPO),  including  by 
concluding a working arrangement between the EPPO and the Prosecutor General’s Office in 2022. 

continued 

Source: Ministry of internal affairs, Ministry of Justice

Legal and irregular migration 

The management of legal and irregular migration is satisfactory. 

Institutional set-up and legal alignment 

The national programme for managing migration flows, asylum and integration of foreigners for 2022-2025 
is being implemented. In 2023 63% of actions have started, and until the end of reporting period in 2024, 
33% have been completed. 

In February 2024, the temporary protection granted to displaced persons from Ukraine was extended until 
March 2025, in line with the EU decision on 19 October 2023. 

Implementation and enforcement capacity 

Graph 17: Moldova - Number of irregular movements

4208

3201

3074

Reception  capacity  is  not  fully 
used  due  to  a  steady  decline  in 
Refugee 
Several 
demand. 
Accommodation  Centers  (RACs) 
have been temporarily closed due 
to a fall in the number of requests 
and  the  need  to  reduce  costs,  but 
they  could  be  reopened  in  the 
event of a refugee crisis. 

4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0

371 236 105

337 206

84

733 587

194

On  cooperation  with  Frontex,  a 
new joint operation was launched 
and runs from 24 January 2024 to 
22 January 2025. The specific goal 
to 
joint  operation 
this 
of 
is 
implement 
coordinated 
operational  activities  at  the  land 
sector of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border and at the border with Romania to control the flow of irregular 
migration and to counter cross-border crime.  

Source: Ministry of Interior

a
n
a
m
o
R

e
n
a
r
k
U

e
n
a
r
k
U

e
n
a
r
k
U

e
y
i
k
r
ü
T

e
y
i
k
r
ü
T

a
i
s
s
u
R

a
i
s
s
u
R

a
i
s
s
u
R

2021

2022

2023

a
t
o
T

a
t
o
T

a
t
o
T

i

l

i

i

l

i

l

43 

 
 
 
 
Implementation of the EU-Moldova readmission agreement is generally good.  

Asylum 

The management of asylum needs to be improved. 

Institutional set-up and legal alignment 

Moldovan  legislation  on  asylum  is  broadly  in  line  with  the  EU  acquis,  and  the  country  is  party  to  the 
relevant international conventions. 

The government decision extending temporary protection provides for strengthened socio-economic rights 
(such as access to the right of residence, identity documentation, the right to education, access to the labour 
market  and  healthcare)  and  lifts  travel  restrictions  beyond  45  days.  Ukrainians  and/or  third-country 
nationals can no longer enter the country with expired documents (they have to apply for asylum). 

From  1  March  2023  to  31  May  2024,  65 170  displaced  persons  from  Ukraine  have  registered  for 
Temporary Protection in the Republic of Moldova (54 571 are Ukrainians and 16 822 are minors). 4 286 
people were registered in May 2024. As of 31 May, 49 227 displaced persons from Ukraine are documented 
under the temporary protection regime in Moldova. The funding for any form of protection and asylum is 
the main  challenge faced  by  the  national  authorities handling  an  unprecedented number  of requests  for 
protection. 

Implementation and enforcement capacity 

As a consequence of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Moldova has not only become a transit 
country but also a destination country for people fleeing the war. From 24 February 2022 to 31 July 2024, 
990 777 Ukrainian citizens entered Moldova via the Moldova- Ukrainian border and 896 793 exited on all 
border sectors. 104 385 foreign citizens, who entered since the start of the war, remain on the territory of 
the Republic of Moldova. Of this, 93 984 are Ukrainian citizens and 48 647 are minors (Ukrainians and 
other nationalities).  

100000

10000

1000

100

10

1

18

e
y
i
k
r
ü
T

Graph 18: Moldova - Asylum applications 

9928

11218

3708

4101

292 200

75

148

40

10

6

a
i
r
y
S

a
i
s
s
u
R

l

a
t
o
T

i

e
n
a
r
k
U

o
c
c
o
r
o
M

a
i
s
s
u
R

l

a
t
o
T

i

e
n
a
r
k
U

a
i
s
s
u
R

a
i
r
y
S

l

a
t
o
T

While  in  2021,  43  out  of  75 
asylum  applicants  had  been 
granted protection, in 2023, 1 156 
out  of  4 101  asylum  applicants 
were  granted  protection.  The 
significant  increase  in  asylum 
seekers  continues  to  put  national 
authorities  under  pressure.  The 
should 
Moldovan 
continue  the  ongoing  process  to 
reform  the  Bureau  for  Asylum 
and  Migration  into  the  General 
Inspectorate  for  Migration  and 
equip  it  with  more  staff  and 
equipment. 

authorities 

2021

2022

2023

Access  to  and  the  provision  of 
asylum 
information  on 
procedure needs to be improved, as does access to information and legal counselling for asylum seekers at 
Chişinău international airport to prevent any potential cases of refoulement. 

Source: Ministry of Interior and Justice

the 

Moldova needs to further increase its capacity to manage asylum seekers and refugees while accounting for 
contingency plans. 

44 

 
 
 
 
Visa policy 

The national visa regime is not fully aligned with that of the EU, as Moldova maintains visa-free regimes 
for 11 countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Russia, Tajikistan, 
Türkiye and Uzbekistan) whose nationals require a visa for short stays in the EU. 

The European Commission’s sixth report under the visa suspension mechanism, published in October 2023, 
concluded that Moldova continues to meet the visa liberalisation benchmarks. 

In April 2024, a law enacted the ending of Moldova-Ecuador Agreement on visa-free travel. 

Schengen and external borders 

The legislative framework governing the management of external borders is moderately aligned with the 
EU acquis. 

Institutional set-up and legal alignment 

On 15 February 2024, a new Law regarding the state border of Moldova was adopted. The law contains 
provisions on the development of integrated management of the state border in view of aligning with the 
EU acquis. It refers to the issuance of permits, authorisations or notices in electronic format and regulates 
cooperation between the authorities involved in the state border management system. Implementation of 
these principles has yet to be assessed in practice as the law becomes applicable in 2025. 

The Law on the use of the passenger’s name record data was adopted in December 2023, with a transition 
period of 12 months. The law aims to align with the related EU directive but only partially with the related 
Commission implementing decision. 

Moldova  is  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Partnership  Risk  Analysis  Network,  a  regional  platform  for 
information  exchange  and  intelligence  sharing.  National  procedures  related  to  INTERPOL  alerts  are 
harmonised with European procedures, and a unified approach is in place. 

Implementation and enforcement capacity 

A programme for integrated border management (2022-2025) is in place. EU integrated border management 
principles  should  be  better  reflected  in  national  strategic  documents  and  subsequently  implemented  in 
practice. 

On  international  cooperation,  Moldova  expanded  cooperation  with  Frontex  by  transferring  Chişinău 
Airport to the operational area of the joint operation, as of July 2023. The transfer has granted deployed 
officers access to the national databases in carrying out the first line of control. 

Information exchange takes place centrally and at joint points of contact. Cooperation with neighbouring 
border services in Romania and Ukraine takes place via joint patrols and joint border control measures 
together with customs.  

Moldova has continued efforts to train law enforcement on corruption-related measures. In 2023, 131 
employees of the Ministry of Interior were trained and a further 28 employees so far in 2024. Disciplinary 
procedures  against  border  guards  should  be  more  systematically  applied  where  needed.  In  2023,  the 
Ministry of Internal Affairs issued two orders to take disciplinary action against 13 employees of the border 
police General Inspectorate. 

Counterfeiting the euro 

Moldova  is  not party  to  the  1929  Geneva  Convention  for the  suppression  of  counterfeiting  currency.  It 
should  establish  a  national  central  office.  The  Criminal  Code  provides  for  criminal  liability  for 
counterfeiting and is partly aligned with EU acquis. 

45 

 
 
 
 
2.3. ECONOMIC CRITERIA  

       Sources: National sources, World Bank, IMF 

2.3.1. The existence of a functioning market economy 

Economic governance 

46 

Table 8.1:202120222023Moldova - Key economic figuresGDP per capita (% of EU-27 in PPPs)26.630.228.329.1Real GDP growth 1.213.9-4.60.7Economic activity rate of the population aged 15-64 (%), total47.649.149.954.5      female45.444.946.651.5      male49.953.553.657.5Unemployment rate of the population aged 15-64 (%), total4.33.33.24.7      female3.42.62.74.3      male5.23.93.65.1Employment of the population aged 15-64 (annual growth %)N/A1.72.12.1Nominal wages (annual growth %)11.713.116.316.9Consumer price index (annual growth %)5.75.128.713.4Exchange rate against EUR20.520.919.919.6Current account balance (% of GDP)-7.2-12.6-16.6-12.0Net foreign direct investment, FDI (% of GDP)2.22.73.72.5General government balance (% of GDP)-2.0-1.9-3.2-5.2General government debt (% of GDP)35.633.634.934.72015-20 average 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The authorities are committed to pursuing macroeconomic stability and economic reforms despite 
the difficult external environment. Nonetheless, the 2023 dismissal of the governor of the National 
Bank of Moldova raised some concerns about good governance. Moldova participated for the first time 
in the Economic and Financial Dialogue with the EU in May 2024, having submitted its first Economic 
Reform  Programme  to  the  Commission  in  January  2024.  Moldova  continued  to  make  progress  in 
implementing  the  policy  conditions  linked  to  macro-financial  assistance  from  the  EU,  enabling  two 
disbursements  during  the  reporting  period.  Implementation  of  Moldova’s  International  Monetary  Fund 
(IMF) arrangement, adopted in December 2021 and augmented in May 2022, is also on track following the 
fifth review on 28 June. 

However, the abrupt dismissal of the governor of the National Bank of Moldova in December 2023 raised 
concerns regarding good economic governance and the independence of the central bank. The dismissal 
was conducted in line with Moldovan law, though this falls short of international best practice.  

Moldova completed the first measures to strengthen the National Bank of Moldova’s independence and 
governance  on  3  June  2024  and  additional  measures  have  been  incorporated  into  the  ongoing  IMF 
programme.  

Macroeconomic stability 

The  Moldovan  economy started  to  turn  the 
corner in 2023 following a deep recession in 
2022 as some of the effects of a series of crises 
began to fade, though downside risks remain 
high.  Real  GDP  grew  by  a  modest  0.7%  in 
2023,  compared  with  the  sharp  contraction  of 
4.6% in 2022 which was the result of Russia’s 
war  of  aggression  against  neighbouring 
Ukraine,  a  severe  drought  and  energy  supply 
disruptions.  Energy  and  food  prices  soared  in 
2022  before  gradually  declining  in  2023, 
severely  curbing  households’  purchasing 
power,  and 
investor  confidence  waned. 
Stagnating household spending and investment 
in 2023 was balanced by strong net exports (up 
by 5.1% year-on-year in real terms). This was primarily the result of subdued imports due to weak domestic 
demand and falling energy prices.  

The nascent recovery is likely to strengthen in 2024 on the back of rising real wages and looser monetary 
policy. Moldova’s income per capita is just under a third of that of the EU, having increased by about eight 
percentage  points  over  the  previous  decade,  although  the  crises  in  recent  years  have  slowed  and  even 
reversed  this  trend.  The  National  Strategy  for  Economic  Development,  adopted  in  June  2024,  aims  to 
kickstart economic growth and faster convergence. 

47 

-15-10-50510152020192020202120222023Graph 1: Moldova -Real GDP growth and contributionsPriv. Cons.Gov. Cons.Gross Fixed Capital FormationNet exportsStocksreal GDP growth% y-o-ySource: WiiW, NationalSources 
 
 
 
loans,  while  net 

The current account deficit narrowed considerably from 16.5% of GDP in 2022 to a still sizeable 
11.8% of GDP in 2023 largely as a result of depressed domestic demand, falling energy prices and 
strong exports of agricultural goods; however, remittances continued to decline. With food and energy 
import  prices  receding  in  2023  and  domestic  demand  for  imports  remaining  subdued,  the  trade  deficit 
returned to an average of about 25% of GDP. Imports as a whole decreased by about 5% in 2023 in nominal 
terms, with energy imports dropping back to about 23% of imports in 2023 from 28% in 2022 as prices fell. 
The strong harvest in 2023 boosted agricultural exports, which make up almost half of the country’s total 
exports. Moldova’s high trade deficit is partly balanced by high remittances, though these have continued 
to fall and reached about 12% of GDP in 2023. The large current account deficit was financed by net capital 
inflows  in  the  form  of  currency,  deposits 
and 
foreign  direct 
investment  fell  in  2023,  to  2.5%  of  GDP 
from 3.7% of GDP in 2022, in part due to 
still-weak 
to 
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. 
A new foreign direct investment (FDI) and 
export promotion programme was prepared 
to counterbalance those trends, and the main 
implementing agency, Moldova Invest, has 
been  reformed  and  received  a  significant 
increase  in  staff.  Moldova’s  external  debt 
decreased as a share of GDP from 65.4% at 
the end of 2022 to 61.5% at the end of 2023 
as  a  result  of  greater  reliance  on  domestic 
borrowing. External public debt is extended almost entirely by international donors on concessional terms. 
Gross official reserves remain high at over 5 months of imports, over 180% of the IMF’s reserve adequacy 
metric. 

investor  confidence  due 

Inflation has fallen steeply, from a high of 34.6% year-on-year in October 2022 to 3.5% in April 2024. 
This disinflation was driven in large part by global food and energy prices, with fuel prices falling over 
much of 2023, and a timely monetary policy response by the central bank. The leu, having appreciated in 
2022 and early 2023 as a result of large inflows of foreign currency in the form of international assistance, 
stabilised over the past year. 

While  Moldova’s  public  debt  ratio 
remains  relatively  low,  the  country 
has run large deficits in recent years, 
and  liquidity  management  remains 
challenging.  The  general  government 
deficit widened to 5.2% of GDP in 2023 
compared with 3.2% in 2022 reflecting 
weak  growth  and  the  high  cost  of 
measures  to  support  households  and 
firms as well as higher interest payments 
(90% of Moldova’s domestic debt has a 
than  1  year). 
maturity  of 
Nevertheless,  the  budget  deficit  was 
significantly narrower than projected as a result of the habitual under-execution of current expenditure and 
an overestimated cost of a new support measure for small and medium-sized enterprises. Crucial growth-
enhancing public capital expenditure also continued to be under-executed in 2023, albeit by less than in 

less 

48 

                                raph   Moldova  iscal develop e ts                                                                                                                                                         raph   Moldova  urre t accou t selected co po e ts a d                                                                                                                                  
 
 
 
previous years. There is scope to broaden the tax base through the repeal of tax expenditures and improve 
the efficiency of expenditure through spending reviews. The public debt ratio grew by 2.2 percentage points 
to a still moderate 37.2% of GDP in 2023, driven by the large primary deficit and higher interest payments 
on short-term domestic debt, with inflation helping to mitigate this increase.  

The  macroeconomic  policy  mix  remains  appropriate  and  has  contributed  to  sustaining 
macroeconomic  stability.  Looking  ahead,  fiscal  policy  will  need  to  increase  much-needed  public 
investment  to  support  the  nascent  recovery  while  ensuring  sustainability  via  consolidation  that 
protects growth-enhancing spending. Accommodative fiscal policy helped to cushion the impact of high 
energy prices on households with financial support from international partners. Monetary policy tightening 
and the subsequent easing cycle was an early and appropriate response to inflation dynamics. Nevertheless, 
while ensuring fiscal sustainability, Moldova will need to increase public investment to begin converging 
to EU income levels. Major risks are related to the possible interruption of the current arrangement for 
natural gas supply from Russia to the Transnistrian region on which Moldova is dependent for electricity 
generation as well as Moldova’s vulnerability to socio-economic shocks, including those related to Russia’s 
war of aggression in Ukraine and to climate change. 

Functioning of product markets 

Business environment  

Moldova has made some further progress to improve its business environment while main challenges 
to economic growth remain. Moldova’s economy is characterised by a relatively low density of firms, 
low survival rates of new firms and a limited uptake of new technologies suggesting persistent barriers to 
market entry and growth. This also limits competitive pressures for existing firms and hinders much-needed 
productivity growth. At the same time, SOEs continue to dominate some competitive sectors while their 
productivity levels are falling behind those of local and foreign competitors. Despite some progress during 
the  reporting  period,  corruption  and  weak  rule  of  law  continue  to  negatively  affect  the  business 
environment.  The  lack  of  specialised  insolvency  courts  and  an  electronic  register  for  insolvency  cases 
weakens  the  regulatory  framework  for  bankruptcy  while  the  envisaged  Second  Chance  Programme  for 
SMEs has still not been implemented. In addition, a shortage of skilled labour, limited access to finance, 
low-quality  public  services  and  a  lack  of  predictability  are  limiting  factors  to  the  potential  for 
entrepreneurship and FDI and give rise to a persistently high level of the informal economy.8 However, 
efforts to combat informal employment, such as a significant increase in labour inspections and support for 
formalisation,  have  started  to  show  some  positive  results.  In  addition,  to  advance  deregulation, 
administrative barriers for companies have been reduced and several digital platforms were set up to allow 
businesses and individuals better access public services. Online business registration for foreign investors 
and remote identification of customers in the financial sector has been introduced. The EU-aligned Customs 
Code  entered  into  force  on  1  January  2024  aimed  at  offering  companies  digital  services  and  reducing 
bureaucracy.  Nevertheless,  the  full  application  of  the  simplified  customs  procedures  as  well  as  the 
development of the required IT infrastructure is still pending.   

State influence on product markets 

The state influence in some economic sectors remains high through a dominance of SOEs with minor 
progress  in  reducing  its  influence  in  competitive  sectors.  One  third  of  activities  by  SOEs  are  in 

8 According to World Economics (2023), which uses an average of the latest estimates from economists around the world, 
Moldova’s informal economy represents about 41% of GDP, an increase by 1 pps. compared to 2022. Any estimations need to be 
taken with caution given the variety of methodological approaches. 

49 

 
 
 
 
 
 
competitive sectors such as transport services or manufacturing. Sector regulations, including in electricity, 
telecommunications, railways, transport, and forestry, provide for exclusive rights for SOEs.  In July 2024 
the government approved a merger between the main SOE responsible for managing road construction and 
private road maintenance companies further undermining the playing field for private companies in the 
road sector. In addition, public institutions that regulate infrastructure sectors often intervene in markets by 
issuing  or  revoking  licences  or  permits  and  setting  tariffs  that  negatively  affect  market  entry  and 
competition.  Price  controls  and  state  production  in  competitive  sectors,  like  food  and  pharmaceuticals, 
continue undermining competition and productivity growth.  Prices of pharmaceuticals are regulated at the 
wholesale level. State aid to the economy accounts for about 10% of spending.  

Privatisation and restructuring 

Moldova made some progress on its SOE reform agenda in 2023, though the most important steps 
are still to come. There are around 900 SOEs in Moldova, of which about one third operate at the level of 
the central government. Their combined assets represent about one fifth of Moldova’s GDP and operate in 
strategic sectors such as energy, telecoms, transport and public works. For SOEs at the central government 
level, the Public Property Agency represents the state in its capacity as owner. The Public Property Agency 
completed a screening of 238 SOEs classified according to whether they will be privatised, restructured, 
liquidated  or  kept  in  public  ownership,  but  little  progress  has  yet  been  made  in  implementing  those 
decisions. Laws governing improvements in the selection procedures for members of the boards of SOEs 
and audits and a new corporate governance code were adopted, though implementation lags behind. 

