After last week the European Union (EU) warned Moldova over move to sack judges and urged the authorities in Kishinev not to lose sight of the long-term impact of their decisions, “including on the achievement of Moldova's aspiration”, the Council of Europe (CoE) followed.
On Monday, the organisations’ secretary general, Thorbjørn Jagland, also expressed concern about the recent developments in the country, including the amendments on the constitutional court, the electoral legislation, the functioning of the Government and the functioning of the law-enforcement structures.
According to Jagland, even though the recent changes affect the political system of the country, they have been amended without proper consultations and the way they have been enacted “risk undermining the independence and the balance of institutions.”
The CoE’s secretary general said that the most recent amendments affecting the Constitutional court are of particular concern, “as the proposed provisions seem to be in contradiction with the Moldovan Constitution, as well as with European standards on constitutional justice.”
Jagland called upon all political actors to “act in a responsible manner” because “the coherence and the credibility of the country's European path are at stake”.
A worrying new pattern of decision-making
According to the joint statement of EU’s High Representative Catherine Ashton and the Commissioner for Enlargement Štefan Füle, the amendment of the Law on the Constitutional Court, allowing removal of judges from the Constitutional Court if they do not have the "trust" of parliament, “follows a worrying new pattern of decision-making in Moldova, reflected also in other recent legislative moves, where the institutions of the state have been used in the interest of a few.”
The EU sees the measures as an obstacle to Moldova's further democratic development and stable rule of law.
