#JusticeForMoldova: Alternative Monitoring Report No. 2 on the Implementation of the Strategy for Ensuring the Independence and Integrity of the Justice Sector for 2022–2025

The Strategy for Ensuring the Independence and Integrity of the Justice Sector for 2022–2025, adopted through Law No. 211/2021, represented the main public policy framework for justice reform in the Republic of Moldova. The document aimed to strengthen an independent, efficient, accessible, and accountable judicial system, while the Strategy’s monitoring framework encouraged the development of alternative monitoring reports by civil society organizations.

In this context, the Justice Expert Group (JEG), in cooperation with the #JusticeForMoldova experts of the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE), prepared Alternative Monitoring Report No. 2 on the implementation of the Strategy covering the entire 2022–2025 period. The report was presented today, 20 May 2026, during the #JUSTICEFORMOLDOVA 2.0 Forum.

The report assesses both the progress achieved and the constraints encountered in implementing the Strategy, using a quantitative and qualitative methodology based on the analysis of actions envisaged in the Strategy’s Action Plan.

According to the report’s findings, out of the total 156 actions planned for the implementation of the Strategy, 47 actions (30.1%) were completed without deficiencies, 23 (14.7%) were completed with minor deficiencies, 34 (21.8%) were completed with substantial deficiencies, 24 (15.4%) were initiated, while 28 (17.9%) remained uninitiated or unimplemented.

The authors emphasize that these results should be interpreted in the context of the major changes in the Republic of Moldova’s relationship with the European Union, including obtaining EU candidate status and the launch of the bilateral screening process. These developments generated new priorities and reshaped the justice reform agenda.

Regarding Strategic Direction I – “Independence, Accountability, and Integrity of Justice Sector Actors”, the report notes significant progress at both the legislative and institutional levels. New mechanisms for the selection, evaluation, and promotion of judges and prosecutors were established, the Superior Council of Magistracy and the Superior Council of Prosecutors became operational in their new composition, while external evaluation mechanisms (vetting and pre-vetting) contributed to strengthening institutional independence and increasing accountability within the system.

At the same time, the report highlights major constraints, including systemic delays in adopting secondary legislation, the slow pace of external evaluation procedures, and shortages of human resources, particularly within the Supreme Court of Justice and the courts of appeal. The report also notes persistent gaps in the functioning of integrity mechanisms, the lack of effective mechanisms for reporting ex parte communications, and the insufficient number of independent evaluations of implemented reforms.

Under Strategic Direction II – “Access to Justice and the Quality of Justice”, the report identifies progress in strengthening the legal framework for the protection of vulnerable groups, expanding state-guaranteed legal aid mechanisms, and modernizing judicial procedures, including through the use of videoconferencing and the development of probation mechanisms.

At the same time, the authors draw attention to several structural constraints, such as the absence of a functional compensation mechanism for victims of crime, delays in the reform of the enforcement of court judgments, and the lack of effective operational tools for harmonizing judicial practice. The report also finds that the digitalization of access to justice remains fragmented, while the assessment of the impact of professional training on judicial practice remains insufficient.

With regard to Strategic Direction III – “Efficient and Modern Administration of the Justice Sector”, the report highlights important progress in the reform of the judicial map and the Prosecutor’s Office, as well as in the development of the digital judicial ecosystem. Key achievements include the reduction in the number of territorial prosecutor’s offices, the establishment of the Justice and Judicial Administration Digitalization Agency, strengthened interoperability of judicial IT systems, and the launch of the JUSTAT judicial statistics platform.

Nevertheless, the report points to the persistent staffing crisis in courts and prosecutor’s offices, delays in infrastructure investments, and the failure to finalize several information systems essential for e-justice. The authors also signal that the continued use of the Russian software TrueConf for videoconferencing raises security concerns, while the e-Case judicial system continues to operate under an extended pilot phase.

The report also formulates a number of priorities for the future public policy framework in the justice sector. These include strengthening independent reform evaluation mechanisms, accelerating the appointment of judges and prosecutors to vacant positions, developing functional integrity mechanisms, standardizing judicial practices, and elaborating a coherent strategy for human resources and the digitalization of the justice system.

The full version of Alternative Monitoring Report No. 2 on the implementation of the Strategy for Ensuring the Independence and Integrity of the Justice Sector for 2022–2025 is available here.

You may also consult the key findings of the Report on the interactive webpage available here.

For more details, you can watch the video recording of the report presentation event here.

The event was organized within the framework of the project “Ensuring the Integrity, Efficiency and Independence of Moldova’s Justice System – #Justice4Moldova”, implemented by the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE), in consortium with the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), with the financial support of the European Union and co-financed by Soros Foundation Moldova.