Functioning of the financial market 

The mainly foreign-owned banking sector remained stable and continues to attract foreign investors’ 
i terest  despite  the  i pact  of  Russia’s  war  of  aggressio   agai st  Ukrai e.  The  capital  adequacy, 
liquidity  and  profitability  of  commercial  banks  remained  high  or  increased  further  in  2023,  exceeding 
regulatory requirements. Reserve requirement ratios were relaxed in 2023 in response to falling inflation 
but did not return to pre-2022 levels. Loans to the private sector have been slightly increasing in the first 
half of 2024 mostly driven by the retail and real estate sector. The share of non-performing loans remains 
above the EU average but continued to decline in 2023, falling by 0.8 percentage points from 6.4% in 2022, 
and provisioning is adequate. In 2023, a law on bank deposits guarantee schemes was adopted to partially 
align  with  the  EU  acquis,  improving  the  protection  of  depositors  through  an  increase  in  the  maximum 
insured deposit value.  

Financial intermediation and access to finance remain at relatively low levels. Credit to the economy 
decreased by 1.9 percentage points from 2022 to a low share of 21.4% of GDP in 2023. Financial inclusion 
of  individuals  is  similarly  low  with  only  64%  of  adults  having  an  account  at  a  financial  institution 
(compared  to  78%  in  the  region).  To  address  this  the  government  is  working  on  a  National  Financial 
Inclusion  strategy.  The  government  has  also  taken  steps  to  improve  access  to  finance  through  several 
support programmes providing guarantees and interest subsidies. The effectiveness of these measures is 
still to be assessed with initial evidence of lower-than-expected uptake of interest subsidies. In addition, 
challenges  to  access  to  finance  such  as  high  collateral  requirements  persist.  While  banks  continue  to 
dominate  the  financial  sector,  the  share  of  loans  provided  by  non-bank  credit  organisations  has  been 
increasing since the banking fraud in 2014 although at much higher costs than bank loans. In addition, the 
National Commission for Financial Markets (NCFM) has taken first steps to develop a new capital market 
strategy to address the limited development of the capital market, which currently is not a viable source of 
funding for the private sector, including for its green transition needs.  

Functioning of the labour market 

Labour market outcomes have shown strong improvement despite weak economic growth, though 
structural challenges persist.  In 2023, the employment rate surpassed 50% for the first time since the 
50 

 
 
 
 
current Labour Force Survey began9. This was driven in part by a large increase in women entering the 
labour  market,  with  53.9%  of  women  aged  15-64  either  working  or  looking  for  work,  a  more  than  7 
percentage point increase compared with 2022. The increase in women’s participation is partially the result 
of improved childcare provision and a new policy that offered more flexible employment conditions, in 
particular for pregnant women and those who have recently had a child, and allowed women to continue to 
receive  childcare  benefits  while  working. 
Nevertheless,  challenges  remain  due 
to 
informal  employment  and  high  reservation 
wages related to remittances and opportunities 
abroad, in particular for skilled workers. The 
unemployment  rate  increased  slightly  as 
output  stagnated  at  the  end  of  2023  but  fell 
back  to  4.6%  as  the  recovery  picked  up  in 
2024,  and  the  proportion  of  young  people 
aged 15-29 not in education, employment or 
training  (NEETs)  fell  by  over  3  percentage 
these  overall 
points 
improvements,  participation  rates  still  lag 
well behind those in the EU. 

to  23.1%.  Despite 

2.3.2. The capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the EU 

Education and innovation  

Despite the relatively high spending on education and important measures to increase the quality of 
education, outcomes remain low and do not match labour market needs. The most recent Programme 
for International Student Assessment (PISA) study results reconfirm that the quality of education remains 
below the OECD average. In 2023, 30% of employers in Moldova experienced labour shortages primarily 
due to the lack of qualified staff. Moldova is taking steps to address this, such as restructuring vocational 
education and training (VET).  

R&D spending remains low at 0.22% of GDP in 2023, but initial steps are being taken to promote 
innovation.  Moldova's  performance  in  creating  a  favourable  innovation  ecosystem  continues  to  lag, 
ranking 60th among 132 economies featured in the Global Innovation Index 2023. Efforts to link academia 
with  local  and  foreign  businesses  are  limited.  To  facilitate  innovation,  a  new  National  Strategy  for 
Innovation and Research was adopted in 2023. The government has adopted a smart specialisation strategy 
and needs to implement it. Agriculture chambers are being set up to provide training and advisory services 
supporting farmers to move up the value chain in this key sector.  

Physical capital and quality of infrastructure  

Investments as a share of GDP has declined with public investments (about 3.5% of GDP in 2023) 
re ai i g i sufficie t to  eet the cou tries’ substa tial i frastructure  eeds. Progress was made in 
implementing a new public investment management system (i.e. ‘single project pipeline’) which aims to 
improve the planning and execution of public investment in the coming years. Since 2023, Moldova benefits 
from the IMF Resilience and Sustainability Facility to strengthen its resilience against climate shocks. 

9 The Labour Force Survey methodology changed from 2019 onwards, so labour market indicators from before 2019 are not directly 
comparable with later years. 

51 

45.046.047.048.049.050.051.052.053.054.055.00.00.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.02020202120222023Graph 4: Moldova -Labour market trendsUnemployment rate (lhs)Participation rate (rhs)Employment rate (rhs)Source: WiiW, National Bureau of Statistics  
 
 
 
 
Digitalisation is slowly picking up thanks to a growing emphasis on e-government, digital skills and 
the ICT sector. In 2023, a National Digital Transformation Strategy was adopted to support technology 
start-ups, the ICT sector, and the digitalisation of traditional sectors.  

Sectoral and enterprise structure  

The sectoral structure in Moldova continues to gradually shift from agriculture to services, largely 
driven by ICT and business support services. Relatively unsophisticated goods, such as agri-food products, 
beverages,  and textile  dominate  the  industry,  although  there  is  a  growing  share  of  pharmaceuticals  and 
machinery, which indicates a potential shift to higher value-added industries. 

Economic integration with the EU and price competitiveness  

Moldova remains a relatively open economy with a deepening integration with the EU market. In 
2023, the country’s nominal trade to GDP ratio slightly declined to 80.6% of GDP driven mainly by a dip 
in  imports  due  to  weak  domestic  demand  and  decreasing  food  and  energy  prices.  The  EU  remains 
Moldova’s main export partner, exceeding 65% of total exports in 2023 and accounting for almost half of 
Moldova’s imports, with five EU countries making up more than 80% of goods exported to the EU. This 
suggests a potential for further trade diversification with EU countries. Exports are dominated by labour-
intensive  and  low-productivity  sectors,  underscoring  the  importance  of  maintaining  price  and  cost 
competitiveness in the short run, in addition to medium-term efforts that are required to move up the value 
chain.  

Price and cost competitiveness have declined further with an increase in the real effective exchange rate 
due to high inflation rates and the appreciation of the lei compared to Moldova’s main trading partners. In 
2023,  both  minimum  wages  and  public  sector  salaries  increased  to  compensate  the  earlier  inflationary 
shock.  Real  wages  growth  of  3.4%  in  2023  slightly  exceeded  productivity  growth.  Unit  labour  costs 
continued to increase but remain below the regional average. 

2.4.  PUBLIC PROCUREMENT, STATISTICS,  FINANCIAL CONTROL 

Chapter 5: Public procurement 

EU  rules  ensure  that  the  public  procurement  of  goods,  services  and  works  in  any  Member  State  is 
transparent and open to all EU companies on the basis of non-discrimination and equal treatment. 

Institutional set-up and legal alignment  

The legislation on public procurement is largely aligned with the EU acquis. The government adopted the 
National Programme for Development of the Public Procurement System for 2023-2026 in August 2023. 

52 

0510152025303540455020192020202120222023Graph 5b: Moldova -Imports compositionEUCISOthersSource:National Bureau of Statistics% ofGDP051015202520192020202120222023Graph 5a -Moldova Exports compositionEUCISOthersSource: NationalBureau of Statistics% ofGDP 
 
 
 
 
An action plan has also been adopted for technical implementation of this programme, which details out 
the allocation of adequate resources, options for external support, and capacity needs of the Ministry of 
Finance.  A  draft  Regulation  for  the  certification  of  specialists  in  public/sectoral  procurement  is  at  the 
approval stage by the government.  

To proceed with the alignment with the Directive on procurement by entities operating in the water, energy, 
transport and postal services sectors, the existing legislation was amended in October 2023. The draft law 
on the award of certain works contracts, supply contracts and service contracts by contracting authorities 
or entities in the fields of defence and security to align with the Directive is undergoing a repeated review 
The amendments to the law on works concessions and service concessions are currently under preparation 
and the amendments to the law on public-private partnership are also under preparation. 

The duties of the Public Procurement Agency (PPA) have been extended as of 1 July 2023 to monitoring 
the compliance of low-value procurement. The enforcement of the monitoring should be further improved 
and supported by adequate staffing, appropriate resources and competences. 

Implementation and enforcement capacity  

The institutional framework is established, but the capacity to manage public procurement processes 
needs  to  be  improved.  Public  procurement  represents  approximately  5%  of  GDP  and  20%  of  the  state 
budget. One of the main bottlenecks during the implementation of the public procurement processes has 
been the e-procurement system (MTender) that does not support progress made in legal approximation 
to EU acquis and does not allow use of all tools set out in the legislation in force. 

The  Action  Plan  for  the  implementation  of  the  National  Integrity  and  Anti-Corruption  Programme  for 
2024–2028 contains actions targeting the field of public procurement. However, this area still remains very 
vulnerable in terms of associated corruption risks, as evidenced in audits and monitoring carried out by the 
responsible institutions, as well as investigations by the press and civil society. The country should improve 
the  transparency  of  the  procurement  system,  such  as  by  allowing  wider  access  to  procurement 
documentation and especially procurement plans. 

In 2023, the PPA started to monitor low-value contracts, and the number and volume of such contracts are 
publicly available.  

Efficient remedy system 

The remedy system is largely aligned with the EU acquis, except for a few inconsistencies regarding time 
limits  for  submitting  appeals.  The  National  Agency  for  Solving  Complaints  is  an  independent  review 
institution; its members are appointed by Parliament for a 7-year non-renewable term, however there are 
some  concerns regarding  the  full  independence  from  political  influence.  In  2023,  this  Agency  received 
1 012  appeals  on  760  procurement  procedures,  covering  the  entire  public  procurement  area  (classical, 
sectoral procurements and concessions). The panels issued 846 decisions on 927 appeals.  

Chapter 18: Statistics 

European  statistics  are  developed,  produced  and  disseminated  by  EU  Member  States,  guided  by  the 
principles and quality criteria elaborated in the Regulation on European statistics, such as professional 
independence, impartiality, reliability, transparency, and confidentiality. Common rules are provided for 
the methodology, production and dissemination of statistical information, which are further specified in 
sectoral legislation that constitute the EU acquis on statistics. 

The legal framework for statistical infrastructure, the Law on official statistics is built on the principles 
of European Statistics Code of Practice and is designed to be aligned with the EU Regulation on European 
Statistics. Moldova started implementing the 2023-2030 development strategy for the national statistical 

53 

 
 
 
 
system  as  well  as  the  2023-2026  Program  for  the  development  of  the  national  statistical  system.  Their 
implementation requires allocation of adequate resources and strengthening the internal capacity to deliver 
the programme.  

The  NBS  revamped  its  organisational  structure  to  streamline  statistical  operations  and  modernise  data 
collection. This includes creating new departments focused on implementing innovative methods, like using 
alternative  data  sources  and  experimenting  with  new  statistical  approaches.  Sustainable  improvement 
necessitates further reform measures coupled with sufficient financial resources. The NBS is making efforts 
to  increase  the  amount  of  data  submitted  to  Eurostat  for  publication.  New  datasets  among  others  on 
demographics, consumer prices, wages, macroeconomic statistics and transportation were provided in the 
reporting period. 

On classification and registers, Moldova has been implementing the main classification with different 
degrees  of  compliance  with  the  EU  acquis.  The  NBS  developed and  approved  a  revised  version  of  the 
statistical classification of products (goods and services) which has been implemented since January 2024.    

On  macroeconomic  statistics,  the  National  Bank  of  Moldova  (NBM)  is  finalising  the  production  of 
financial accounts and balance sheets statistics. Starting with 2023, quarterly data on sectoral balance sheets 
(stocks)  is  produced  and  disseminated.  Fiscal  notifications  for  the  excessive  deficit  procedure  are  not 
produced. The institutional arrangements for producing government finance statistics need to be carefully 
reviewed to assure scientific independence in the determination of the general government sector and its 
operations. The NBS does not calculate the harmonised index of consumer prices or the house price index. 

On business statistics, since January 2024, the new version of the Nomenclature of Industrial Products and 
Services  is  aligned  with  the  European  standard  PRODCOM-2022.  As  of  June  2023,  Moldova  started 
providing detailed date on a monthly basis on international trade in good statistics. 

On  social  statistics,  Moldova  conducted  a  national  population  and  housing  census  in  2024.  The  data 
collection phase took place from 8 April 2024 to 8 July 2024, followed by a Post-Enumeration survey. 
Approximately  2  438  3000  people  and  about  1  654  000  households  were  covered.  The  results  will  be 
published  in  early  2025.  Compared to  the last  census  in  2014,  coverage,  citizen  participation,  and  data 
security  have  all  seen  significant  improvements.  Post-census  efforts  should  prioritise  data  analysis  and 
dissemination,  requiring  a  strategic  investment  of  resources.  Moldova  needs  to  further  improve  the 
collection  of  disaggregated  data,  particularly  on  sex  and  disability  and  develop  statistics  in  the  area  of 
asylum and managed migration. Access to administrative data sources has been secured, which should help 
with the development of the survey on income and living conditions (SILC). The 2024 Labour Force Survey 
questionnaires were adjusted to gradually align with the EU acquis.  

In the area of agricultural statistics, the most recent comprehensive agricultural census occurred in 2011. 
The population and housing census 2024 is however also gathering data to identify agricultural activity 
within households. 

Structural  and  short-term  energy  statistics  continue  to  be  produced  and  the  NBS  regularly  provides 
Eurostat with monthly oil statistics. 

Chapter 32: Financial control 

The EU promotes the reform of national governance systems to improve managerial accountability, sound 
financial management of income and expenditure, and external audit of public funds. The financial control 
rules further protect the EU’s financial interests against fraud in the management of EU funds and the 
euro against counterfeiting. 

Public internal financial control 

54 

 
 
 
 
The  public  finance  management  development  strategy  continues  to  offer  the  strategic  framework  for 
public internal financial control reforms and contains specific measures for both internal control systems 
and internal audits. The new Public Internal Financial Control Programme was developed and adopted. The 
legal framework on internal financial control and internal audit is in place. Human capacity remains the 
biggest challenge for internal audit. The internal audit organisational structure at the central government 
level was reorganised, centralising small internal audit units at the ministerial level and allocating sufficient 
resources to cover all subordinated entities. Four ministries were reorganised in this manner, and 10 others 
are at different stages of implementation. This measure, together with the salary increase measures made 
this function more attractive. The quality of internal audits is assessed based on an annual plan. Most public 
bodies  have  developed  a  quality  assurance  and  improvement  programme,  but  implementation  of  these 
programmes is hampered by a lack of supervision. 

Related to managerial accountability,  efficient implementation of managerial accountability remains a 
challenge for budget users at central and local level. Public bodies report to the central harmonisation unit 
(CHU). The unit prepares a consolidated annual report and presents it to the government for approval. In 
the  reporting  period  an  IT  solution  was  implemented,  allowing  public  units  to  report  to  CHU  which 
improves its  efficiency.  The  role  of  Public  Internal  Financial  Control  to  combat corruption needs  to  be 
strengthened, as well as its cooperation with State Audit Institutions. The mechanism for monitoring cases 
investigated because of internal audit should be strengthened. The State Financial Inspectorate, reporting 
to  the  Ministry  of  Finance,  has  a  major  financial  inspection  role.  In  the  reporting  period,  Financial 
Inspectorate was reorganised, currently concentrating its activities on thematic controls, on suspicions of 
fraud and irregularities with application of risk criteria. 

External audit  

Regarding the constitutional and legal framework, the Court of Accounts is enshrined in the Constitution 
with a well-developed law. Certain provisions of the law, weaken the Court's organisational, functional, 
and  financial  independence.  Improvements  should  be  made  to  enhance  performance  auditing.  On 
institutional  capacity,  the  Court  holds  a  broad  mandate  to  audit  all  public  bodies  and  resources,  but 
Parliament can curtail the Court's control over its resources and work programme. Implementation of a 
development strategy with annual action plans, is ongoing. The Court's communication efforts should be 
reinforced. 

Protection of the EU’s financial interests 

Legislation is not aligned with the EU acquis. Cooperation in investigations between the European Anti-
Fraud  Office  and  the  relevant  national  authorities  takes  place  on  a  case-by-case  basis.  The  National 
Anticorruption Centre has been nominated as main focal point and it has provided good assistance to OLAF 
in  the  context  of  investigative  cooperation.  No  body  is  yet  officially  recognised  as  an  anti-fraud 
coordination service. 

Protection of the euro against counterfeiting 

Moldova has not ratified the 1929 Geneva Convention for the suppression of counterfeiting of currency. 
Moldova is partially aligned with EU law on the definition of counterfeiting banknotes and coins, and with 
the  procedures  for  gathering,  storing and  withdrawing  counterfeit  currency  from  circulation.  The  NBM 
includes information on detected counterfeiting in its annual report. 

3.  GOOD NEIGHBOURLY RELATIONS AND REGIONAL COOPERATION 

Moldova actively participates in various regional cooperation platforms. It held the 2023 Presidency of 
the Central European Initiative (CEI) and convened the CEI Annual Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers 
in Chişinău in November 2023. In September 2023, Moldova along with Ukraine joined the Three Seas 
55 

 
 
 
 
Initiative (TSI) as an associate member and hosted a TSI conference in March 2024. Moldova is active in 
the  Black  Sea  Economic  Cooperation  Organization  (BSEC),  the  Organization  for  Democracy  and 
Economic  Development  (GUAM),  the  Southeast  European  Cooperation  Process  and  the  Regional 
Cooperation Council and contributes to the Central European Free Trade Agreement. 

Moldova remains committed to the Eastern Partnership format and to maintaining good relations with 
its neighbours and other candidate countries in the region. 

Relations with other candidate countries remain good through bilateral, trilateral and regional initiatives. 
Moldova  also  maintains  regular  exchanges  with  candidate  countries  about  the  accession  processes, 
especially with the Western Balkans countries. 

Cooperation  with  Ukraine  is  a  cornerstone  of  Moldova’s  foreign  policy  with both countries’ candidate 
status  providing  further  opportunities  for  close  interaction.  The  Moldovan  government  has  consistently 
aligned with international statements condemning Russia’s military aggression and shown solidarity with 
Ukraine. Both countries are in regular contact on regional and security issues.  

Trilateral  cooperation  with  Ukraine  and  Romania  further  intensified  on  energy  security,  transport  and 
connectivity at both technical and high level, with the latest example being the trilateral foreign ministerial 
meeting in Chişinău in July 2024. A trilateral business forum took place in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, in July 
2023. In October 2023, a trilateral meeting on transport in Chişinău focused on cross-border freight traffic. 
In  April  2024,  Moldova  presented  proposals  for  regional  energy  interconnections  at  the  Three  Seas 
Initiative summit in Vilnius. They include the construction of a second circuit of the 330 kV high-voltage 
power line between the Dniester Hydroelectric Power Station (Ukraine) and Bălți (Moldova), and another 
connecting the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant through Moldova with Isaccea (Romania). 

