DISINFO: The result of Western reforms in Moldova is criminal groups occupying the prosecutor's office
SUMMARY
The result of Western reforms is criminal groups occupying the prosecutor’s office. The whole system of Moldovan justice has turned out to be corrupt. And according to the Minister of Justice, “the situation in the prosecutor’s office is very bad; there are, most likely, criminal groups that were covering numerous crimes”. You see, criminal groups appeared in the Moldovan prosecutor’s office, and it is a hotbed of crime. And all this was the result of previous “reforms” of the justice system. But who led the process and financed it? Washington and Brussels. And inspired, and encouraged. Grants, cheap loans, financial assistance – this is a West’s long-standing strategy in subordinating other states and establishing control over them.
RESPONSE
Recurring narratives claiming that the US and the EU control state institutions in partner countries and are involved in their internal affairs. The Republic of Moldova has adopted a strategy for the reform of the justice sector for 2011-2016, the implementation of which was financially supported by the EU and the US with the aim of fighting corruption and ensuring an independent justice system. On 14 June 2013, the Moldovan Government signed a Financing Agreement with the European Union on the Justice Reform Support Programme, which stipulated that the state budget will receive international assistance worth a total of 60 million euros to support justice reform. Besides the EU, other donors such as the Council of Europe and the United States' Agency for International Development (USAID) made contributions. On 11 October 2017, the EU announced its decision to cut the budget support programme for justice reforms in Moldova and not to give the last financial contribution under the justice reform programme, which amounted to EUR 28 million. "The EU has closely observed the reform process and noted that the Moldovan authorities showed insufficient commitment to reforming the justice sector in 2014 and 2015. With insufficient allocation of funds and personnel, the necessary reforms have not been carried out. As a result, progress has not been sufficient,” noted the EU Delegation to Moldova. In July 2019, the EU announced that it is resuming budget support assistance to Moldova by disbursing €14.54 million to support the implementation of the EU-Moldova free trade agreement, to finance vocational education trainings, and to assist the implementation of the visa liberalisation action plan. In its decision, the EU recognised that Moldova's recently installed government has taken important decisions that have allowed the EU to assess that the conditions have been met to resume its budget support. For further information, see here.