Moldovan prime minister meets Council of Europe Secretary General

Chisinau, 30 May /MOLDPRES/ – Prime Minister Pavel Filip met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland today, paying a  visit to Moldova on the occasion of launching the Council of Europe Action Plan for Moldova for 2017-2020, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.

The prime minister appreciated the interest of the Council of Europe (CoE) in Moldova’s evolution, noting that the expertise provided by the CoE has been useful and indispensable in the efforts to advance internal reforms, democratization and consolidation of the European option of Moldova. Pavel Filip thanked the Council of Europe for its assistance and said that Moldova counted on maintaining it in the years to come. "The Republic of Moldova will support the activities planned by mutual agreement in order to achieve the objective of strengthening the cooperation between Moldova and the CoE in various domains and especially the improvement of citizens' quality of life," said Pavel Filip.

In this context, the Prime Minister welcomed the launch of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova for 2017-2020, which ensures the prioritization of the projects requiring CoE assistance, collaboration of the fields of cooperation with the European integration objectives of Moldova, and Linking support projects to national priorities in different areas.

Similarly, the head of the Cabinet stated that a goal of Moldova in co-operation with the CoE was also the conclusion of the monitoring procedure of Moldova by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. This priority is included in the Moldovan Government Program of Activity and in the Action Plan for 2016-2018.

The prime minister also referred to the ambitious reform agenda promoted by the Government, including the reform of the pension system, the central public administration and the judiciary. "The main objective of the Executive is to provide citizens with welfare. As to do this, we must ensure attractive conditions for economic agents and guarantee the rule of law. The Government's mission is to approve laws and decisions of quality and ensure their good implementation," said Pavel Filip. On it, the head of the Executive spoke about the establishment of the National Participation Committee, aiming to become a platform for continuous and efficient dialogue between authorities and civil society.

At his part, Council of Europe Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland said the organization he represented encouraged the Government's efforts to promote reforms, in particular in terms of strengthening the rule of law in the field of justice, fighting corruption, strengthening the press freedom, Confidence measures between the two banks of the Dniester.