81286478-Consultancy services for strengthening the rule of law and anti-corruption mechanisms in the Republic of Moldova

Context To facilitate the implementation of EU-Moldova Association Agreement, the Moldovan Government is keen to make combating and preventing corruption a priority. Doing so will contribute significantly to achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 16 ("Peace, justice and strong institutions"), in the context of Moldova"s national agenda. However, the state institutions responsible for anti-corruption are fragmented. They have been restructured multiple times, to the point that their competencies are no longer clearly defined. It is therefore vitally important to develop the capacities of Moldova"s prosecution and investigation authorities to combat corruption, which will also require strengthening of inter-institutional cooperation within the country. Furthermore, Moldova"s civil society is not strong enough to systematically tackle corruption and engage in its prevention. Public trust in the authorities has been on a continuous decline over the years, as evidenced by Transparency International. Objective The effectiveness of state and civil society measures to combat and prevent corruption in the Republic of Moldova is improved. Approach The project, which is co-financed by the European Union, adopts a holistic approach centred on three key measures: - Firstly, it raises public and civil society awareness of the consequences of corruption and of the fight against it. - It also promotes mechanisms designed to combat corruption by strengthening the competencies, accountability and transparency of anti-corruption agencies. In addition, it improves cooperation between institutions and facilitates closer dialogue with civil society. - The project also supports the Moldovan Government in implementing the National Integrity and Anti-corruption Strategy in at least three areas where the risk of corruption is high.