It should be noted that GRECO is a key monitoring mechanism of the Council of Europe, assessing the extent to which countries are able not only to adopt laws, but also to enforce them.
The new report on Moldova sounds like a warning: despite formal progress, critical reforms are stalled and systemic vulnerabilities persist. GRECO took apart the 25 recommendations made to Moldova in the previous report and found that many of them remain relevant to this report.
Declarations without verification and controls without teeth
The main conclusion of the report is the gap between the legislation and its actual implementation. Moldova has implemented a number of norms, but their effectiveness remains questionable, the report said.
In particular, the previous report called on Chisinau to adopt clear integrity rules so that those in senior management positions undergo integrity checks as part of the hiring process to identify, prevent and manage potential and existing conflicts of interest. And also to develop rules defining criteria for the appointment of Secretaries of State and Secretaries of State of Government. Another call is to publicize the names, functions (duties), salaries and information on the support activities of presidential advisers, ministerial advisers and experts or consultants (advisers without a permanent contract).
In the new report, GRECO explicitly points out the weakness of control over the income of officials and states the formal implementation of previous recommendations.
“The system of verification of declarations of income and interests remains insufficiently effective and does not ensure full verification of the submitted data,” the report says.
In fact, we are talking about a key risk: an anti-corruption tool exists, but it does not work to the fullest extent.
Special attention is paid to conflicts of interest and lobbyism – areas where, according to experts, there is still a regulatory vacuum: “Regulation of interaction with lobbyists and third parties remains limited and fragmented.
The situation in law enforcement agencies is no less critical. GRECO notes the lack of systemic integrity control mechanisms: “Integrity checks are not regular and comprehensive”.
As a result, an effect of “institutional vulnerability” is created, when even formally independent structures remain exposed to corruption risks.
Recommendations: Accelerate reforms or lose credibility
GRECO’s conclusions use a restrained but unambiguous tone: progress is recognized, but it is not enough. The organization explicitly calls on the authorities to accelerate reforms and move from formal compliance to real enforcement.
Among the key demands:
– Strengthen control and verification of officials’ declarations;
– introduce transparent rules for lobbying activities;
– ensure regular integrity checks with the police;
– increase transparency in decision-making at the highest level.
Particular emphasis is placed on the practical application of the norms: “Further decisive measures are needed to ensure effective implementation of the recommendations in practice.”
In fact, GRECO points out the main risk for Moldova: imitation of reforms. Without real control and political will, even well-designed legislation will not be able to reduce corruption.
In the context of European integration, this is of strategic importance. The anti-corruption agenda remains one of the key criteria for evaluation of the country by the European institutions. And the current report clearly shows that Moldova is at a stage where further progress will depend not on new laws, but on the ability to ensure their real enforcement.
