OSCE PA Special Representative on Fighting Corruption Irene Charalambides and Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Combating Corruption Anita Ramasastry meeting with parliamentarians, Chisinau. 21 November 2022CHISINAU, 22 November 2022 – Promoting good governance in Moldova was the focus of a two-day joint OSCE-OSCE PA visit to Chisinau this week. OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President and Special Representative on Fighting Corruption Irene Charalambides and Prof. Anita Ramasastry, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Combating Corruption, met on Monday and Tuesday with representatives of the international community, the Moldovan parliament and government, civil society and the business community to discuss Moldova’s anti-corruption efforts and areas for further improvement.
Today, Ramasastry and Charalambides participated in a stakeholder discussion on “Addressing Good Governance Challenges and Creating a Positive Investment Climate in Moldova” with the private sector, chambers of commerce, investment promotion agencies, other relevant actors in Moldova. In their remarks at the opening session, the two OSCE Special Representatives emphasized the importance of ensuring the implementation of best practices in promoting government policies to ease doing business, combat corruption, and strengthen co-operation and co-ordination. They also underlined the progress done by the Moldovan authorities in this regard so far.
“We are very grateful for the openness with which the Moldovan authorities are willing to discuss these difficult but vitally important issues,” Special Representative Charalambides said today. “Through engagement at the national and international levels, including through the active involvement of parliamentarians, civil society and the media, we can ensure that governments include the transparency requirements and corruption controls that are needed to establish a robust system of accountability.”
“Among the most important aspects of good economic governance are to ensure public access to information and transparency,” added Special Representative Ramasastry. “Moldova, like all OSCE countries, has committed to core anti-corruption principles, which provide a solid foundation on which to promote a sound business environment and political stability. To make this a reality, what is needed is sustained political will. The OSCE may play a crucial role in supporting these endeavors.”
Charalambides and Ramasastry were briefed by Ambassador Kelly Keiderling, Head of the Mission to Moldova, Pawel Wojtunik, EU High-Level Adviser on Anti-Corruption, and Satu Seppanen, EU High-Level Adviser on Justice and Prosecution Services. Meetings were held with representatives of the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Ministry of Justice, National Anti-Corruption Centre, and Members of Parliament. The delegation also held discussions with NGOs active in Moldova, including Transparency International, Centrul de Analiza si Prevenire a Corupției, Freedom House, Institute for War and Peace, ADEPT, Legal Resources Centre, and GIZ Project Team “Strengthen the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Mechanisms in the Republic of Moldova.”
Talks focused on the effectiveness of existing anti-corruption legislative and institutional frameworks, which should be fully implemented and properly funded. Interlocutors agreed that promoting transparency and ensuring accountability are key prerequisites also in establishing a favorable business and investment climate, which in turn will lead to greater development, political stability and security. The sides discussed persisting legal and operational challenges and how the OSCE can better support reform efforts in this context, with a special focus on good governance tools and digitalization. Interlocutors highlighted positive steps taken in this regard, as well as the need to keep the issue high on the national agenda and increase international co-operation on asset recovery.
The joint visit, the first of its kind in the context of preventing and fighting corruption, was initiated by the Polish OSCE Chairmanship and ran in parallel to a project organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities on promoting good governance and a positive business climate in the OSCE region through digitalization and the use of open data.
Addressing the challenges Moldova is facing, also as a country affected by Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Office of the Co-ordinator of the OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities developed or extended specific extra-budgetary projects related also to anti-corruption activities and promotion of good governance and transparency. Projects are already supported by several participating States with the U.S., Germany and Poland being among the donors.
For photos of the two-day visit to Chisinau, please click here.
For more information on the work of the OSCE PA Special Representative on Fighting Corruption, please click here.
For more information on the work of the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Combating Corruption, please click here.