Moldova enjoys excellent cooperation and bilateral contacts with Romania at all levels, with regular high-
level  exchanges.  Moldova’s  President  paid  a  working  visit  to  Bucharest  in  early  March  2024,  the 
Parliamentary Speaker welcomed his Romanian counterpart for an official visit to Chişinău in February 
2024, and the last visit of the Moldovan Prime Minister to Bucharest took place in March 2024. Romania 
remains Moldova’s biggest trading partner, accounting for over a third of Moldovan exports. In November 
2023,  Chişinău  hosted  the  Romania-Moldova  Economic  Forum  which  further  accelerated  sectoral 
cooperation on energy, infrastructure and trans-border cooperation projects. At local level, Romanian cities 
and municipalities supported local projects such as park refurbishments in Moldovan towns. 

Moldova continues to maintain dialogue with Georgia. Relations between these two candidate countries 
are based on mutual support for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, with both taking similar 
approaches in regional and international platforms. 

Moldova also maintains good relations with Western Balkans partners and especially appreciates learning 
from  their  pre-accession  experiences.  In  February  2024,  the  President  of  Moldova  attended  the  Tirana 
South-East Europe Summit and engaged in bilateral talks with the Prime Minister of Albania and other 
high-level  participants.  Although  Moldova  does  not  recognise  Kosovo*,  the  country  participates  in  the 
NATO-led and UN-mandated Kosovo Force (KFOR) peacekeeping force. 

Moldova  and  Türkiye  maintain  regular  and  friendly  high-level  exchanges  focused  on  trade,  energy, 
cooperation in the Black Sea region and Turkish support for projects in Gagauzia. High-level exchanges 
take  place  regularly.  In  March  2024,  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  of  Moldova  attended  the  Antalya 
Diplomatic Forum. 

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244(1999) and the ICJ Opinion on the 
Kosovo declaration of independence. 

56 

 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  ABILITY TO ASSUME THE OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERSHIP  

CLUSTER 2: INTERNAL MARKET 

This cluster covers: free movement of goods (Chapter 1); freedom of movement for workers (Chapter 2); 
right of establishment and freedom to provide services (Chapter 3); free movement of capital (Chapter 4); 
company law (Chapter 6); intellectual property law (Chapter 7); competition policy (Chapter 8); financial 
services (Chapter 9); and consumer and health protection (Chapter 28). This cluster is key for Moldova’s 
preparations for the requirements of the EU’s internal market. 

Chapter 1: Free movement of goods   

The  free  movement  of  goods  ensures  that  many  products  can  be  traded  freely  across  the  EU  based  on 
common rules and procedures. Where products are governed by national rules, the principle of the free 
movement of goods prevents these rules from creating unjustified barriers to trade. 

General principles 

From  September  2023  to  February  2024  a  legislative  pre-assessment  of  the  EU-Moldova  Association 
Agreement’s provisions on technical barriers to trade was conducted, focusing on low voltage devices and 
electromagnetic compatibility. The results show that Moldova aligned with 41 out of 48 EU legislative 
documents that were identified for the pre-assessment.  

Non-harmonised area 

Moldova has started the assessment of its legislation and administrative practices in line with Articles 34-
36 TFEU and relevant CJEU case law. However, additional efforts are needed concerning the examination 
of the details and decisions whether to repeal, amend, or insert mutual recognition clauses in the relevant 
laws or practices.  

Harmonised area: quality infrastructure 

The Institute for standardisation of the Republic of Moldova (ISM) adopted 2 823 new European standards 
of  the  European  Standardisation  Committee  (CEN)/  European  Electrotechnical  Committee  for 
Standardisation  (CENELEC)  and  the  Telecommunications  Standards  Institute  (ETSI)  since  the  last 
available  reporting  in  April  2023.  ISM  withdrew  1 112  conflicting  standards  and  446  GOST  standards 
during the reporting period. 

The national accreditation body, MOLDAC, operates in accordance with the requirements established in 
the  relevant  reference  standard  and  EU  acquis,  and  in  line  with  the  requirements  for  European  and 
international accreditation organisations. 

The main body responsible for market surveillance, the State inspectorate for supervision of Non-Food 
Products and Consumer Protection carried out 2 313 controls, identified 1 956 non-compliances in 2023 
(compared to 1 862 non-compliances in 2022). It prohibited 49 products from being placed on the market. 
One product had to be withdrawn. In 1834 cases sanctions were applied.  

The  administrative  capacity  of  the  relevant  national  authorities  remains  a  challenge.  The  Law  on  state 
controls needs to be adjusted in line with the EU acquis and best practices. 

Harmonised area: sectoral legislation 

In the area of ‘new and global approach’, there was no progress on alignment with the EU acquis. 

57 

 
 
 
 
 
There  was  no  progress  on  aligning  national  legislation  with  the  EU  ‘old  approach’  product    acquis, 
including on the EU Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals, 
or on chemicals, classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures , or on good laboratory 
practices. 

On procedural measures, national legislation is not aligned with the EU acquis on firearms, crystal glass, 
defence  procurement,  medicinal  products  pricing,  or  cultural  objects.  It  is  partly  aligned  with  the  EU 
acquis on footwear and textiles labelling and mixtures. 

On  anti-corruption,  as  of  April  2024,  all  inspectors  of  the  state  inspectorate  for  non-food  products 
surveillance and consumer protection use portable video surveillance systems during controls to increase 
the transparency and efficiency and to reduce corruption. 

Chapter 2: Freedom of movement for workers 

Citizens of one Member State have the right to work in another Member State and must be given the same 
working and social conditions as other workers. 

In January 2024, further amendments to the law on the regime of foreigners entered into force, modifying 
the access to the labour market. They allow EU citizens (and a number of other countries) to work in 
Moldova  without  a  work  permit.  Third-country  nationals  are  required  to  obtain  the  right  of  temporary 
residence from the competent authority to carry out any activity. EU citizens still have no access to posts 
in public administration bodies. A total of 2 991 residence permits for work were issued in 2023; the biggest 
number of work permits were provided to citizens of Ukraine (496), Türkiye (451), Russia (226) and Nepal 
(189). In 2023, 319 residence permits for work purposes were granted to EU citizens.  

On  EURES,  Moldova  has  drafted  an  action  plan  on  joining  EURES  and  designated  the  National 
Employment Agency as coordination body. Preparatory work to access the EURES needs to continue. 

Moldova does not have an occupational pension scheme (voluntary private pension schemes supplement 
public pensions). EU rules on supplementary pension rights of mobile workers are not incorporated into 
Moldovan law.  

On coordination of social security systems, bilateral agreements with Spain and Latvia entered into force 
in June and July 2024. Negotiations of agreements with other Member States have been initiated and should 
continue. Moldova further proposed to upgrade the existing agreement with Italy. 

No national health insurance card exists due to the absence of an integrated health information system. The 
implementation of the European Health Insurance Card might therefore be challenging.  

Chapter 3: Right of establishment and freedom to provide services 

EU natural and legal persons have the right to establish themselves in any Member State and to provide 
cross-border  services.  For  certain  regulated  professions,  there  are  rules  on  mutual  recognition  of 
qualifications. EU rules on postal services focus on improving the quality of universal service, gradual 
market opening to competition, and the establishment of an independent regulator. 

Regulatory reforms have helped bring Moldova’s legal framework in line with the EU Services Directive, 
however more progress is needed to ensure full compliance and. further alignment of the sectoral legislation 
with  the  Services  Directive.  There  are  no  barriers  to  the  right  of  establishment  by  foreign  people  and 
companies, and there is a single contact point for companies in operation. 

Regarding  postal  services,  Moldova  has  aligned  with  the  EU  postal  acquis,  including  the  1997  Postal 
Services Directive and its amendments and the Regulation on cross-border parcel delivery services, and has 
updated  the  AA/DCFTA  annex  XXVIII-C  on  rules  applicable  to  postal  and  courier  services.  Moldova 

58 

 
 
 
 
should continue monitoring and enforcing the correct implementation of the new EU postal market rules.  

Moldova has partially harmonised its legislation with the EU Directive on the recognition of professional 
qualifications.  

Chapter 4: Free movement of capital  

In the EU, capital and investments must be able to move without restrictions, with common rules for cross-
border payments. Banks and other economic operators apply certain rules to support the fight against 
money laundering and terrorist financing. 

On  capital  movements  and  payments,  Moldova  continues  to  liberalise  capital  outflows,  yet  certain 
restrictions remain, and no new laws were adopted in the reporting period. The National Bank of Moldova 
further  caped  the  interchange  fees  for  card-based  payments,  which  will  reduce  expenses  for  economic 
operators and final consumers. Fees for card-based payments remain high. Instant payment system was put 
in action in the reporting period, significantly simplifying the financial transactions.  

On  alignment  with  the  EU  acquis  on  payment  systems,  national  legislation  is  expected  to  be  largely 
harmonised with the EU Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) once the last amendments to the national 
law on payment services and electronic money enter into force in February 2025. In January 2024, Moldova 
applied to join the geographical scope of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA).  

In the area of anti-money laundering, Moldova has in place and is implementing the national legislation 
aiming  to  align  with  the  5th  Anti-Money  Laundering  Directive.  It  has  largely  addressed  technical 
compliance  deficiencies  in  the  area  of  targeted  financial  sanctions  related  to  terrorism,  and  terrorist 
financing  as  well  as  proliferation  of  weapons  of  mass  destruction  and  its  financing.  Some  technical 
compliance deficiencies with the FATF Recommendations still remain. In the second half of 2023, there 
were a total of 632 suspicious transaction reports and 299 suspicious activity reports. Between January to 
July 2024, 327 transaction reports and 233 suspicious activity reports were received.   

The institutional capacity of the Office for Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering needs to be 
strengthened  including  its  human  resources  in  particular  through  ensuring  the  stability  of  adequate 
permanent venue, adequate budgeting for its IT needs and providing for more competitive salaries. Moldova 
should  continue  working  on  outstanding  technical  deficiencies  with  the  FATF  recommendations,  in 
particular i) by accounting for the specific risks that crypto assets and their service providers pose to ML/TF, 
while aligning its legislation with the EU acquis and FATF latest provisions, ii) by solving the deficiencies 
related with transparency of beneficial ownership information and by iii) by improving the legal framework 
to promote the effective supervision of non-profit organisations at risk of terrorist financing. 

Chapter 6: Company law 

The EU has common rules on the formation, registration and disclosure requirements of a company, with 
complementary rules for accounting and financial reporting, and statutory audit. 

In the area of company law and corporate governance, state registration of legal bodies and individual 
entrepreneurs  is  carried  out  by  the  Public  Services  Agency,  which  continues  to  suffer  from  limited 
administrative capacity and available digitalisation resources. The Agency drafted a roadmap to address the 
issue. Moldova made progress with aligning with certain aspects of the EU acquis on shareholder rights by 
amending the Corporate Governance Code (in force since March 2024). Progress was also made on the 
digital tools and processes with introduction a qualified electronic signature for filing documents with the 
business  register.  The  paper  archive  was  digitalised  between  August  2023  and  August  2024.  Further 
alignment with the EU acquis is still needed on cross-border operations (mergers, divisions, conversions) 
as well as on takeovers, single-member companies shareholder rights (SRD I), including the encouragement 

59 

 
 
 
 
of long-term shareholder engagement (SRD II). On company reporting, Moldova adopted a package of 
laws on financial reporting and audit statements in November 2023. Further alignment with the EU acquis 
on company reporting and transparency on capital markets needs to however continue.   

On  statutory  audit,  the  government  continued  improving  the  capacity  and  independence  of  the  audit 
oversight  system  by  approving  series  of  laws.  There  are  still  major  gaps  in  the  rules  governing  the 
institutional  set-up  to  ensure  an  independent  system  of  oversight,  investigations  and  penalties,  with  the 
appropriate level of administrative and financial resources. 

Chapter 7: Intellectual property law 

The EU has to a large extent harmonised rules for the legal protection and enforcement of intellectual 
property rights (IPR), covering notably patents, trade mark and designs, biotechnological inventions and 
pharmaceuticals, trade secrets, (craft and industrial) geographical indications, supplementary protection 
certificates, copyright and related rights. 

In the area of copyright and related rights, following the entry into force of the Law No. 230/2022 on 
Copyright  and  Related  Rights,  several  new  provisions  were  introduced  regarding  the  mechanism  for 
collecting  and  distributing  royalties  with  the  accreditation  of  Collective  Management  Organisations 
(CMOs) and the approval of methodologies for determining and distributing royalties for different rights. 
Moldova still faces challenges in the implementation of an effective collective rights management system, 
notably with regards to the accountability, collection, and distribution of earnings. 

In November 2023, the Law was amended to align it with the EU acquis on orphan works.  

For industrial property rights, a new Law on trademarks was adopted in a second reading in February 
2024.  

The legal framework is broadly aligned with the EU Directive on the enforcement of IPR.  

The number of counterfeit products identified decreased sharply from 173 507 counterfeit productions in 
2022 to 51 588 counterfeit products in 2023, as more big importers are complying with the law. 

Chapter 8: Competition policy 

EU  rules  protect  free  competition.  They  include  antitrust  rules  against  restrictive  agreements  between 
companies and abuse of dominant position and include rules on concentrations between companies which 
would  significantly  impede  effective  competition.  EU  rules  also  set  out  a  system  of  State  aid  control. 
Governments are only allowed to grant State aid if restrictive conditions are met, with a view to preventing 
distortion of competition. 

Antitrust and mergers  

On the legislative framework, Moldova’s legislation is broadly aligned with the EU acquis on antitrust 
and merger control. The new competition law, adopted in July 2023 largely mirrors the provisions of the 
Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union  (TFEU)  on  restrictive  agreements  and  on  abuse  of 
dominant position. It also provides for ex ante monitoring of the effects on competition of mergers above 
certain turnover thresholds, largely in line with the principles of the EU Merger Regulation. Implementing 
legislation provides further rules, which broadly aim to follow the EU acquis. However, further alignment 
is needed with EU competition policy, especially with regards to the dismissal of the members of the Board 
of the Competition Council and the level of the fines which can be imposed. 

On  enforcement  capacity,  the  Competition  Council’s  institutional  capacity  needs  to  be  further 
strengthened  to  ensure  its  capacity  to  conduct  investigations  and  legislative  enforcement.  On 
implementation, the Competition Council increased its activities. The number of investigations, which led 

60 

 
 
 
 
to a finding of a violation of the provisions of the competition law remained stable (14 investigations in 
2023). 

State aid  

Regarding the legislative framework, the Law on State aid is broadly aligned with Articles 107 and 108 
TFEU. The legislation on State aid is partially aligned with the EU State aid guidelines, regulations and 
communications In 2023, the amendments of the Law on State aid were adopted, which mainly refer to 
raising  the  de  minimis  aid  ceiling  up  to  approximately  EUR 250  000  (effective  as  of  1  January  2024); 
introduction of the simplified notification procedure; clarifying certain procedural issues relating to State 
aid investigations. However, certain existing State aid schemes still need to be aligned with the EU acquis, 
including those regarding free economic zones. Moreover, aid to repair damage caused by natural disasters 
or exceptional occurrences is considered compatible without the need for prior notification. This is not in 
line with EU law, which requires such measures to be notified.  

Regarding the institutional framework, the Competition Council also ensures consistent implementation 
of State aid law. The Competition Council is empowered to screen and authorise State aid measures and 
can order the recovery of State aid that has been unlawfully granted. It publishes reports on aid granted on 
its  website  and  runs  the  automated  State  aid  register  information  system,  where  measures  are  reported 
annually  by  grantors.  In  2023,  an  external  evaluation  of  the  Competition  Council  (‘peer-review’)  was 
performed resulting in a number of recommendations on the further alignment of the Moldovan competition 
legislation  and  strengthening  institutional  capacities  of  the  Competition  Council.  As  a  result,  the 
Competition Council’s Plenum approved on 27 February 2024, the new structure of the Council in order to 
consolidate its resources. Moldova should ensure the implementation of the recommendations.   

As regards enforcement capacity, the Competition Council is understaffed (out of 130 posts envisaged in 
the organisational chart 64 posts are vacant due to low salaries). Its administrative capacity needs to be 
strengthened with additional staff and relevant training.  

On implementation, there were 34 decisions adopted in the reporting period on State aid. Moldova needs 
to  make  progress  with  respect  to  the  alignment  of  all  State  aid  schemes  as  the  Association  Agreement 
requires it to align its general State aid schemes including those covering free economic zones with the EU 
acquis in 2024. 

Liberalisation  

The Law on competition and the Law on State aid apply to public companies and companies with special 
or  exclusive  rights.  The  Law  on  State  aid  provides  that  companies  entrusted  with  the  performance  of 
services of general economic interest will be considered when assessing the compatibility of the State aid 
granted to perform such services. 

Chapter 9: Financial services 

EU rules aim to ensure fair competition among, and the stability of, financial institutions, namely banking, 
insurance,  supplementary  pensions,  investment  services  and  securities  markets.  They  include  rules  on 
authorisation, operation and supervision of these institutions. 

On  banks  and  financial  conglomerates,  efforts  are  still  needed  to  ensure  that  NBM  and  National 
Committee for Financial Markets are adequately staffed to properly carry out their responsibilities in the 
maintenance of financial stability. The Law of the NMB was amended in August 2024, to give the central 
bank an explicit mandate for ensuring financial stability, which includes macroprudential instruments. 

Consumer protection in financial services is lacking and not properly addressed in legislation. There are 
limited developments on recovery and resolution, apart from the adoption of the Instruction on valuations 

61 

 
 
 
 
for  resolution  purposes.  In  the  area  of  deposit  insurance,  the  Law  on  Guaranteeing  Bank  Deposits  was 
adopted  on  22  June  2023  and  entered  into  force  on  1  October  2023.  This  law  partially  transposes  the 
Directive on deposit guarantee schemes. 

On  insurance,  Moldova  has  no  occupational  pension  funds  and  the  insurance  market  remains 
underdeveloped. The legal framework is broadly aligned with the EU Directive on distance marketing of 
financial services. In addition, Moldovan law is broadly aligned with the revised Directive on Institutions 
for Occupational Retirement Provision although a voluntary pension fund should be implemented.  

As regards financial market infrastructure, t according to a new legislation which entered into force in 
October  2023,  the  regulatory  and  supervisory  powers  over  the  activities  of  the  Central  Securities 
Depositories (CSDs) were split between NBM and the National Commission for Financial Markets. Apart 
from  this  new  development,  Moldova  remains  partially  aligned  with  EU  acquis  on  settlement  finality, 
financial collateral, securities financing transactions, central securities repositories and the Regulation on 
OTC derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories (EMIR).  

As regards investment funds, there are no new developments during the reporting period. Moldova needs 
to  undertake  further  efforts  to  align  with  its  regulatory  framework  in  light  of  the  recent  review  of  the 
legislation  on  Alternative  Investment  Fund  Managers  and  undertakings  for  collective  investment  in 
transferable securities.  

On securities markets and investment services, there are no new developments in the reporting period 
and markets remain underdeveloped.  

On  sustainable  and  digital  finance,  a  national  sustainable  finance  roadmap  has  been  developed  and 
approved for 2024-2028. The priority actions aim to create a framework and conditions to redirect financial 
flows  to  sustainable  investments,  to  mainstream  sustainability  in  risk  management  and  to  enhance 
transparency and long-termism  in  Moldova.  An interagency steering  committee  on  climate finance  was 
established. The committees' main tasks are to promote and implement the Sustainable Finance Roadmap 
and to develop a Sustainable Finance Taxonomy based on the EU green taxonomy for sustainable activities.  

There is still no single platform or body to coordinate the digitalisation of the financial system, and the 
National Bank has yet to develop a digital finance strategy. Virtual assets are not a recognised form of 
electronic currency under the Law on payment services and electronic money, and any activity to issue or 
trade them is not subject to regulation and supervision by the National Bank (see also Chapter 4).  

