Robust Laws & Policies Country Snapshot: Moldova

Despite being one of Europe’s smallest, most geopolitically vulnerable, and least affluent nations, Moldova is steadily overcoming its vulnerabilities by implementing substantial regulatory and legal reforms to improve governance and rebuild public trust.

Moldova’s aspiration for closer integration with the European Union (EU) has been a significant catalyst for recent regulatory reforms to its justice system. While Moldova was granted official EU candidate status in June 2022, full accession is contingent on deep‑cutting structural reforms to align the country’s laws, policies, and practices with exacting EU standards. Led by President Maia Sandu, now in her second term of office, the government has redoubled efforts to combat corruption and organised crime.¹

Moldova has also worked to overcome long‑standing state capture and fraud committed by powerful oligarchs,² with a series of de‑oligarchisation institutional reforms to increase transparency and enhance the rule of law.³ In step with new anti‑corruption laws and policies, the country’s CGGI indicator for Ethical Leadership has also risen 25 places over the past five years (to 58th in 2025).

To further advance the rule of law, the government adopted a comprehensive strategy in 2021 to strengthen the legal system, with a focus on enhancing access to justice, improving the efficiency of courts, and raising the professionalism of legal practitioners.⁴ Judicial reforms included laws aimed at restructuring the judiciary and ensuring that judges are selected based on merit rather than political affiliations.⁵ A new judicial map has been drawn up to improve the network of courts in the country and deliver better access to justice.⁶

The implementation of the Public Procurement Law, aimed at improving transparency in procurement processes, has led to greater accountability and reduced opportunities for corruption. Further progress was made in 2023 with the introduction of amended legislation for procurement in the energy, water, transport, and postal services, a National Programme for Development of the Public Procurement System, and an expanded mandate for the Public Procurement Agency.⁷

Moldova’s regulatory governance has significantly improved since 2019 with a new Administrative Code that regulates the way public institutions and authorities work.⁸ The new streamlined legislation prioritises transparency, coherence, and accessibility, with all administrative procedure regulations consolidated into a single act.

In January 2024, a new Law on Access to Information of Public Interest (LAIPI) came into force, requiring the government to be proactively transparent with information to the public and ensuring citizens have greater access to information held by public authorities.⁹ The new legislation even requires courts handling appeals of acts of information providers to impose financial sanctions on authorities that violate citizens’ rights of access to information.¹⁰

Endnotes

1. The Economist. (10 May 2023). Russia’s efforts to destabilise Moldova will fail, says its president. https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2023/05/10/russias-efforts-to-destabilise-moldova-will-fail-says-its-president
2. The Associated Press. (14 April 2023). Oligarch sentenced for role in stealing $1B from Moldovan banks. https://apnews.com/article/moldova-oligarchilan-shor-bank-fraud-chisinau-israel-maia-sandue7c9639f354f27c4975030f7b40629be
3. National Commission for European Integration. (26 May 2023). Plan of measures to limit the excessive influence of private interests on economic, political and public life (deoligarization). https://presedinte.md/app/webroot/uploaded/plan_CNIE_en_08.06.2023.pdf
4. Center for International Legal Cooperation (CILC). (5 February 2025). Vetting and Justice Reform in the Republic of Moldova. https://www.cilc.nl/projects/vetting-and-justice-reform-in-the-republic-of-moldova/
5. Center for International Legal Cooperation. (5 February 2025). Vetting and Justice Reform in the Republic of Moldova. https://www.cilc.nl/projects/vetting-and-justice-reform-in-the-republic-of-moldova/
6. Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE). (16 February 2024). #Justice4Moldova Policy Dialogue – Revision of the Judicial Map. https://ipre.md/2024/02/16/dialog-de-politici-justice4moldova-revizuirea-hartii-judiciare/?lang=en
7. European Commission. (30 October 2024). Republic of Moldova 2024 Report. https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/2024/Moldova%20Report%202024.pdf
8. Internationale rechtliche Zusammenarbeit der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (IRZ). (14 November 2024). IRZ supports the Republic of Moldova in applying the Administrative Code. https://www.irz.de/index.php/en/partner-states/moldova/4234-irz-supports-the-republic-ofmoldova-in-applying-the-administrative-code
9. Open Government Partnership. (n.d.) Republic of Moldova: Implementation of Access to Information Law (MD0075). https://www.opengovpartnership.org/members/republic-of-moldova/commitments/MD0075/
10. OECD SIGMA. (24 October 2023). Public administration in the Republic of Moldova: Assessment against the Principles of Public Administration. https://doi.org/10.1787/0bbe9e93-en