Moldovan foreign affairs minister meets Council of Europe official

Chisinau, 5 October /MOLDPRES/ - Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Nicu Popescu has received Director Office of the Directorate General of Programmes of the Council of Europe Verena Taylor. The officials referred to the priorities of assistance in the context of the Action Plan of the Council of Europe for Moldova in the period 2021-2024, the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry’s (MAEIE) press bureau has reported.  

„The justice reform and the combating of the high-level corruption are priority for the government and for these processes to be successful, the Council of Europe’s expertise, provided through the high-level ad-hoc working group, is essential,’’ Minister Nicu Popescu said.

Minister Nicu Popescu thanked director Verena Taylor for the personal contribution to the strengthening of the relations between Moldova and the Council of Europe, including for the contribution to the promotion of those three action plans of the Council of Europe, through which essential assistance and expertise was provided for the advancement of reforms and consolidation of the democratic institutions.    

At the same time, the minister welcomed the Council of Europe’s openness for extending the assistance sectors, such as culture, promotion of tourism and youth policies. 

Verena Taylor, which had a string of meetings with the main institutions beneficiaries of the present action plan, noted the Council’s determination to assist Moldova at each stage of the reform processes, especially in the justice sector and namely the implementation of the recommendations of the Venice Commission and GRECO, as well as implementation of the decisions by the European Court of Human Rights.    

The Council of Europe official congratulated Moldova for the ratification, in the first reading, of the Istanbul Convention, a document which will strengthen the policies of combating violence against women and the domestic violence. 

Note: The action plan between the Council of Europe and Moldova was worked out by the Council in partnership with national institutions and is adopted by the Committee of Ministers in late 2020.  The document was officially launched at a visit to Strasbourg by President Maia Sandu on 19 April 2021.  

Photo: MAEIE