Chapter 28: Consumer and health protection 

EU  rules  protect  consumers’  economic  interests  and  also  ensure  product  safety,  prevent  dangerous 
imitations and establish liability for defective products. The EU also ensures high common standards for 
tobacco control, blood, tissues, cells and organs, and medicines for human and veterinary use. The EU also 
guarantees  a  high  level  of  protection  of  public  health  and  in  particular  also  has  rules  for  upholding 
patients’  rights in  cross-border  healthcare  and in preparing for  and  responding  to  cross-border  health 
threats, including communicable diseases. 

Consumer protection 

During the reporting period, the Law on consumer protection has been updated to align with the EU acquis 
on  unfair  business-to-consumer  commercial  practices;  on  alternative  dispute  resolution  for  consumer 
disputes; on certain aspects concerning contracts for the sale of goods; and on cooperation between national 
authorities responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws. 

62 

 
 
 
 
On product safety, Moldova’s legal framework is partly aligned with the EU acquis. The collaboration 
between the institutions needs to be improved, there is no one entry point for the consumers, which causes 
confusion when it comes to submitting petitions. 

In  the  reporting  period,  the  institutions  responsible  for  consumer  protection  received  5 066  complaints, 
including 1 739 on non-food products, 986 on food products, 776 on the energy sector and 773 on civil 
aviation. In February 2024, the existing interoperability agreement between the market surveillance body 
and the Customs Service enabling joint inspections in the toy sector was extended to cover low voltage and 
electromagnetic compatibility products (See also Chapter 1 – Free movement of goods, regarding market 
surveillance).  

Public health 

Moldova’s public health system remains fragile in the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic, and the refugee 
and energy crisis that followed Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine. A national health strategy is in place 
which aims to ensure a complex transformation and modernisation of the health system by 2030. Despite 
progress, Moldova's adolescent birth rate remains three times higher than the European average, with rural 
areas facing limited access to reproductive health services and a high unmet need for family planning. In 
the reporting period district hospitals were transferred to the Ministry of Health, and some investments were 
made in infrastructure and energy efficiency. On e-health, an integrated health information system is not 
yet  in  place,  though  an  electronic  prescription  system  became  operational  since  1  April  2024  covering 
reimbursed medicinal products and medical devices.  

Moldova has in place a national cancer control program for the years 2016-2025. In 2024, an action 
plan for the years 2024-2025 was approved for the implementation of the National Cancer Control Program 
and the design of the information system "National Cancer Registry" and the regulation on the maintenance 
of the national cancer registry were approved. Screening programs are in place for breast cancer for women 
aged 50-70, cervical cancer for women aged 25-61; a new pilot screening program for colorectal cancer for 
people aged 50-55, was launched in May 2023 in four regions, including Chisinau district. 

On blood, tissues, cells and organs the 2023-2027 programme of transfusion security and self-insurance 
of the country was approved. 

There was no progress on tobacco control  including in implementing the provisions  of the Protocol to 
Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, on medicines for human use, on medicines for veterinary 
use,  on  medical  devices,  on  cos etics,  patie ts’  rights  i   cross-border  healthcare,  nutritional  and 
physical activities, or on health inequalities, where there is a lack of healthcare notably for vulnerable 
groups in rural areas. On cross-border health threats and communicable diseases, a national plan against 
antimicrobial resistance 2023-2027 was adopted, which also covers the prevention and control of healthcare-
associated infections, and also by the 2030 national health strategy.  

A  national  2023-2027  mental  health  strategy  designed  to  be  aligned  with  the  European  Commission 
Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health, and a national programme on rare diseases 
were  both  adopted.  A  2023-2027  national  programme  for  the  prevention  and  control  of  priority  non-
communicable diseases is in place. 

Regarding healthcare inequalities , women with disabilities encounter significant barriers to reproductive 
health due to stigma, discrimination, and lack of physical access to medical services, exacerbated by the 
exclusion of hospital-based abortion services from mandatory health insurance. National Health Strategy 
‘Health  2030’  was  approved  in 2023  and  contains  measures addressing vulnerable  situations,  including 
those of women of reproductive age.  

63 

 
 
 
 
There  is  an  anti-corruption  action  plan  in  the  health  sector  for  the  period  2022-2023,  but  health  sector 
corruption  remains  widespread.  From  1  April  2024  all  market  surveillance  inspectors  of  the  relevant 
institution use body cameras for inspection activities (planned and unannounced).  

During  the  reporting  period,  Moldova  signed  the  Joint  Procurement  Agreement  with  EU  on  essential 
medical supplies.  

CLUSTER 3: COMPETITIVENESS AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH  

This cluster covers: digital transformation and media (Chapter 10); taxation (Chapter 16); economic and 
monetary policy (Chapter 17); social policy and employment (Chapter 19); enterprise and industrial policy 
(Chapter 20); science and research (Chapter 25); education and culture (Chapter 26); and customs union 
(Chapter 29).  

Chapter 10: Digital transformation and media 

The EU supports the smooth functioning of the internal market for electronic communications, electronic 
commerce and audiovisual services. The rules protect consumers and support the universal availability of 
modern services. 

With  regard  to  its  Digital  Transformation  Strategy,  Moldova  has  established  a  National  Council  for 
Digital  Transformation  in  November  2023,  which  is  tasked  to  coordinate  the  implementation  of  the 
Moldova  Digital  Transformation  Strategy  2023-2030.  Moldova  has  started  the  development  of  the 
implementation programmes. 

Regarding electronic communications, alignment with the EU Roaming acquis, including the European 
Electronic Communications Code has started.  

National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI) has 
absorbed the technical management functions of civil radio frequencies from the National Radio Frequency 
Management Service in the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalisation, consequently making 
ANRCETI empowered to directly establish payments for the use of civil radio frequencies, as well as to 
provide conformity assessment and certification services. 

In  May  2024,  the  Moldovan  Parliament  has  ratified  the  association  agreement  to  the  Digital  Europe 
programme. This opens opportunities for applying to calls for projects in the fields of high-performance 
calculation, artificial intelligence, advanced digital skills as well as to progress on the interoperability with 
EU digital solutions such as with the EU Digital Identity Wallet.  

On  digital  services,  no  authority  currently  has  responsibility  for  open  data  policies.  There  is  broad 
alignment with the Directive on e-commerce. Moldova is not aligned with the EU acquis on geo-blocking 
and platform-to-business relations (P2B), nor with the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act 
(DMA).  

On digital trust and cybersecurity, in June 2024, Moldova launched its national digital identity wallet 
(EVO  App),  developed  by  the  Moldovan  e-Governance  Academy.  Further  work  is  needed  to  ensure 
interoperability with the European Digital Identity Wallets. A normative framework for the implementation 
of the cybersecurity law was approved through several Government Decisions with the objective to ensure 
alignment  with  the  NIS  2  Directive.  The  Cybersecurity  Agency  was  established  in  December  2023,  as 
required by the new National Security Strategy, with the mission of implementing the state policy in the 
field of cybersecurity and to ensure high level of security of networks and IT systems of service providers. 
Further  effort  is  needed  to  make  ensure  operational  capacity  of  the  newly  set  National  Competent 
Cybersecurity Authority. There was no progress on aligning with the EU toolbox for 5G security. 

64 

 
 
 
 
 
 
On media, Parliament has yet to implement the recommendations of the Council of Europe regarding the 
appointment and dismissal of the Audiovisual Council and public broadcaster (TRM) board members. The 
implementation  of  the  recommendations  would  enhance  the  independence  of  the  Audiovisual  Council 
(AVC) and TRM. In October 2023, AVC became observer member of ERGA  – the Group of European 
Regulators for audio visual media services.  

In 2024, Moldova joins the Media Ownership Monitor (MOM), which identifies mass media owners and 
highlights risks to media pluralism from ownership concentration. In March 2024, Parliament approved a 
bill  for  a  media  subsidy  fund.  It  aims  to  support  media  pluralism  enhance  editorial  and  economic 
independence and foster investigative journalism. The fund will allocate 25% of the national media service 
provider’s budget annually through the state budget law.  

Chapter 16: Taxation 

EU rules on taxation cover value-added tax, excise duties and aspects of corporate taxation. They also 
deal with cooperation between tax administrations, including the exchange of information to prevent tax 
evasion. 

Moldova has made progress in indirect taxation. In the reporting period, the tax legislation was amended, 
imposing VAT and excise duties on goods sold in ‘duty-free’ shops, featuring the termination of duty-free 
regime in Moldova. On VAT, improvements are still needed on provisions related to taxable persons, place 
of taxable supplies, reduced rates, exemptions, deductions, and special schemes. Additionally, Moldova 
still needs to fully align with the 13th VAT Directive on VAT refund to non-EU taxable persons. Moldova 
has yet to familiarise itself with VAT administrative cooperation between EU Member States and VAT 
Information Exchange System (VIES).  

In the field of excise duties, further alignment of excise duty for alcohol and alcoholic beverages, tobacco, 
energy products and general rules for the production, keeping, storage, movement and controls on excisable 
products with the EU acquis is needed. While Moldova has made progress regarding alcohol and alcoholic 
beverages, it still has to align its rates to the EU minima on tobacco products by 2025. There has been no 
progress in the harmonisation of excise duties on energy products. Regarding the fight against fraud and 
smuggling of excisable products, Moldova continues implementing the WHO Protocol to Eliminate Illicit 
Trade in Tobacco Products and has been engaged in capacity-building activities on the development of the 
EU tracking and tracing system for tobacco products.  

On direct taxation, the law on tax policy for 2024 imposes 7% income tax on trading of ferrous and non-
ferrous waste, and a single tax rate of 6% on interests related to the investments and financial income of 
natural  persons.  The  tax  policy  for  2025  aims  at  supporting  economic  and  social  developments  by 
introducing  a  10%  increase  in  exemption-personal  and  expanding  the  sources  of  non-taxable  incomes, 
including those from state securities and bons, renewable energy, and education. Moldova has initiated the 
implementation of transfer pricing rules, though it has not yet approximated its tax regulations with EU 
directives  on  anti-tax  avoidance,  and  on  common  system  of  taxation  applicable  to  cross-border 
reorganisations of companies in the EU, and in the case of parent companies and subsidiaries of different 
Member States.  

On administrative cooperation and mutual assistance, Moldova has signed double  taxation agreements 
with 26 EU Member States and adopted the regulation on the implementation of the Multilateral Agreement 
of the Competent Authorities for the Automatic Exchange of Information on Financial Accounts. In May 
2024, Moldova joined the Inclusive Framework on BEPS and participates in the agreement to address the 
tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy.  The implementation of the BEPS package 
will help tackle tax avoidance of multi-national companies.  

65 

 
 
 
 
On operational capacity and digitalisation, the tax administration has improved its electronic services 
meeting taxpayers’ demand and promoted voluntary compliance further by increasing tax consultancy visits 
and simplifications for tax obligations. Greater efforts are needed to address outdated IT systems, the lack 
of automation for compliance risk management and tax audits, and an inadequate taxpayer register. An IT 
development strategy to prepare the tax administration for interconnectivity and interoperability with EU 
IT systems is still missing. Introducing risk management and big data and strengthening large taxpayer 
compliance remains key while voluntary tax compliance should also be promoted. 

Efforts to ensure VAT and excise duties compliance have led to improved tax collection, with a revenue 
growth  by  nearly  8,5%  in  the  previous  year.  The  country  has  committed  to  strengthen  the  tax 
administrations’  capacity  by  simplifying  processes  and  higher  automation  and  digitalisation  of  risk 
management  and  services  for  taxpayers.  This  will  further  facilitate  the  alignment  of  Moldovan  tax 
legislation with the EU acquis. 

Chapter 17: Economic and monetary policy 

EU rules require the independence of central banks and prohibit them from directly financing the public 
sector.  Member  States  coordinate  their  economic  policies  and  are  subject  to  fiscal,  economic  and 
financial surveillance. 

On  monetary  policy,  the  NBM  continued  to  pursue  price  stability  as  its  primary  objective.  Inflation 
returned to its target of 5% +/- 1.5% in October 2023 as a result of lower food and energy prices as well as 
a timely monetary policy response. Easing inflationary pressures allowed the NBM to subsequently reduce 
base rates to 3.60% in May 2024, which was confirmed in August 2024. The abrupt dismissal of the NBM’s 
governor  in  December  2023  raised  concerns  about  sound  economic  governance  and  central  bank 
independence.  The  government  took  measures  to  strengthen  functional  and  financial  independence, 
including granting the NBM operational autonomy over its assets; adjusting the administrative procedures 
code  to  remove  inappropriate  deadlines  for  the  NBM  supervision;  and  adding  an  explicit  mandate  for 
financial  stability  and  macroprudential  policy  of  the  NBM.  Additional  reforms  are  envisaged  for 
implementation  by  end-November  2024  under  the  ongoing  IMF  programme to strengthen  personal and 
institutional  independence,  including  through  increased  checks  and  balances  for  the  appointment  and 
dismissal  of  members  of  the  decision-making  bodies,  and  improving  governance,  transparency  and 
accountability, including through clarifying the legal provisions on NBM’s accountability to the Parliament. 
As of September 2024, one member of the NBM Executive Board, whose mandate has expired, continues 
to serve on the Board awaiting replacement. Efforts to align the prohibition of monetising public debt with 
EU rules by 2027 are now reflected in Moldova’s Action Plan to the Accession to the EU 2024  – 2027. 
This includes an amendment of the NBM law and the termination of an agreement between the NBM and 
the Ministry of Finance to roll over a relatively small amount of legacy loans previously provided to the 
state. 

In  the  area  of  economic  policy,  Moldova  continues  to  implement  the  public  finance  management 
development  strategy  2023-2030.  Expenditure  under-execution,  particularly  of  public  investment, 
continues to be large and results in missing fiscal targets, though there was some improvement in 2023. 
Steps  were taken to implement  an important  public investment  management  reform  (the  ‘single  project 
pipeline’), though implementation has been slow as a result of capacity constraints in line ministries. The 
medium-term budgetary framework is in place and covers a 3-year period, though it does not present the 
fiscal  impacts  of  individual  policy  changes,  and  the  budgetary  calendar  is  not  respected.  The 
macroeconomic  forecast  used  for  budgetary  planning  was  extended  in  2023  to  cover  labour  market 
indicators, though it does not yet include forecasts for the current account. The numerical fiscal rule is not 
respected,  and  while  the  conditions  for  activating  the  escape  clause  remain  in  place,  the  rule  has  been 

66 

 
 
 
 
suspended for longer than the  permitted  period,  weakening the budgetary  framework.  Moldova  has  not 
advanced in setting up the independent fiscal council.  

Moldova’s statistical framework is not yet aligned with ESA 2010 requirements. State-owned enterprises 
are  not  included  in  the  general  government  sector,  e.g.  there  remain  significant  operations  of  central 
government units that are not reported in the national public budget.  

Moldova participated for the first time in the Economic and Financial Dialogue with the EU in May 2024, 
having  submitted  its  first  Economic  Reform  Programme  (ERP)  to  the  Commission  in  January  2024. 
Moldova’s ERP submission included a macro-fiscal framework, while information on structural challenges 
and reform plans were optional and not included in 2024. 

Chapter 19: Social policy and employment 

EU rules in the social field include minimum standards for labour law, equality, health and safety at work 
and non-discrimination. They also promote social dialogue at EU level. 

In 2023, new amendments to the  Labour Code  were approved, which introduced harsher sanctions for 
employers engaging minors in undeclared work and restricted the work of minors in compulsory education 
to light work; introduced a new type of unpaid leave of up to 5 days per year for employees caring for a 
sick person; allowed pregnant women and new mothers to perform night work, overtime work and work 
during holidays; allowed fixed-term contracts for refugees. Moldova adopted provisions to align with EU 
acquis on working time. 

On health and safety at work  the Programme for improving workplace health and safety for the years 
2024-2027,  outlining  the  plan  for  the  alignment  with  all  occupational  health  and  safety  directive  was 
approved. The number of work accidents increased in 2023:603 were reported accidents 2023 (562 in 2022), 
of which 69 were fatal (73 in 2022), while 25 were confirmed to be work-related after investigation (19 in 
2022). The most vulnerable sectors in terms of accidents at work are construction, agriculture and industry.  

During 2023, the State Labour Inspectorate (SLI) conducted 1 740 inspections in the fields of labour law 
and OSH (3 212 in 2022). Introduction of unannounced visits for undeclared work took place in 2023, 
following which the SLI has launched an inspection campaign to tackle undeclared work. 60 inspectors in 
the  SLI  have  undergone  training  on  unannounced  visits.  A  monthly  performance  bonus  system  was 
introduced of up to 30% of inspector wages. The legal framework governing labour inspections remains to 
be fully aligned with ILO Conventions on labour inspections ratified by Moldova, in particular as regards 
unannounced inspections. 

On  social  dialogue  legislation  adopted  in  July  2023  which  exempts  trade  unions  and  employers’ 
organisations from the payment of registration fees for opening new entities at any level. The amendments 
aim  to  encourage  social  dialogue  at  all  levels  by  making  it  easier  to  unionise  and  to  form  employers’ 
associations. Capacity of social partners remains weak. 

Regarding labour force participation and unemployment rate see the statistical annex and the section 
on the functioning of the labour market under 2.3 Economic criteria. 

In 2023, the share of informal employment did not decrease (estimated at 23% compared to 22% in 2022). 
Informal employment is more widespread among men (28%) than among women (17.9%). The sectors with 
the highest rate are agriculture (66.6%) and construction (66.2%). During the reporting period, a programme 
for the reduction of undeclared work 2024-2027 was approved. 

On  employment  policy,  mobile  teams  were  introduced  as  a  measure  to  reach  out  to  inactive  (neither 
unemployed nor employed) people; local labour market profiles for all 35 rayons were drafted for the annual 
planning of labour market indicators. The National Employment Agency  is implementing performance-

67 

 
 
 
 
based management. In 2023 around 11 000 jobseekers were employed, representing an increase of around 
30%  compared  to  2022.  The  Agency  has  limited  human  resources  and  financial  capacity.  The  social 
protection system remains fragmented with limited coverage, although some progress on the ‘RESTART’ 
reform 2023-2026 took place. A case management approach was introduced in the Law on social assistance 
and  will  be  implemented  from  2025.  Territorial  Agencies  for  Social  Protection  were  established,  and 
regulations approved regarding their organisation and functioning. 30 specialists in domestic violence and 
rehabilitation of victims of crime were hired for the Territorial Social Assistance Agencies. Public resources 
were significantly increased to address socio-economic disparities. Pensions were indexed by 6%. Refugees 
from Ukraine with temporary protection status, which was extended until March 2025, continue to benefit 
from access to social protection services.). 

Moldova  approved  the  Programme  on  Active  and  Healthy  Ageing  2023-2027,  and  created  the  first 
University  of  the  Third  Age,  as  well  as  a  working  group  for  monitoring  and  unannounced  control  of 
Placement Centres and Shelters for elderly and disabled persons.   

Legislation in the area of non-discrimination remains to be further aligned EU acquis equal treatment in 
employment  and  occupation.  A  positive  development  in  this  area  has  been  the  country  ratified  the 
International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment.  

53,5

45,4

49,9

for 

Graph 19: Moldova - Economic activity rate by gender 

With  regard  to  equality  between  women  and  men  in  employment  and  social  policy,  the  2023-2027 
programme for promoting and 
equality  between 
ensuring 
women and men is in place. It 
aims  to  expand  services  to 
long-term  care 
family 
members,  reduce  gender  gap 
women’s 
and 
representation 
leadership 
decision-making. 
and 
the 
Regulations 
organisation  and  functioning 
childcare 
of 
services  were  approved 
in 
August 2023.  

Economic activity rate of the population aged 15-64 (%)
Unemployment rate of the population aged 15-64 (%), total

Men Women Men Women Men Women Men Women

2015-2020
average*

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

alternative 

ensure 

2023

2022

2021

on 

44,9

57,5

46,6

53,6

51,5

in 

5,2

2,6

3,6

4,3

5,1

3,4

3,9

2,7

*The methodology  for calculating these labour market indicators
changed starting in 2019.

