The High Council of Prosecutors decided to issue a negative opinion on the bill in its current form and demanded that it be revised. The High Council argues that the reform fails to take into account the constitutional status of prosecutors and the specific risks of the profession. In addition, the Council noted that the draft does not contain a separate impact assessment for the prosecutor’s office, does not address the issue of recruiting personnel, and does not provide clear guarantees that the current level of income for prosecutors, as well as for employees of the prosecutor’s office and the Supreme Council of Prosecutors, will be maintained. The Council points out that inadequate compensation will reduce the attractiveness of the profession and lead to a brain drain from the system.
The High Council of the Magistracy supports the need for reform in the public sector to attract personnel to the courts, but points out that the current draft does not sufficiently clarify the impact on salaries in the context of reduced coefficients and uncertainty surrounding the base rate.
The HMC notes that judges’ salaries in the Republic of Moldova are significantly lower than the European average, and calls for maintaining existing salary guarantees, clearly establishing the base rate, including court staff in the bonus schemes, and conducting an impact analysis of the reform. Both conclusions will be sent to the Ministry of Finance.
As a reminder, a new pay scale will be introduced in the public sector starting September 1, 2026. According to the plan for the phased implementation of the reform, the number of base rates will be reduced to four by 2032, and a transition to a single base rate is planned for 2034. Authorities assure that this measure will not result in a loss of income for employees and that the majority of the approximately 170,000 public sector workers will receive a salary increase ranging from 10 to 30 percent.