Currently, 
the  Ministry  of 
Labour  and  Social  Protection 
and  its  subordinate  institutions  operate  14  fragmented  automated  information  systems,  leading  to 
interoperability and data management challenges, hindering evidence-based policymaking, and leading to 
inadvertent exclusion of beneficiaries. 

Source: National Bureau of Statistics

Chapter 20: Enterprise and industrial policy  

EU industrial policy strengthens competitiveness, facilitates structural change and encourages a business-
friendly environment that stimulates small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). 

On  enterprise  and  industrial  policy  principles,  Moldova  has  adopted  a  National  Programme  for 
Entrepreneurship  Promotion  and  Competitiveness  Growth  2023-2027  and  a  National  industrial 
development  programme  2024-2028.  In  addition  to  limited  capacity,  the  implementation  of  these 
programmes  may  be  further  restrained  by  limited  funding  from  the  national  budget.  A  credible  and 
implementable action plan is needed to implement the latter.   

Moldova reduced the regulatory and administrative burden for business through the adoption of a series of 
68 

 
 
 
 
packages on business facilitation and limited liability companies, and through digitalisation of process and 
services. Further outreach and awareness raising is needed. 

On enterprise and industrial policy instruments, in the reporting period, the government approved the 
Women in Business programme. 

Moldova  participates  in  the  SME  Pillar  of  the  Single  Market  Programme  and  signed  an  Association 
Agreement in September 2023.  

Future measures to support SMEs should focus on internationalisation, access to finance and innovation 
(including the green transition), and fair competition. Full harmonisation of the Law on SMEs to the EU 
acquis is still pending.  

There is no dedicated law on combating late payments in commercial transactions. However, the relevant 
provisions of the Civil Code are fairly closely aligned with the Late Payment Directive but only as far as 
payment terms are concerned. Other key provisions still require alignment. Monitoring systems to assess 
payment performance, especially by public authorities, are needed. The protection of creditors in business-
to-business transactions is suboptimal, which can lead to abusive practices. 

In 2023, the Commission for the Screening Process of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and Commercial 
Companies with State Capital was established. On 29 December 2023, the Commission approved the draft 
list  of  enterprises  classified  according to the screening  categories  outlined.  As a  result  of  the  screening 
process, 68 enterprises were deemed not suitable for privatisation; 52 were recommended for reorganisation 
in  another 
for  privatisation  after 
reorganisation/restructuring; 10 were recommended for immediate privatisation; and 98 recommended for 
liquidation.  

form  of  organisation;  10  were  deemed  suitable 

legal 

The SOE reform should continue, and the results of the screening process should be implemented by the 
Public Property Agency.  

In sectoral policies, no major developments occurred during the reporting period.  

Chapter 25: Science and research 

The  EU  provides  significant  support  for  research  and  innovation.  All  EU  Member  States,  associated 
countries and third countries participate in the EU’s research and innovation programmes, and can benefit 
from them, especially where there is a scientific excellence and solid investment in research and innovation.  

December 2023, the government approved the new National Programme for Research and Innovation for 
the years 2024-2027 and its action plan, which are aligned with the objectives of the National Development 
Strategy ‘European Moldova 2030’ and consistent with the objectives of Horizon Europe. It aims to foster 
collaboration  between  the  scientific  and  business  sectors,  to  bolster  the  competitiveness  of  the  national 
economy and facilitate Moldova’s integration into the European Research Area. The implementation of the 
reform to consolidate Higher Education and Research centres continued during the reporting period, with 
the merging of research institutes and universities departments in a broader effort to improve efficiency and 
increase the education-research nexus. 

Moldova  is  classified  as  an  Emerging  Innovator  in  the  2024  European  Innovation  Scoreboard,  with 
innovation performance at 23.2% of the EU average.  

Moldova has institutional and legal frameworks in place for the implementation of a Smart Specialisation 
Strategy.  The  National  Programme  for  Smart  Specialisation  for  the  years  2024-2027,  together  with  an 
Action Plan for its implementation, were approved in August 2024.  

69 

 
 
 
 
Moldova's  participation  in  Horizon  Europe  in  2023  decreased  by  some  30%  to  7  projects  with  a  total 
funding of EUR 1.5 million. A National Horizon Europe Office operates in Chisinau and has information 
and communication functions.  

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D remained static at 0.23% of GDP in 2023, which is below the EU-27 
average 2.24% and the target of 3% of GDP. 

Chapter 26: Education and culture  

The EU supports cooperation in education and culture by funding programmes and the coordination of 
Member State policy through the open method of coordination. The EU and its Member States must also 
prevent discrimination and ensure quality education for children of migrant workers, including those from 
disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Moldova’s education and training system continues to undergo modernisation. The National Education 
2030 strategy and its implementation plan were adopted in March 2023. Public expenditure on education 
as a percentage of GDP in 2023 was 5.8%.  

In autumn 2023, the Ministry of Education and Research (MoER) launched a plan to modernise the learning 
environments in 35 model schools across the country, which represents a significant step towards enhancing 
the  quality  and  inclusivity  of  primary  and  secondary  education  and  sets  a  pilot  for  broader  efforts  for 
rationalising the school network.  

In  October  2023,  the  National  Institute  for  Education  and  Leadership  (INEL)  was  established  with  the 
primary objective to develop mentoring programmes tailored to young individuals aspiring to specialise in 
pedagogy, and more broadly to strengthen the continuous professional development of teachers and school 
leaders.  In  2024, the MoER  initiated  a  process  of  curriculum development  to  improve the relevance  of 
education and better match the actual demands of knowledge and skills across all levels of education, except 
VET. Moldova has a national commitment to the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA). 

A roadmap for the operationalisation of the National Qualifications Framework (2023-2027) is in place. As 
a new member of the Advisory Group of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), Moldova has 
started to prepare to reference its NQF to the EQF. 

According to the results of the OECD PISA 2022 (published in December 2023), average performance in 
2022 was at the same level as in 2018 in mathematics, and lower compared to 2018 in reading and science, 
with scores generally low compared to OECD averages. The results show a high proportion of 15-year-old 
students failing to demonstrate basic proficiency (level 2) in reading (49 %), in maths (56%) and in science 
(49%). 

In 2023 some steps were taken to improve inclusive education, and the Programme for the Development of 
Inclusive Education 2024-2027 is in place. A merit-based scholarship was launched in autumn 2023 for 
Roma pupils and students within secondary, technical vocational and higher education.  

Gender  sensitive  approaches  are  increasingly  mainstreamed  in  the  policies  of  the  education  system  in 
Moldova, including in the Implementation Program of the Education Strategy 2030 for the years 2023-
2025. 

In VET, Moldova continued the gradual introduction of a dual-VET approach, which aims at facilitating 
matching  skills  to  labour  market  demands.  Some  initiatives  for  the  reorganisation  of  the  VET  school 
network were initiated, and three vocational schools were merged. A comprehensive plan is under way to 
reorganise eight additional technical vocational education institutions through absorption.  

Moldova  is  making  progress  in  the  operationalisation  of  the  national  register  of  qualifications,  and 
validation of non-formal and informal learning continues.  

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In the field of higher education, the country has made significant progress on the key European Higher 
Education Area commitments. Moldova also continued its active participation in the Bologna Process. The 
Bologna Process Implementation Report notes that work remains to be done in the field of recognition and 
quality assurance.  

In  digital  teaching  and  learning,  green  and  digital  skills  are  not  formally  integrated  into  overarching 
curricular  documents.  Moldova  has  undertaken  various  initiatives  to  foster  digital  skills  in  science  and 
technology classes. For the academic year 2023/2024, a total of 103 900 students were engaged in optional 
STEM subjects. From those 50 883 were girls and 53 017 were boys. Further efforts are needed to align 
digital education with the EU Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027.In January 2024, Moldova joined 
the Eurydice Network. 

In  the  area  of  youth  policy,  in  July  2023  amendments  to  the  Law  on  youth  were  approved  in  order  to 
diversify funding instruments for youth programmes and the support of social innovation programmes. In 
August  2023  the  Advisory  Commission  for  youth  policies  was  established  and  the  Regulation  for  its 
organisation  and  operation  was  approved.  The  budget  allocated  for  the  implementation  of  the  Youth 
Strategy  2030  (approved  in  2023)  was  increased  by  25%  in  2024  compared  to  2023,  with  additional 
resources earmarked for the development of new programmes. 

In 2023 and 2024 several initiatives were implemented to bolster funding for sports. The State Budget has 
allocated a slightly increased amount of MDL 57 million (almost EUR 3 million) for the implementation 
of the Calendar of National and International Sports Activities 2024, providing grants to sports federations. 
Additional funds have been earmarked for rewarding athletes and coaches who attain exceptional results at 
major  international  sports  competitions,  including  scholarships  for  high-performance  athletes.  Since 
January  2024,  teachers  working  in the field  of  sports  have  received  a  15%  increase in their  salaries. A 
Memorandum of Collaboration has been established with the Association for Supporting Community and 
Sports Initiatives. Moldova continued to participate in the European Week of Sport.  

In  2023  the  Ministry  of  Culture  was  entrusted  with  responsibility  for  media,  alongside  its  existing 
responsibilities in culture, cultural heritage, and tourism. A new law adopted in 2024, sets the legal base for 
the  establishment  of  a  National  Fund  of  Culture,  which  in  the  future  will  finance  projects  to  support 
contemporary creation and cultural heritage valorisation. Financial incentives were introduced for graduates 
of  higher  education  and  post-secondary  technical  professional  institutions  who  enter  professions  within 
cultural organisations or community centres (houses of culture) in towns and villages. In 2024, the salaries 
of approximately 1 700 cultural sector workers were increased by an average of 25%. In 2023, amendments 
to the Law on cinema were adopted, to strengthen the national film industry. Moldova has not yet renewed 
its association to the Creative Europe programme for the period until 2030. 

Chapter 29: Customs union  

All Member States are part of the EU customs union and follow the same customs rules and procedures. 
This requires legislative alignment as well as adequate implementing and enforcement capacity and access 
to the common computerised customs systems. 

On 1 January 2024, the new Customs Code entered into force, putting in place new rules broadly aligned 
to the Union Customs Code and related acts. Transitional provisions were introduced though, postponing 
the implementation of certain customs simplifications, and rolling back the old customs regime - including 
customs duty exemptions - for the free economic zone and inward processing procedure, among others. 
The authorities should step up preparations for addressing the transitional provisions of the new customs 
legislation and strengthen its alignment with the Union Customs Code and related acts. 

The new customs law and its implementing acts contain provisions for transit, which are mostly aligned 
with  the  CTC.  Significant  efforts  were  made  to  accomplish  all  the  legal  requirements,  and  training  of 
71 

 
 
 
 
customs  staff  and  operators,  before  the  nationwide  implementation  phase  that  started  on  1  July  2024. 
Implementation of the law should considerably reduce waiting times at the border with Ukraine and the EU 
and improve the connectivity of the region. Moldova should strengthen efforts to combat customs fraud, in 
particular smuggling of tobacco products, by cooperating with OLAF, and implement the World Health 
Organization  Framework  Convention  on  tobacco  control  protocol  to  eliminate  illicit  trade  in  tobacco 
products. 

Moldova  has  been  implementing  the  mutual  recognition  of  Authorised  Economic  Operators  (AEO) 
programme  with  the  EU  since  November  2022,  and  has  issued  AEO  authorisations  to  149  operators, 
including 31 for security and safety, which are recognised in all EU Member States. The procedure for 
requesting and obtaining the status of AEO has been digitalised and simplified through an IT solution. 

On administrative and operational capacity, the reorganisation act of the Customs Service (approved at 
the  end of 2022) is not yet applicable. The customs model should be modernised to move towards a risk-
based operating model with customs clearance carried out inland (at customs posts or operators’ approved 
places) to avoid long waiting times at the border crossing points.  This should be embedded in a wider trade 
facilitation context (simplifications for AEO, use of the common transit procedures, etc.), including risk-
based audit. In the reporting period, Moldova began its participation in the EU customs programme for 
2023-2027. 

Strengthening of IT governance and digital transformation remains the Customs Service’s top priority. It 
has  started  the  implementation  of  Customs  Decision  System  (a  national  digital  platform  of  interaction 
between  the  customs  authority  and  business  for  all  types  of  authorisations).  Automated  validation  of 
customs  declaration  was  introduced,  in  the  first  stage,  for  export  only.  Efforts  are  still  needed  to  fully 
automatise  the  risk  management  and  customs clearance  processes.  A  draft  IT  Strategy  for the  Customs 
Service  2024-2027  (and  its  roadmap)  was  developed,  pending  approval  by  government.  It  sets  out  the 
gradual  alignment  of  IT  business  processes  to  the  provisions  of  Union  Customs  Code  (e.g.  Work 
Programme 2023), ensuring a full digital environment and interconnection and interoperability with EU IT 
systems. 

CLUSTER 4: THE GREEN AGENDA AND SUSTAINABLE CONNECTIVITY  

This cluster covers: transport (Chapter 14); energy (Chapter 15); trans-European networks (Chapter 21); 
and environment and climate change (Chapter 27).  

Chapter 14: Transport policy 

The  EU  has  common  rules  on  technical  and  safety  standards,  security,  social  standards,  State  aid  and 
market liberalisation in road transport, railways, inland waterways,  multimodal transport, aviation and 
maritime transport. 

On general transport, Moldova adopted its Mobility Strategy for 2030 yet the action plan remains to be 
developed.  Steps  were  taken  to  prepare  an  intelligent  transport  systems  (ITS)  strategy  for  all  modes  of 
transport. As observer, Moldova continued to actively participate in the work of the Transport Community 
Treaty (TCT). Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans are in development for Chisinau and Edinet. 

On  road  transport,  some  progress  was  achieved.  Moldova  approved  the  creation,  organisation  and 
working methods of the Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Bureau. The new updates introduced 
to the road transport code supports passenger transport market competition. Legislation on market access, 
the profession of road transport operators, digital tachographs and access to the haulage market is partially 
aligned. Moldova needs a new road safety strategy in order to be aligned with the EU road safety policy 
framework for 2021-2030 following the Safe System approach and its four pillars: safety of infrastructure, 
72 

 
 
 
 
 
safety of vehicles, safe road use and post-crash care. Further actions are needed to transpose provisions 
related to guidelines for road safety audits/inspections of infrastructure and vehicles, and enhancement of 
the road safety crash data system. National legislation is partially aligned with the EU acquis on road safety. 
The agreement to temporarily liberalise bilateral and transit road transport between the EU and Moldova, 
signed in June 2022, has been extended up to December 2025.  

No progress was achieved on the legislation regarding the transport of dangerous goods, which remains 
partially aligned with the EU acquis.  

On rail transport, the adopted Railway Transport Code entered into force in 2024. It is partially aligned 
with the EU acquis. It includes provisions on separating train operations from infrastructure management; 
the  independence  of  infrastructure  managers  to  make  decisions;  access  to  rail  network  and  services; 
licensing;  multi-annual  infrastructure  contracts;    railway  safety;  the  roles  of  those  involved  in  the  rail 
system; the supervision of safety management systems; safety certificates and safety authorisations; train 
drivers;  and  regulation  of  the  railway  market.  It  established  a  national  safety  authority  and  a  national 
investigation body. 

There are no existing regulations governing interoperability. Moldova should further pursue alignment with 
the  4th  railway  package,  including  adoption  of  the  Technical  Specifications  for  Interoperability  and  the 
Common Safety Methods. 

On maritime transport, the Moldovan flag vessel remains on the blacklist of the Paris Memorandum of 
Understanding  on  Port  State  Control,  due  to  ship  inspections  which  took  place  in  past  years.  National 
authorities have started working on capacity improvement of the Naval Agency and adoption of new rules 
on registration of maritime and inland waterway vessels (adopted in 2023). A new Regulation was adopted 
in April 2024 by the government regarding procedures and principles on determining the minimum crew 
requirements for navigation, for maritime and/or mixed vessels. Legislation on port services is not aligned 
with the EU acquis. 

The country has two inland waterways of international importance, the Nistru and Prut Rivers. Moldova 
also has access to the Danube River and participates in the EU strategy for the development of the Danube 
region. 

On aviation, the country is partially aligned with the EU acquis, having implemented more than half of the 
legal acts listed under the EU-Moldova Common Aviation Area Agreement in its legislation.  

There are no legal and technical provisions on intermodal transport in Moldova. Moldova needs to apply 
EU passenger rights acquis for all modes of transport. The updates introduced to the road transport code 
also regulate the rights of passengers. 

Chapter 15: Energy 

EU energy policy covers energy supply, infrastructure, the internal energy market, consumers, renewable 
energy, energy efficiency, nuclear energy and nuclear safety, radiation protection and nuclear safeguards. 

On security of supply, Moldova continued to safeguard its energy security by improving its legislative 
framework and strengthening gas and electricity transmission networks and interconnections. In December 
2023, the Law on natural gas was amended in order to provide for mandatory storage of gas, in line with 
the EU acquis on gas storage. By May 2024, the Risk Assessment, Preventive Action Plan and Emergency 
Plan were submitted to the Energy Community Secretariat. The plans will have to be updated, in line with 
the Secretariat's Opinion.  

In 2023, undertakings active on the Moldovan markets participated in the matching rounds organized under 
AggregateEU, EU mechanism for demand aggregation and joint purchasing of gas. Gas stored in Ukraine 

73 

 
 
 
 
and Romania was used to successfully cover the 2023-2024 winter consumption. A Reasoned Request by 
the Energy Community Secretariat was submitted on 12 June 2024.  

On  electricity  networks,  infrastructure  projects  should  be  accelerated  to  reduce  Moldova’s  structural 
vulnerability. The on-site works on Vulcanesti–Chisinau 400kV power line started in March 2024 while 
the financing for the second electricity interconnection with Romania, Suceava–Balti, was secured and a 
solution study for a third interconnection (Gutinas – Straseni) was performed.  

The Law on energy was amended in order to align with the EU Regulation Governance of the Energy Union 
and  Climate  Action  and  the  EU  Regulation  on trans-European  energy  infrastructure.  Based  on  this, the 
NECP was drafted and publicly consulted, and it received recommendations from the Energy Community 
Secretariat in April 2024. 

On the internal energy market, progress has been achieved concerning the centralised gas and electricity 
markets. Certain provisions from the Capacity Allocation and Congestion Management Regulation were 
introduced  in  the  Law  on  electricity  in  December  2023,  providing  the  legal  ground  to  designate  the 
nominated electricity market operator (NEMO). In February 2024, the government designated “Operatorul 
Pietei  de  Energie M”  LLC,  the local  subsidiary  of  the  Romanian  NEMO,  Opcom, as  electricity  market 
operator in Moldova and in March 2024 the National Agency for Energy Regulation (NAER) issued the 
proper  licence.  On  gas,  the  existing  market  operator,  BRM  East  Energy  started  transactions  on  the 
centralised market for contracts, Over-The-Counter/retail in April 2024. 

Moldova made progress on the unbundling of gas and electricity transmission system operators (TSOs). In 
February 2024, VestMoldTransgaz, an operator owned by Transgaz Romania (75%) and by European Bank 
of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), was provisionally certified as Independent System Operator 
of the whole gas transmission system, including the gas transmission network owned by Moldovagaz and 
other  entities.  On  24  June  the  Energy  Community  Secretariat  issued  its  opinion  on  the  unbundling  of 
VestMoldTransgaz as Independent System Operator. NAER should take utmost account of this opinion 
when  adopting  the  final  certification  decision.  The  final  certification  took  place  in  August  2024.  The 
requirements of the Energy Community Secretariat regarding unbundling of the TSO Moldelectrica were 
fulfilled  in  March  2024  by  a  government  decision  approving  the  Regulation  on  the  organisation  and 
operation of the Ministry of Energy. 

In  December  2023,  the  law  on  electricity  was  aligned  with  the  REMIT  Regulation.  Implementation  by 
NAER has advanced.  

Moldova  further  progressed  on  the  promotion  of  renewable  energy  sources  by  aligning  the  Law  on 
renewables sources with the Directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewables (RED II). 
Provisions related to sustainability and greenhouse gas emission saving criteria for biofuels, bioliquids, and 
biomass from REDII still need to be aligned with. In February 2024, the Ministry of Energy published a 
calendar  for  tendering  of  large  investments  in  solar  (60 MW)  and  wind  (105  MW).  The  tender 
documentation was approved by the Tendering Committee in June, which was followed by the launch of 
the tendering process by the Ministry of Energy on behalf of the Government on 16 August.  

As of January 2024, the net metering mechanism was replaced by net billing for new applicants, which can 
be prosumers of up to 200 kW installed power, thereby aligning with the EU practice. The net-metering 
scheme is to be gradually phased out by the end of 2027. In January 2024, an additional capacity of 100 MW 
was  allocated  for  net  billing  mechanism  permissible  by  the  end  of  2025,  aiming  at  “controlling”  and 
ensuring a balanced evolution of the segment amid the users of the supporting scheme. 

On  energy  efficiency,  substantial  progress  has  been  achieved  in  institutional  development.  The  former 
Energy Efficiency Agency was reorganised into the National Centre for Sustainable Energy (NCSE), with 

74 

 
 
 
 
a focus on the management of energy efficiency projects in public and residential buildings in an open and 
transparent manner with oversight from donors’ community.  

In December 2023, in order to finance energy efficiency in residential buildings projects, the government 
approved the Programme for the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme for the period 
2024-2026 and established Residential Energy Efficiency Fund as unit under the NSCE. In April 2024 it 
approved  its  financing  programme  .  In  June  2024,  NSCE  approved  two  energy  efficiency  financing 
products,  one  for  apartment  buildings and one for individual  houses  with extreme  energy  vulnerability. 
NCSE has launched the two calls for proposals for the selection of residential buildings to conduct energy 
audits, as the first step in the entire financing procedure. In the first call, 25 blocks of flats were selected, 
and the energy audit was carried out and the technical design is currently being prepared. A second selection 
of 38 associations has been tendered for energy audits. Additionally, under the second financial product, 
NCSE has identified 60 vulnerable individual houses for future energy audits. 

In October 2023, a new Law on the energy performance of buildings was adopted to align with the Energy 
Performance of Buildings Directive.  

Also in October 2023, Moldova further aligned with the EU acquis on energy labelling with the adoption 
in  of  the  Law  on  the  labelling  of  energy-related  products.  Subsequently,  in  January  2024,  national 
legislation aligned with several EU delegated regulations on energy labelling.  

On  nuclear  energy,  nuclear  safety  and  radiation  protection,  Moldova  still  needs  to  align  with  and  fully 
implement the Euratom Directives on nuclear safety, management of spent fuels and nuclear waste, basic 
safety standards and drinking water. Moldova is not yet a member of ECURIE and EURDEP systems.  

On  nuclear  safeguards,  upon  EU  accession,  the  existing  systems  of  accountancy  and control  of  nuclear 
materials in Moldova will need to be adapted to accommodate for the safeguards provisions (Chapter 7) of 
the Euratom Treaty.  

Chapter 21: Trans-European networks 

The  EU  promotes  trans-European  networks  (TENs)  in  the  areas  of  transport,  telecommunications  and 
energy to strengthen the internal market and contribute to growth and employment. 

On transport networks, the current strategic framework for transport infrastructure is outlined in the 2030 
National  Strategy  for  Development.  Following  completion  of  the  inter-ministerial  consultation,  the 
National  Mobility  Strategy  for  2023-2030  is  pending  adoption.  At  the  end  of  2023,  a  high-level 
understanding was signed to adapt the maps of the extended Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) 
of Moldova. In line with the revised TEN-T regulation that entered into force in July 2024, the country is 
now part of the Baltic Sea - Black Sea - Aegean Sea corridor.  TEN-T network is integrated into the national 
strategic framework: 2030 National Mobility Strategy and 2025-2027 National Development Plan approved 
in May 2024. A pre-feasibility study is under way for the completion of the Chisinau ring road. Corridor 
study has been launched for development of the TEN-T core network along Iasi-Ungheni – Chisinau  – 
Odesa  corridor.  The  Road Fund  remains  the  primary source  of  national  budget funding  for  public  road 
maintenance. The construction of the Bahmut, Porumbrei and Comrat bypasses were completed.  

Regarding rail, rehabilitation works for the north-south railway corridor have been delayed and are now 
expected to begin by mid-2025. Greater efforts are required to ensure smoother and faster implementation 
of the project. A detailed analysis of the possibility of combining or switching to a narrower railway gauge 
for  certain  sections  of  the  rehabilitated  network  is  needed.  Some  progress  has  been  made  in  terms  of 
standard gauge deployment in Moldova.  

No progress has been made on repairing the Cahul-Giurgiulești railway line, which is part of the TEN-T 
network, following a landslide in August 2022. Authorities have only managed to sign a contract with an 
75 

 
 
 
 
engineering company. Rehabilitation works on the Basarabeasca-Giurgiulești railway segment are currently 
ongoing. 

On  energy  networks,  the  Regulation  on  guidelines  for  trans-European  energy  networks  was  partially 
aligned with the Law on energy. In December 2023, an intergovernmental memorandum of understanding 
was  signed  between  the  Moldova  and  Romania  on  the  implementation  of  projects  necessary  for  the 
interconnection  of  gas  and  electricity  networks.  The memorandum  was  approved  by the  government  in 
February  2024.  It  establishes,  among  other  things,  the  basis  for  the  second  and  third  electricity 
interconnections, the increase in capacity of the gas interconnection, and the centralised electricity market 
operator in order to integrate the energy markets. For financing the Suceava–Bălți power line (the second 
interconnection with Romania), loan agreement negotiations with the European Bank for Reconstruction 
and Development were carried out, based on a government decision issued in January 2024. On-site works 
at the Vulcănești-Chisinau 400 kV power line started in February 2024, and the main power transformers 
for the Chisinau substation were delivered. The line, which is the CESEC priority project is predicted to be 
operational until the end of 2025. 

Chapter 27: Environment and climate change  

The EU promotes strong climate action, sustainable development and protection of the environment. EU 
rules  contain  provisions  addressing  climate  change,  water  and  air  quality,  waste  management,  nature 
protection, industrial pollution, chemicals, noise and civil protection. 

The  institutional  reform  of  the  Ministry  of  the  Environment  was  completed  in  August  2023  with  the 
approval of a new organisation chart and increased number of positions, but requires strengthening efforts 
to attract, train and retain qualified staff. The Environmental Strategy 2030 was finalised and approved on 
12  June  2024.  Further  progress  is  hindered  by  insufficient  human  and  financial  resources,  weak 
implementation, control and enforcement in most sectors, and insufficient prioritisation of environment and 
climate change across other policy areas. 

On  horizontal  legislation,  the  Law  on  environmental  impact  assessment  has  been  complemented  by 
implementing  legislation  to  ensure  quality  of  strategic  and  environmental  impact  assessment  reports. 
Moldova  should  ensure  adequate  implementation  of  the  Law  on  environmental  impact  assessment  and 
transparency of the related procedures with regard to the preparation and implementation of infrastructure 
investments. Further alignment is needed to establish an effective system of environmental liability and the 
assessment of environment damages, investigation of environmental violations and crimes as well as to 
introduce effective measures of the Penal and the Contravention Codes in alignment with the Environmental 
Crime  Directive  and  with  the  Environmental  Liability  Directive.  Moldova  would  benefit  from  the 
establishment of a system of public interest defence in the environmental sector, including entitling civil 
society organisations in this process. Moldova should also ensure that environmental monitoring meets EU 
standards. 

On  waste  management  and  circular  economy,  Moldova  further  strengthened  the  application  of  the 
Extended  Producer  Responsibility  and  the  polluter-pays-principle.  Amendments  to  the  Law  on  waste 
introduced the deposit-refund system for beverage packaging a scheme for separate collection of waste, 
development  of  a  secondary  material  market  and  increasing  recycling  capacities  in  the  industry,  while 
reducing  amounts  directed  to  landfills.  Specific  provisions  on  landfill  waste  were  established  and  the 
National Waste Management Programme was adopted in December 2023. The implementation of regional 
solid waste management systems is in progress.  

On water management, requirements for the collection, treatment and discharge of wastewater into the 
sewerage system and discharge from urban and rural localities have been regulated. Moldova is encouraged 
to strengthen implementation – the water and sanitation network needs to be further expanded to increase 

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the population coverage, especially in rural areas, and to reduce the negative effects on natural resources. 
Furthermore, capacities for monitoring of ground and surface water needs to be strengthened and the annual 
water  monitoring  programme  fully  implemented  for  the  protection  and  sustainable  development  of 
transboundary river basins.  

On nature protection, the National Forestry Code was adopted in March 2024, establishing the framework 
for the use of forest resources and the protection of its biodiversity. Moldova continues afforestation efforts. 
Guidelines on Developing Management Plans for Emerald Sites in Moldova was published in June 2024 
and  Moldova  should  continue  to  prepare to identify and  pre-designate sites that  will  be  covered  by  the 
Natura 2000 network. The reform of Moldsilva Agency and the establishment of an independent service 
for protected areas remain pertinent. 

On industrial pollution control and risk management, the existing pollutant release and transfer register 
(PRTR) platform remains outdated, despite technical improvements.  

On chemicals, the Sustainable Management of Chemicals Programme 2030 was approved in October 2023. 
There  was  no  progress  on  aligning  national  legislation  with  the  EU  REACH  and  CLP  Regulations. 
Cooperation with the European Chemicals Agency is encouraged. 

On civil protection and disaster risk management, the country became a full member of the UCPM in 
January  2024.  Moldova  should  continue  its  efforts  to  further  strengthen  prevention,  preparedness  and 
develop an integrated and intergovernmental disaster risk management system. Moldova is encouraged to 
improve  its  resilience  to  disasters  through  prevention  and  preparedness  actions  and  make  use,  when 
appropriate, of the scientific partnership for natural hazards, through the Emergency Response Coordination 
Centre.  

Climate change 

On climate change, Moldova has made good progress over the reporting period. In April 2024, Moldova 
adopted  its  Law  on  climate  action  which  formalises  its  commitment  to  climate-neutrality  by  2050.  It 
establishes the legal background for greenhouse gas (GHG) permitting, carbon pricing mechanisms, and 
indicates the development of a long-term low emission development strategy. The law, and accompanying 
decree, provide a legal basis also for the national greenhouse gas inventory system, which still requires 
operationalisation.  The  Low  Emission  Development  Programme  2030  is  effective  since  January  2024. 
Moldova must prepare and submit a new Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement, 
establishing a post-2030 mitigation target. In June 2024, the National Committee for Climate Change was 
established, which will coordinate all actions in the field at national level. 

As a Contracting Party to the Energy Community, Moldova is yet to adopt its National Energy and Climate 
Plan and the transposition of the Monitoring, Reporting, Verification and Accreditation regulations is well 
advanced, although not completed yet. The Government is encouraged to accelerate its preparation towards 
carbon pricing, consistently with the Energy Community’s Decarbonisation Roadmap, when it comes to 
the Monitoring, Reporting, Verification and Accreditation (MRVA) of greenhouse gas emissions.  

Moldova is a party to the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer and ratified the 
Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol in September 2023. In February 2024, Moldova adopted laws 
regarding  the  approval  of  the  rules  of  commercial  regime  and  the  regulation  of  the  use  of  halogenated 
hydrocarbons that destroy the ozone layer.  

Continued implementation of climate change adaptation policies and mainstreaming of adaptation in all 
policy areas is paramount, in line with the National Climate Change Adaptation Programme (until 2030) 
and related Action Plan. 

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The main obstacles and implementation challenges are attributable to limited national capacities, sectoral 
policy  fragmentation  and  segregation,  insufficient  monitoring,  and  control  of  GHG  emissions  and  data 
reliability. Moldova should consider aligning with major upgrades of the EU climate policy as a result of 
the Fit for 55 package. 

CLUSTER 5: RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE AND COHESION  

This  cluster  covers:  agriculture  and  rural  development  (Chapter  11);  food  safety,  veterinary  and 
phytosanitary policy (Chapter 12); fisheries and aquaculture (Chapter 13); regional policy and coordination 
of structural instruments (Chapter 22); and financial and budgetary provisions (Chapter 33).  

Chapter 11: Agriculture and rural development 

The EU’s common agricultural policy supports farmers and ensures Europe’s food security. It helps tackle 
climate  change  and  the  sustainable  management  of  natural  resources;  maintains  rural  areas  and 
landscapes  across  the  EU;  and  keeps  the  rural  economy  alive  by promoting  jobs  in  farming,  agri-food 
industries and associated sectors. This requires strong management and control systems. There are also 
common EU rules for marketing standards, quality policy, and organic farming. 

On horizontal issues, the national strategy for agriculture and rural development for 2023-2030, adopted 
in February 2023, requires a multi-annual implementation plan, which should cover financing, monitoring 
and reporting.  

A Strategy for collecting and monitoring farm-level data need to be developed. The work to establish a 
farm sustainability data network has started with the formation of a working group and the adoption of the 
corresponding legislation. Further efforts are required to set up the IACS. A roadmap for the creation of a 
national farm registry was adopted. An action plan for its implementation, including on human and financial 
resources, is now needed. An animal register is in place. A land parcel identification system and a Farm 
Accountancy Data Network must be established. Interoperability of the various elements comprising the 
IACS should be ensured from the onset. The legislative framework for the creation of a Farm Advisory 
Service is being developed.  

The  institutional  capacity  of  the  AIPA  has  been  strengthened.  A  human  resource  development  strategy 
enhancing staff retention needs to be developed. Further e-application systems for direct support should be 
developed  to  improve  the  efficiency  of  the  application,  evaluation,  payment  execution  and  reporting 
processes. 

Regarding  the  common  market  organisation,  efforts  are  needed  to  further  develop  the  regulatory 
framework in line with the EU acquis. The reporting period saw progress in aligning with EU marketing 
standards for edible vegetable oils and vegetable or animal-based spreads intended for human consumption.  

In the quality policy area, there has been further legislative alignment including around certification and 
control.  Efforts should continue to follow all updates of the EU acquis in this area. 

For organic farming, implementing legislation for the Law on organic production and labelling has been 
adopted in August 2024 aligning with the EU acquis.  

Chapter 12: Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy 

The EU food acquis, including hygiene rules for foodstuff production, ensure a high level of food and feed 
safety and a high level of protection of consumers’ interests. Animal health and welfare and the safety of 
food of animal origin are safeguarded together with quality of seeds, plant protection material, protection 
against harmful organisms and animal nutrition. 

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In the area of general food safety, following the 2023 institutional reform of the National Agency for Food 
Safety  in  February  2024,  its  Human  Resources  Development  Strategy  2024-2027  was  developed  and 
approved,  as  well  as  a  training  programme  for  national  staff  and  staff  from  territorial  subdivisions 
(inspectors). 

On veterinary policy, the law on veterinary health activity aligning with the Regulation on transmissible 
animal diseases and amending and repealing certain veterinary health acts, was adopted 

Moldova has further improved its surveillance system for animal diseases and the diagnostic resources of 
the  competent  authorities.  The  country  continued  to  successfully  implement  active  surveillance  of  EU 
programmes  for  African  swine  fever  and  rabies  prevention  and  control.  Avian  bird  flu  detection  and 
response have improved.  

Institutional cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the National Food Safety Agency has been 
strengthened for monitoring the antimicrobial resistance of zoonotic and commensal bacteria from farm 
animals and food of animal origin. 

Residues of pharmacologically active substances used in food-producing animals and the interpretation of 
the results have been further aligned with the EU acquis Monitoring of veterinary antimicrobial products 
has  been  strengthened,  but  traceability  mechanisms  of  animal  drugs  and  medicines  from  import  of 
substances  to  farm  level  application  needs  to  be  further  improved,  ensuring  interoperability  with  other 
registers as the animal register and laboratory testing.  

The legislative framework for official controls and placing of plant protection products on the market has 
been further aligned with the EU acquis. On official controls, further efforts are needed on risk assessment 
and  reporting  on  risk-based  official  controls  whilst  the  transparency  principle  should  be  respected. 
Adequate  financial  resources  should  support  the  performance  of  official  controls,  also  by  means  of 
proportionate and transparent collection of fees. Maximum permitted limits of residues of plant protection 
products in or on food and feed of plant and animal origin were harmonised. Further measures regarding 
the sustainable use of pesticides are required. 

On the placing of food, feed and animal by-products on the market, the sampling size for bovine raw 
milk  was  further  expanded  and  ovine/caprine  milk  included  in  the  2024  National  monitoring  and 
surveillance programme. Residue monitoring is yet to be further expanded to new products and the number 
of samples of official controls obtained at farms, processors and distributors increased.  

The national reference laboratories (Food Safety Laboratory, Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory) scope 
of accreditation was extended.  

The method for determination of genetically modified organisms in products of plant origin (soya seeds 
and processed products, maize, rapeseed) was accredited at the Central Phytosanitary Laboratory.  

During  the  reporting  period,  Moldova  was  authorised  to  export  fresh  poultry  meat  and  certain  plant 
reproductive material. 

Chapter 13: Fisheries and aquaculture 

The common fisheries policy lays down rules on fisheries management, protects living resources of the sea 
and  limits  the  environmental  impact  of  fisheries.  This  includes  setting  catch  quotas,  managing  fleet 
capacity, rules on control and inspection, rules on markets and aquaculture and support for fisheries and 
coastal communities. Further, it promotes a sustainable aquaculture.  

Moldova needs to further develop, implement and enforce fisheries and aquaculture policy. The overall 
coordination  of  the  authorities  on  biodiversity  protection  needs  to  be  strengthened.  The  adoption  of  a 

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multiannual  national  strategic  plan  dedicated  to  aquaculture  and  a  national  legislation  on  aquaculture 
aligned with EU acquis is pending.  

On  inspection  and  control,  a  system  preventing  importation  of  fishery  products  from  IUU  fishing  is 
needed.  

Concerning international agreements, international cooperation activities should be further strengthened, 
and  progress  should  be  made  in  adopting  and  integrating  in  national  law  the  international  fisheries 
agreements, finalising legislation covering the definition of fishing vessel in line with international fisheries 
instruments  and  in  rules  with  regards  to  the  registration  and  deregistration  of  vessels  engaging  in  IUU 
fishing. 

As regards to the wider blue economy, Moldova continues to participate in the Common Maritime Agenda. 
It maintains a strong commitment at both the grassroots and ministerial level, with the Moldovan Ministry 
of Environment coordinating cooperation among participating countries under the initiative in 2024. The 
positive regional cooperation under the Common Maritime Agenda should continue. 

Chapter 22: Regional policy and coordination of structural instruments 

Regional policy is the EU’s main tool for reducing regional disparities and investing in sustainable and 
inclusive socio-economic growth. It is operating through ‘shared management’ between the Commission 
and  EU  Member  States.  The  implementation  of  cohesion  policy  programmes  requires  appropriate 
administrative capacity on programme and project level, the establishment of systems of sound financial 
management and control and also the fulfilment of other EU acquis elements such as environmental or 
public procurement legislation. 

On  the  legislative  framework,  Moldova  possesses  a  framework  of  strategic  documents  guiding 
development initiatives. These include the National Strategy for Regional Development (2022-2028) and 
the National Program for Local Development (2024-2028). Also, a separate national programme for the 
development of cities as growth poles is in place. The development and implementation of a dedicated legal 
framework for the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund is pending. The potential 
of European groupings of territorial cooperation is not being fully exploited so far, although they can be 
used as instruments for integrated multi-level governance in coherent areas split by borders and facilitating 
the implementation of Small Project Funds in Interreg cooperation programmes. 

The current institutional framework supports management of EU funds, with the State Chancellery acting 
as  the  national  coordinating  authority  since  the  end  of  2023  and  being  responsible  for  all  five  Interreg 
cooperation  programmes  in  which  Moldova  participates.  To  strengthen  oversight  of  EU  funds 
management, Moldova established a National Working Group in February 2024. This group, comprised 
of representatives from key ministries and government agencies, fosters improved coordination of cross-
border, transnational, and interregional cooperation programmes.  

Moldova  is  strengthening  its  administrative  capacity  to  manage  EU  funds  to  ensure  the  efficient 
management of cross-border and transnational cooperation initiatives under the Interreg umbrella. High 
turnover  of  staff  is  a  challenge  that  Moldova  continues  to  address  through  salary  increases,  improved 
working conditions, and enhanced training programmes. A ‘SPRINT’ programme for civil servants is set 
to attract staff and enhance public service appeal. The Institute for Public Administration serves as one of 
the training institutions to develop capacity for authorities involved in the management of EU funds. 

Multiannual programming takes place via the government approved medium-term budget framework. The 
current  National  Programme  for  Local  Development  aligns  with  the  National  Strategy  for  Regional 
Development  2022-2028.  This  programme  strengthens  national  involvement  in  regional  and  local 
development initiatives. Significant progress has been achieved in establishing two critical management 

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systems:  an  information  system  specifically  designed  for  managing  regional  and  local  projects,  was 
launched in July2024 and a Register of Capital Investment Projects, already operational and mandatory for 
all large-scale investment projects. 

The development of monitoring and evaluation systems for EU funds includes the establishment of an 
electronic  management  and  information  system.  While  adequate  administrative  capacity  exists  for 
monitoring  and  evaluation  under  EU  indirect  management  rules,  timely  integration  of  resulting 
recommendations remains a challenge. 

On financial management, control and audit, Moldova's successful implementation of activities and the 
effectiveness  of  its  management  and  control  systems  demonstrate  its  capacity  for  sound  financial 
management. A nationwide management information system is under development with a phased roll-out 
across public entities since January 2024. 

Chapter 33: Financial and budgetary provisions 

This  chapter  covers  the  rules  governing  the  funding  of  the  EU  budget  (‘own  resources’). 
These  resources  mainly  consist  of:  (i)  contributions  based  on  the  gross  national  income  of 
each  Member  State;  (ii)  customs  duties;  (iii)  the  non-recycled  plastic  resource;  and  (iv)  a 
resource based on value-added tax. Member States must have the appropriate administrative capacity to 
adequately  coordinate  and  ensure  the  correct  calculation,  collection,  payment  and  control  of  own 
resources. 

Some  progress  was  made  on  traditional  own  resources  with  the  entry  into  force  of  new  customs 
legislation, which is now broadly aligned with the EU acquis. Moldova should upgrade the IT infrastructure 
as a basis for creating a traditional own resources system. 

Moldova does not have adequate measures in place to combat VAT and customs duties fraud. No progress 
was made during the reporting period to develop such measures. Moldova should align with the EU acquis 
its legislation on structure, exemptions, deductions, special schemes, and the scope of reduced rates.  

No progress was made on the underlying policy on gross national income and its alignment with the EU 
acquis. Compilation of the national accounts and gross national income should be based on the definitions 
and accounting rules of the European ESA 2010 standards. In the reporting period, there was no progress 
on the changeover to ESA 2010, national data collection or the calculation of non-recyclable plastic. 

On administrative capacity, Moldova has not to set up the institutions for the own resources system, an 
own resource coordination body and implementing rules for alignment with EU requirements. 

CLUSTER 6: EXTERNAL RELATIONS  

There are two chapters in this cluster: External relations (Chapter 30); Foreign, security and defence policy 
(Chapter 31). 

Chapter 30: External relations 

The  EU  has  a  common  commercial  policy  towards  third  countries,  based  on  multilateral  and  bilateral 
agreements  and  autonomous  measures.  There  are  also  EU  rules  in  the  field  of  humanitarian  aid  and 
development policy. 

On the common commercial policy, the Commission for Emergency Situation (CSE) introduced an import 
licensing  mechanism  for  certain  cereals,  starting  on  4  October  2023  and  running  until  the  end  of  the 
emergency  period.  Despite  high-level  assurances  that  the  measure  would  be  removed,  it  was  extended 

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twice–and on 5 July 2024 replaced by legislation which makes it semi-permanent. The measure applies to 
imports from all countries, including from the EU. A special commission established by the Ministry of 
Agriculture with participation of Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalisation and National Food 
Safety Agency (ANSA) processes the requests for licences. The government notified the EU and the WTO 
only in January 2024 about the introduction of the mechanism. 

On  export  control  of  dual-use  goods  the  authorities  continued  to  adjust  legislation  aimed  to  ensure 
alignment  with  the  EU  Directive  on  the  control  of  exports,  brokering,  technical  assistance,  transit  and 
transfer of dual-use items. The law on the control regime of trade in strategic goods was adopted in July 
2024 and will enter into force in January 2025 therefore providing partially alignment with the directive. 
Moldova is neither a participant nor an adherent to the Australia Group and is encouraged to become an 
adherent and an eventual member.  

On bilateral trade agreements, Moldova progressed with Parliament’s ratification of the FTA with the 
EFTA states on 28 March 2024 and entered into force in April 2024. The FTA will take effect once Moldova 
and one member of EFTA have notified to the depositary on the completion of their respective ratification 
procedures.  The  agreement  took  effect  for  Moldova  and  Iceland  on  1  September  2024.  Parliament  also 
ratified  the  agreement  on  economic  cooperation  with  Portugal.  The  government  commissioned  the 
feasibility study for potential negotiation of an FTA with South Korea.  

Moldova has 41 bilateral investment treaties, of which 20 are with EU member states. On 17 April 2024, 
the government approved the decision on the initiation of negotiations of a bilateral investment’s protection 
and promotion agreement with Italy. 

On development policy and humanitarian aid, Moldova remains rather a recipient of aid than a donor. It 
does not have a development policy nor provide structural technical assistance to any partner countries. 
Although  Moldova  has  legislation  on  humanitarian  aid,  there  is  no  dedicated  structure  or  budget  to 
implement  it.  Moldova  should  continue  to  build  up  capacities  of  a  newly  established  department  for 
development cooperation within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and work further on a legal framework on 
international cooperation, development and humanitarian aid towards non-EU countries, aligned with EU 
policies and principles. Since June 2023, Moldova provided three batches of humanitarian aid to Ukraine 
worth of approximately EUR 529 000 of goods and supplies. 

Chapter 31: Foreign, security and defence policy 

Member States must be able to conduct political dialogue under the EU foreign, security and defence policy, 
align with EU statements, take part in EU actions, and apply agreed sanctions and restrictive measures. 

The political dialogue between the EU and Moldova on foreign and security policy has intensified. The 
EU-Moldova Association Council met in May 2024. The annual EU-Moldova consultations on common 
security and defence policy took place in December 2023, the third EU-Moldova high-level political and 
security dialogue was held in Chisinau in April 2024. 

The new National Security Strategy, adopted in December 2023, identifies Russia as the source of major 
threats to Moldova’s security, and the EU accession process as strategically important for strengthening 
security and national resilience. In July 2024, the government approved the new national Defence Strategy, 
focusing on modernisation of national defence capacity and committing to increase defence spending to 1% 
of GDP by 2030. 

In the area of the CFSP, Moldova’s alignment rate with statements by the High Representative on behalf 
of the EU and Council decisions on sanctions continued increasing from 80% in 2023 to 90% as of  30 
September  2024.  The  President  of  Moldova  participated  in  the  Summit  on  Peace  in  Ukraine  hosted  by 
Switzerland. 

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On restrictive measures, Moldova aligned for the first time in November 2023, with individual sanctions on 
Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, listing numerous Russian individuals and entities. In July 2024, the 
country also aligned with the sanctions regime targeting those seeking to destabilise Moldova. 

In November 2023, Parliament amended the Law on the enforcement of international restrictive measures. 
There has been good cooperation with the EU on preventing circumvention of sanctions against Russia and 
Belarus  related  to  Russia's  war  of  aggression  against  Ukraine.  More  work  is  needed  to  enhance  the 
robustness  of  implementation,  including  by  strengthening  cooperation  and  communication  between 
national authorities in charge of preventing sanctions circumvention.  

As a member of multiple international organisations, Moldova has continued to align with international 
and EU initiatives in support of Ukraine and supported relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly, 
the Human Rights Council and the Council of Europe, among others. Moldova is party to the Rome Statue 
of the International Criminal Court.  

Moldova continued supporting EU measures and documents on conflict prevention, but its own capacities 
in this field remain limited. 

On disarmament and non-proliferation, Moldova is not yet a member of the Wassenaar Arrangement, 
the Australia Group and other multilateral export control nor non-proliferation regimes. It participates in 
the  Proliferation  Security  Initiative  and  The  Hague  Code  of  Conduct  and  is  a  party  to  the  Arms  Trade 
Treaty. Moldova does not have a separate national strategy for small arms and light weapons (SALW). 
In  April  2024,  the  Moldovan  Parliament  voted  to  suspend  Moldova’s participation  in  the  Conventional 
Armed Forces in Europe Treaty. 

As regards the CSDP, Moldova’s new 2024 contributions to Operation EUFOR ALTHEA in Bosnia and 
Herzegovina and EUTM Somalia constitute a considerable increase compared to previous contributions. In 
April 2024, Moldova deployed three additional police officers to the NATO Mission in Kosovo (KFOR). 
Security  and  defence  cooperation  has  substantially  increased  over  the  past  2  years,  including  in  the 
framework of the European Peace Facility. In May 2024, Moldova became the first partner country to sign 
a Security and Defence Partnership (non-binding instrument) with the EU. 

Regarding hybrid threats, Moldova, in line with recommendations from the 2023 EU hybrid risk survey, 
is implementing a range of measures to increase resilience and improve its ability to counter hybrid threats. 
In spring 2024, the Centre for Strategic Communications and Countering Disinformation started to operate. 
In February 2024, Moldova launched the National Agency for Cyber Security and National Institute for 
Cyber Security.   

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ANNEX I – RELATIONS BETWEEN THE EU AND MOLDOVA  

On 3 March 2022, Moldova presented its application for membership of the EU was granted European 
perspective and candidate country status in June 2022. In December 2023, the European Council decided 
to  open  accession  negotiations  with  the  country.  The  first  intergovernmental  conference  opening  the 
negotiations took place on 25 June 2024.  

Moldova continues to broadly implement its obligations under the Association Agreement (AA). A Deep 
and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), which was signed in 2014, fully entered into force in 
July  2016.  The  AA/DCFTA  remains  the  bilateral  legal  instrument  serving  as  the  basis  for  political 
association  and  economic  integration  between  the  EU  and  Moldova.  Regular  political  and  economic 
dialogue between the EU and Moldova has continued through the AA/DCFTA structures.  

The latest EU-Moldova Association Council meeting took place in May 2024 and the latest EU-Moldova 
Association  Committee  took  place  16-17  November  2023.  The  10th  meeting  of  the  EU-Moldova 
Association  Committee  in  Trade  Configuration  took  place  f5-6  October  2023,  and  the  EU-Moldova 
Parliamentary Association Committee held a meeting on 29 November 2023 in Chisinau. Trade relations 
with the EU have further intensified since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The EU 
is Moldova’s biggest trade partner, accounting for 53.7% of its total trade volume in 2023. Autonomous 
trade measures have been applied since July 2022; the EU unilaterally granted additional tariff rate quotas 
for a number of all agricultural products for 12 months. This measure was extended in May 2024 to remove 
all outstanding tariffs under the DCFTA until July 2025. In light of Moldova’s candidate status, the EU and 
Moldova continued to implement the Priority Action Plan in June 2023 to help accelerate implementation 
of the DCFTA and give Moldova greater access to the EU internal market.  

In addition to the AA/DCFTA structures, a Human Rights Dialogue with Moldova is in place since 2010 
and convenes annually. The High-Level Energy Dialogue continued holding biannual meetings during the 
reporting period, and the High-Level Political and Security Dialogue was held in April 2024. The new high-
level Transport Dialogue was launched in February 2024 to further deepen cooperation on connectivity. 
The EU remains fully committed to supporting a comprehensive, peaceful, and sustainable settlement of 
the Transnistrian conflict, based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova in its internationally 
recognised borders, with a special status for the Transnistrian region. The DCFTA  applies to the entire 
territory of Moldova.  

Citizens of Moldova have enjoyed visa-free travel to the Schengen area since April 2014. As part of the 
visa liberalisation monitoring mechanism, the Commission has regularly assessed the progress made by the 
country in implementing reforms under the visa roadmap. The Commission’s seventh report under the Visa 
Suspension Mechanism, published in October 2024, concluded that Moldova continues to take action to 
address the recommendations made in the previous year’s report. A readmission agreement entered into 
force in January 2018. 

The EU remained deeply committed under the common foreign and security policy to deepen cooperation 
with Moldova in these areas. In 2024, Moldova became the first country to sign a Security and Defence 
Partnership  with  the  EU.  The  EU  Partnership  Mission  in  Moldova  (EUPM)  continued  supporting 
Moldovan institutions in building resilience, while the assistance to the Moldovan Armed Forces provided 
through the European Peace Facility (EPF) reached EUR 137 million. In addition, the EU has kept in place 
a dedicated sanctions regime targeting individuals and entities who try to destabilise Moldova.  

The EU is the largest provider of financial assistance to Moldova. Since 2021, the EU has mobilised EUR 
2.2  billion  for  Moldova  through,  among  others,  macro-financial  assistance,  budget  support,  bilateral 
assistance through annual action programmes, humanitarian aid, crisis response support and projects with 
international financial institutions guaranteed by the EU. In June 2023, the EU presented a support package 

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for Moldova to address the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on Moldova and to bring 
the country closer to the EU. The EU has been an active member of the Moldova Support Platform since it 
was  set  up  in  2022  (now  the  Moldova  Partnership  Platform  as  the  focus  has  shifted  to  long-term 
development priorities). Moldova and the European Commission are working together discussions on the 
Moldova  Growth  Plan,  which  would  help  reap  the  early  benefits  of  access  to  the  EU  single  market, 
accelerate economic reforms and increase financial assistance in this regard. 

The bilateral allocation for Moldova for 2021-2024 amounts to EUR 260 million under the Neighbourhood, 
Development,  and  International  Cooperation  Instrument  –  Global  Europe  2021-2027  (NDICI-GE).  The 
2023 annual programme for Moldova allocated EUR 150 million to: (i) support energy security in Moldova, 
civil society, investment under the Economic and Investment Plan; (ii) respond to the immediate and long-
term needs in the security and migration sector; and (iii) support Moldova on its path to EU accession. 
Under the Eastern Partnership Economic and Investment Plan (EIP), the EU has already mobilised up to 
EUR 1.6 billion in public and private investments for five flagship projects in Moldova.  

Bilateral annual programmes are complemented by a package of multi-country and regional programmes 
supporting civil society, the energy sector, strengthening border management and assisting with migration 
and  security  in  a  broader  sense.  The  country  also  receives  support  from  TAIEX  and  competitiveness 
programmes together with international financial institutions and international organisations.  

Since its launch in 2009, Moldova has participated in the Eastern Partnership (EaP). This overarching 
framework has given a further boost to bilateral and regional relations with the EU.  

Since 2014, Moldova has progressively extended its participation in EU programmes. It has joined the EU 
customs programme, Fiscalis, LIFE, EU4Health, Horizon Europe, the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), 
the  single  market  programme,  the  Union  Civil  Protection  Mechanism  (UCPM),  Digital  Europe,  and 
Employment  and  Social  Innovation.  Organisations  and  individuals  from  Moldova  are  also  eligible  for 
certain schemes under the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. Moldova participates in 
several Interreg programmes and is a member of the EU macro-regional strategy for the Danube region. 
Moldova’s participation fee for EU programmes has been waived as a result of the impact on Moldova of 
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. To strenthen the digital sector and to enhance access to EU 
initiatives and  funds, Moldova  is  participating  as  an observer in  two  pilot  projects  under the  Technical 
Support Instrument. 

85 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX II – STATISTICAL DATA 

STATISTICAL DATA (as of 5/09/2024) 
Moldova 

Basic data 
Population (thousand) 
Total area of the country (km²) 

National accounts 
Gross domestic product (GDP) (million national currency) 
Gross domestic product (GDP) (million euro) 
GDP (euro per capita) 
GDP per capita (in purchasing power standards (PPS)) 
GDP per capita (in PPS), relative to the EU average (EU-27 = 100) 
Real GDP growth rate: change on previous year of GDP volume (%) 
Employment growth (national accounts data), relative to the previous year (%) 
Labour productivity growth: growth in GDP (in volume) per person employed, relative to the 
previous year (%) 
Unit labour cost growth, relative to the previous year (%) 
**3 year change (T/T-3) in the nominal unit labour cost growth index (2015 = 100) 
Labour productivity per person employed: GDP (in PPS) per person employed relative to EU 
average (EU-27 = 100) 
Gross value added by main sectors 
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries (%) 
Industry (%) 
Construction (%) 
Services (%) 
Final consumption expenditure, as a share of GDP (%) 
Gross fixed capital formation, as a share of GDP (%) 
Exports of goods and services, relative to GDP (%) 
Imports of goods and services, relative to GDP (%) 
Gross fixed capital formation by the general government sector, as a percentage of GDP (%) 

Note 

1) 2) 
3) 

Note 
4) 
4) 
4) 
4) 

4) 
4) 5) 
4) 

4) 
4) 6) 

4) 
4) 
4) 
4) 
4) 
4) 
4) 
4) 

2011 
3 560 i 
33 846 w 

2018 
2 730 i 
33 847 w 

2019 
2 686 i 
33 847 w 

2020 
2 640 i 
33 847 w 

2021 
2 597 pi 
33 849 w 

2022 
2 604 i 
33 849 w 

2011 
98 773 w 
6 046 w 
1 698 w 
5 013 w 
: 
5.8 bw 
3 iw 
3 bw 

-  3 w 
116.6 iw 
: 

13.3 w 
16.7 w 
7.6 w 
62.4 w 
109.5 w 
23.2 w 
32.5 w 
66.1 w 
: 

2018 
189 063 w 
9 527 w 
3 519 w 
12 375 w 
: 
4.1 w 
3 iw 
1 w 

9 w 
126.4 biw 
: 

11.8 w 
15.7 w 
10.0 w 
62.5 w 
99.5 w 
23.3 w 
30.7 w 
56.8 w 
: 

2019 
206 256 w 
10 484 w 
3 935 w 
13 361 w 
: 
3.6 w 
-  12 iw 
17 w 

4 w 
132.4 iw 
: 

11.7 w 
15.2 w 
10.1 w 
63.0 w 
100.1 w 
23.4 w 
31.2 w 
56.4 w 
: 

2020 
199 734 w 
10 116 w 
3 839 w 
12 977 w 
: 
-  8.3 w 
-  4 iw 
-  4 w 

5 w 
135.7 iw 
: 

10.8 w 
15.2 w 
11.5 w 
62.5 w 
99.6 w 
24.9 w 
27.9 w 
51.4 w 
: 

2021 
242 079 w 
11 569 w 
4 457 w 
16 299 w 
: 
13.9 w 
1 iw 
13 w 

-  5 w 
123.0 iw 
: 

12.3 w 
14.7 w 
9.3 w 
63.6 w 
100.3 w 
24.1 w 
30.6 w 
57.8 w 
3 w 

2022 
274 207 w 
13 781 w 
5 428 w 
17 243 w 
: 
-  5.0 w 
2 iw 
-  7 w 

: 
: 
: 

9.6 w 
14.3 w 
8.2 w 
67.8 w 
102.4 w 
22.5 w 
41.2 w 
69.5 w 
: 

2022 
115.1 w 
: 
: 

Business 
Industrial production volume index (2015 = 100) 
Number of active enterprises (number) 
Birth rate: number of enterprise births in the reference period (t) divided by the number of 
enterprises active in t (%) 

Note 

2011 
88.0 w 
47 684 w 
12.6 w 

2018 
111.8 w 
35 372 w 
13.7 w 

2019 
113.9 w 
36 299 w 
: 

2020 
107.1 w 
37 228 w 
: 

2021 
120.3 w 
38 783 w 
: 

86 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Death rate: number of enterprise deaths in the reference period (t) divided by the number of 
enterprises active in t (%) 
People employed in SMEs as a share of all persons employed (within the non-financial 
business economy) (%) 
Value added by SMEs (in the non-financial business economy) (EUR million) 
Total value added (in the non-financial business economy) (EUR million) 

Inflation rate 
Consumer price index (CPI), change relative to the previous year (%) 

Balance of payments 
Balance of payments: current account total (million euro) 
Balance of payments current account: trade balance (million euro) 
Balance of payments current account: net services (million euro) 
Balance of payments current account: net balance for primary income (million euro) 
Balance of payments current account: net balance for secondary income (million euro) 
Net balance for primary and secondary income: of which government transfers (million euro) 
**3 year backward moving average of the current account balance relative to GDP (%) 
**Five year change in share of world exports of goods and services (%) 
Net balance (inward - outward) of foreign direct investment (FDI) (million euro) 
Foreign direct investment (FDI) abroad (million euro) 
of which FDI of the reporting economy in the EU-27 countries (million euro) 
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the reporting economy (million euro) 
of which FDI of the EU-27 countries in the reporting economy (million euro) 
**Net international investment position, relative to GDP (%) 
Year on year rate of change in gross inflow of remittances (in national currency) from migrant 
workers (%) 

Public finance 
General government deficit / surplus, relative to GDP (%) 
General government gross debt relative to GDP (%) 
Total  government revenues, as a percentage of GDP (%) 
Total government expenditure, as a percentage of GDP (%) 

Financial indicators 
Gross external debt of the whole economy, relative to GDP (%) 
Gross external debt of the whole economy, relative to total exports (%) 
Money supply: M1 (banknotes, coins, overnight deposits, million euro) 
Total credit by monetary financial institutions to residents (consolidated) (million euro) 
**Annual change in financial sector liabilities (%) 

87 

6.2 w 

22.1 w 

: 

: 

: 

7) 

57.5 iw 

70.3 iw 

69.4 iw 

69.9 iw 

71.1 iw 

Note 
8) 

Note 

9) 

10) 
4) 
11) 

Note 

Note 
4) 

: 
: 

2011 
7.6 w 

2011 
-  612.1 w 
- 2 144.2 w 
114.3 w 
414.9 w 
1 003.0 w 
: 
-  8.6 ibw 
: 
242.2 w 
25.7 dw 
: 
267.9 dw 
: 
-  32.5 w 
10.8 diw 

2011 
-  2.0 ew 
19.7 ew 
30.5 ew 
32.5 ew 

2011 
66.8 iw 
205.0 w 
1 153.4 w 
: 
: 

: 
: 

2018 
3.0 w 

2018 
- 1 026.2 w 
- 2 789.2 w 
301.4 w 
453.7 w 
1 007.9 w 
: 
-  6.7 piw 
: 
233.1 w 
29.0 dw 
: 
262.2 dw 
: 
-  36.6 w 
8.0 diw 

2018 
-  0.8 ew 
27.2 ew 
30.2 ew 
31.0 ew 

2018 
66.0 iw 
215.2 w 
2 006.5 w 
: 
: 

: 
: 

2019 
4.8 w 

2019 
-  987.8 w 
- 2 958.3 w 
326.5 w 
549.4 w 
1 094.7 w 
: 
-  8.7 piw 
: 
428.4 w 
37.3 dw 
: 
465.7 dw 
: 
-  40.6 w 
8.1 diw 

2019 
-  1.4 ew 
25.1 ew 
30.0 ew 
31.4 ew 

2019 
61.2 iw 
196.2 w 
2 213.3 w 
: 
: 

: 
: 

2020 
3.8 w 

2020 
-  777.9 w 
- 2 714.4 w 
349.2 w 
342.3 w 
1 245.0 w 
: 
-  9.3 iw 
: 
133.3 w 
3.3 dw 
: 
136.6 dw 
: 
-  40.4 w 
9.2 diw 

2020 
-  5.1 ew 
33.1 ew 
30.4 ew 
35.5 ew 

2020 
65.1 iw 
233.2 w 
2 617.3 w 
: 
: 

: 

: 

: 
: 

: 
: 

2021 
5.1 w 

2022 
28.7 w 

2021 
- 1 435.7 w 
- 3 540.6 w 
399.3 w 
225.2 w 
1 480.5 w 
: 
-  9.8 iw 
: 
314.2 w 
12.1 dw 
: 
326.3 dw 
: 
-  40.0 w 
9.0 diw 

2021 
-  1.9 ew 
32.6 ew 
32.0 ew 
33.9 ew 

2021 
66.7 iw 
217.7 w 
3 027.9 w 
: 
: 

2022 
- 2 358.1 w 
- 4 933.1 w 
863.0 w 
56.7 w 
1 655.2 w 
: 
-  12.4 iw 
: 
514.0 w 
42.7 dw 
: 
556.7 dw 
: 
-  42.1 w 
8.3 diw 

2022 
-  3.2 ew 
35.0 ew 
33.3 ew 
36.5 ew 

2022 
65.4 iw 
158.7 w 
3 115.9 w 
: 
: 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
**Private debt, consolidated, relative to GDP (%) 
Interest rates: day-to-day money rate, per annum (%) 
Euro exchange rates: average of period (1 euro = … national currency) 
Trade-weighted effective exchange rate index, 42 countries (2015 = 100) 
**3 year change (T/T-3) in the trade-weighted effective exchange rate index, 42 countries 
(2015 = 100) 
Value of reserve assets (including gold) (million euro) 

External trade in goods 
Value of imports: all goods, all partners (million euro) 
Value of exports: all goods, all partners (million euro) 
Trade balance: all goods, all partners (million euro) 
Terms of trade (export price index / import price index * 100) (number) 
Share of exports to EU-27 countries in value of total exports (%) 
Share of imports from EU-27 countries in value of total imports (%) 

Demography 
Crude rate of natural change of population (natural growth rate): number of births minus 
deaths (per thousand inhabitants) 
Infant mortality rate deaths of children under one year of age (per thousand live births) 
Life expectancy at birth: male (years) 
Life expectancy at birth: female (years) 

Labour market 
Economic activity rate for persons aged 20–64: proportion of the population aged 20–64 that 
is economically active (%) 
*Employment rate for persons aged 20–64: proportion of the population aged 20–64 that are 
in employment (%) 
Male employment rate for persons aged 20–64 (%) 

Female employment rate for persons aged 20–64 (%) 

Employment rate for persons aged 55–64: proportion of the population aged 55–64 that are 
in employment (%) 
Employment by main sectors 
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries (%) 
Industry (%) 
Construction (%) 
Services (%) 
People employed in the public sector as a share of total employment, persons aged 20–64 
(%) 

12) 
12) 

Note 

Note 

Note 
5) 6) 
13) 
5) 6) 
13) 
5) 6) 
13) 
5) 6) 
13) 
5) 6) 
13) 

13) 
5) 6) 
5) 6) 
5) 6) 
5) 6) 

88 

: 
: 
16.337 w 
103.6 w 
0.1 iw 

: 
: 
19.844 w 
117.8 w 
0.2 iw 

: 
: 
19.674 w 
118.7 w 
0.2 iw 

: 
: 
19.744 w 
125.1 w 
0.0 iw 

: 
: 
20.926 w 
123.0 w 
0.1 iw 

: 
: 
19.898 w 
132.4 w 
0 iw 

1 527.5 w 

2 630.2 w 

2 733.8 w 

3 082.9 w 

3 445.8 w 

4 206.0 w 

2011 
3 736 w 
1 595 w 
- 2 141 iw 
100.2 iw 
44.2 iw 
42.1 iw 

2018 
4 886 w 
2 294 w 
- 2 592 iw 
99.4 iw 
65.9 iw 
48.4 iw 

2019 
5 222 w 
2 483 w 
- 2 739 iw 
98.8 iw 
64.1 iw 
48.5 iw 

2020 
4 732 w 
2 160 w 
- 2 572 iw 
113.5 iw 
66.4 iw 
45.6 iw 

2021 
6 085 w 
2 670 w 
- 3 415 iw 
110.4 iw 
61.0 iw 
43.8 iw 

2022 
8 788 w 
4 114 w 
- 4 673 iw 
105.4 iw 
58.4 iw 
47.4 iw 

9.0 p 
: 
: 

2022 
53.7 w 

2011 
0.0 

11.0 
66.9 
75.0 

2018 
-  0.9 e 

2019 
-  1.6 e 

2020 
-  3.8 ep 

2021 
: 

2022 
-  3.6 ep 

: 
: 
: 

: 
: 
: 

8.7 
: 
: 

: 
: 
: 

2011 
51.5 w 

2018 
54.9 w 

2019 
52.9 bw 

2020 
51.1 w 

2021 
52.8 w 

48.1 w 

53.3 w 

50.2 bw 

49.1 w 

51.1 w 

52.1 w 

49.8 w 

55.9 w 

53.9 bw 

53.1 w 

55.6 w 

55.8 w 

46.6 w 

50.9 w 

46.8 bw 

45.5 w 

46.9 w 

48.7 w 

40.9 w 

48.5 w 

40.5 bw 

40.5 w 

42.6 w 

44.1 w 

27.5 w 
13.1 w 
5.7 w 
53.7 w 
27.8 w 

39.3 w 
11.0 w 
4.6 w 
45.1 w 
23.9 w 

21.0 bw 
14.7 bw 
7.0 bw 
57.3 bw 
29.4 bw 

21.1 w 
14.6 w 
7.2 w 
57.1 w 
29.6 w 

21.5 w 
14.4 w 
7.7 w 
56.4 w 
28.6 w 

20.8 w 
14.8 w 
7.7 w 
56.7 w 
28.8 w 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
People employed in the private sector as a share of total employment, persons aged 20–64 
(%) 
Unemployment rate: proportion of the labour force that is unemployed (%) 
Male unemployment rate (%) 
Female unemployment rate (%) 
Youth unemployment rate: proportion of the labour force aged 15–24 that is unemployed (%) 
Long-term unemployment rate: proportion of the labour force that has been unemployed for 
12 months or more (%) 
Unemployment rate for persons (aged 25–64) having completed at most lower secondary 
education (ISCED levels 0-2) (%) 
Unemployment rate for persons (aged 25–64) having completed tertiary education (ISCED 
levels 5-8) (%) 

Social cohesion 
Average nominal monthly wages and salaries (national currency) 
Index of real wages and salaries (index of nominal wages and salaries divided by the 
inflation index) (2016 = 100) 
GINI coefficient 
Poverty gap 
*Early leavers from education and training: proportion of the population aged 18–24 with at 
most lower secondary education who are not in further education or training (%) 

Standard of living 
Number of passenger cars relative to population size (number per thousand population) 
Number of mobile phone subscriptions relative to population size (number per thousand 
population) 
Mobile broadband penetration (per 100 inhabitants) 
Fixed broadband penetration (per 100 inhabitants) 

Infrastructure 
Density of railway network (lines in operation per thousand km²) 

Length of motorways (kilometres) 

Education, innovation and research 
Public expenditure on education relative to GDP (%) 
*Gross domestic expenditure on R&D relative to GDP (%) 
Government budget appropriations or outlays on R&D (GBAORD), as a percentage of GDP 
(%) 
Percentage of households who have internet access at home (%) 

5) 6) 
13) 
5) 6) 
5) 6) 
5) 6) 
5) 6) 
5) 6) 

Note 
14) 

5) 

Note 

Note 
1) 2) 
3) 
15) 

Note 
4) 
4) 

5) 6) 

5.9 w 

5) 6) 

4.8 w 

72.2 w 

76.1 w 

70.6 bw 

70.4 w 

71.4 w 

71.2 w 

6.7 w 
7.7 w 
5.6 w 
14.9 w 
2.2 w 

2011 
3 042 bw 
: 

34 w 
23.7 w 
22.4 w 

2.9 w 
3.5 w 
2.4 w 
7.1 w 
0.8 w 

2.8 w 

2.9 w 

2018 
6 268 w 
114 w 

34 w 
19.7 w 
21.1 w 

5.1 bw 
5.8 bw 
4.4 bw 
10.4 bw 
0.9 bw 

8.5 bw 

2.5 bw 

2019 
7 234 w 
126 w 

34 bw 
17.4 bw 
19.0 bw 

3.8 w 
4.3 w 
3.3 w 
10.9 w 
0.7 w 

5.8 w 

2.0 w 

2020 
7 943 w 
133 w 

35 w 
26.3 w 
16.9 w 

3.2 w 
3.9 w 
2.5 w 
9.2 w 
0.8 w 

4.2 w 

1.7 w 

2021 
8 980 w 
143 w 

36 w 
26.1 w 
19.6 w 

3.1 w 
3.6 w 
2.6 w 
10.7 w 
0.7 w 

3.8 w 

1.7 w 

2022 
10 447 w 
129 w 

35 w 
21.4 w 
21.5 w 

2011 
120.0 
1 043.4 w 

2018 
230.0 e 
1 656.4 w 

2019 
246.0 e 
1 678.7 w 

2020 
261.0 p 
1 564.0 w 

2021 
275.0 e 
1 834.7 w 

2022 
297.0 ep 
2 040.4 w 

: 
: 

2011 
34.2 iw 

80.8 w 
23 w 

2018 
34.0 iw 

90.1 w 
25 w 

2019 
34.0 iw 

90.3 w 
27 w 

2020 
34.0 iw 

104.8 w 
30 w 

117.7 w 
32 w 

2021 
34.0 iw 

2022 
: 

: 

: 

: 

0 

0 

0 

2011 
7.0 iw 
0.34 iw 
: 

2018 
5.6 iw 
0.26 iw 
: 

2019 
: 
0.24 iw 
: 

2020 
: 
0.24 iw 
: 

2021 
: 
0.23 iw 
: 

2022 
: 
0.23 iw 
: 

24.8 w 

54.2 w 

60.8 bw 

64.6 w 

66.8 w 

67.5 w 

Environment 

Note 

2011 

2018 

2019 

2020 

2021 

2022 

89 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
*Index of greenhouse gas emissions,  CO2 equivalent (1990 = 100) 
Energy intensity of the economy (kg of oil equivalent per 1 000 euro GDP at 2015 constant 
prices) 
Electricity generated from renewable sources relative to gross electricity consumption (%) 
Road share of inland freight transport (based on tonne-km) (%) 

Energy 
Primary production of all energy products (thousand TOE) 
Primary production of crude oil (thousand TOE) 
Primary production of solid fuels (thousand TOE) 
Primary production of gas (thousand TOE) 
Net imports of all energy products (thousand TOE) 
Gross inland energy consumption (thousand TOE) 
Gross electricity generation (GWh) 

Agriculture 
Agricultural production volume index of goods and services (at producer prices) (2015 = 100) 
Utilised agricultural area (thousand hectares) 
Livestock numbers: live bovine animals (thousand heads, end of period) 
Livestock numbers: live swine (thousand heads, end of period) 
Livestock numbers: live sheep and live goats (thousand heads, end of period) 
Raw milk available on farms (thousand tonnes) 

Harvested crop production: cereals (including rice) (thousand tonnes) 
Harvested crop production: sugar beet (thousand tonnes) 
Harvested crop production: vegetables (thousand tonnes) 

Source: Eurostat and/or the statistical authorities in Moldova 

30.3 ew 
: 

30.7 ew 
: 

30.5 ew 
: 

30.5 ew 
: 

32.3 ew 
: 

1.8 
: 

2011 
556 
13 
0 
0 
2 045 i 
2 585 
1 016 

2011 
83.2 w 
: 
203.9 w 
438.6 w 
832.4 iw 
560.0 w 

2.6 
: 

2018 
798 
5 
0 
0 
2 219 i 
2 988 
954 

2018 
120.0 w 
: 
144.8 w 
397.3 w 
768.7 iw 
411.7 w 

3.0 
: 

2019 
668 
5 
0 
0 
2 174 i 
2 840 
941 

2019 
127.2 w 
: 
123.7 w 
396.6 w 
676.3 iw 
367.3 w 

3.1 
: 

2020 
682 
5 
0 
0 
2 103 i 
2 715 
983 

2020 
110.5 w 
: 
108.9 w 
339.5 w 
616.4 iw 
321.7 w 

3.6 
: 

2021 
762 
5 
0 
0 
2 306 i 
3 009 
1 131 

2021 
178.1 w 
: 
104.1 w 
347.9 w 
573.7 iw 
295.3 w 

: 
: 

5.5 
: 

2022 
525 
5 
0 
0 
2 181 i 
2 692 
995 

2022 
150.9 w 
: 
102.4 w 
340.1 w 
558.7 iw 
270.5 w 

2 498.2 iw 
588.6 w 
361.6 w 

3 466.7 iw 
707.2 w 
283.3 w 

3 549.6 iw 
607.0 w 
307.2 w 

1 505.3 iw 
423.2 w 
226.8 w 

4 690.0 iw 
757.8 w 
232.0 w 

1 784.4 iw 
478.2 w 
257.0 w 

Note 

Note 
16) 

16) 
16) 
16) 
16) 
17) 
16) 
16) 
16) 

: = not available 
b = break in series 
d =  definition differs 
e = estimated value 
p = provisional 
i = Eurostat estimate 

w= data supplied by and under the responsibility of the national statistical authority and published on an "as is" basis and 
without any assurance as regards their quality and adherence to EU statistical methodology 
* = Europe 2020 indicator 
** = Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure (MIP) indicator 

90 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The data managed by the National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova does not include data from the 
Transnistrian region over which the government of the Republic of Moldova does not exercise control, unless otherwise 
indicated. 

Footnotes: 

Including data from the Transnistrian region. 
Including wetlands. 

1)  As of the end of the year. 
2) 
3) 
4)  Based on 2008 SNA. 
5)  From 2019 LFS is carried out on a new sampling plan and according to the revised definition of employment. 
6)  From 2014 data estimated using the usually resident population. 
7) 

In accordance with the Law no. 206 of July 7, 2006 'Regarding support of small and medium-sized enterprises', Small and 
medium-sized enterprises includes enterprises with less than 250 persons employed (annual average) and annual turnover 
of not more than 50 million Lei and with total assets (fixed assets and current assets) of not more than 50 million lei. 

8)  Consumer price inflation. 
9)  Based on 1993 SNA. 

10)  GDP according to SNA 2008. 
11)  Personal transfers. 
12)  Annual average nominal effective exchange rate (trade-weighted effective exchange rate) index (2015=100), 19 countries. 
13) 
14) 
15) 
16)  Without the data from the Transnistrian region. 
17) 

Including persons producing goods for own consumption. 
Includes units with 1 and more employee. 
Including data from the Transnistrian region. 

Includes cow, sheep and goat milk. 

91 

 
 
 
 
 
92