EcoContact promotes environmental liability reform at EU-Moldova Civil Society Platform meeting

Representatives of EcoContact organization, Executive Director Iordanca-Rodica Iordanov and Programme Management Officer Irina Punga participated today in the 15th meeting of the EU–Moldova Civil Society Platform, held in Chișinău in a hybrid format.

EcoContact made a presentation during the thematic session Environmental liability – a new framework for the Republic of Moldova: prevention, remediation and financial mechanisms for environmental damages, alongside representatives from the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Finance, and the financial sector. The discussions focused on the need to transpose the "polluter pays" principle into national legislation through an efficient framework that would allow for the prevention and remediation of environmental damages.


"Environmental liability reform is an essential component of aligning the Republic of Moldova with the EU acquis. The involvement of civil society is crucial for ensuring the transparency and efficiency of these transformations," Iordanca-Rodica Iordanov said. The importance of the fundamental principles of Directive 2004/35/, such as preventive action at source, proportionality and the application of the damage significance criterion for triggering liability was pointed out," Iordanca-Rodica Iordanov said.


Irina Punga highlighted the provisions of the draft Law on Environmental Liability, adopted in the first reading in December 2024, which introduces the obligation for financial guarantees for the prevention and remediation of damages, based on a rigorous risk analysis. 


"It is necessary to integrate European best practices and create functional financing mechanisms to support the accountability of economic actors towards environmental impact," the expert noted.


The event was organized by the EU–Moldova Civil Society Platform, in partnership with European institutions and Moldovan authorities, aiming to facilitate dialogue between the European Union and civil society in the context of the Association Agreement implementation and the European integration process.

In addition to the topic of environmental liability, the meeting included sessions dedicated to: preparing for the opening of negotiations on Cluster 1 – Fundamentals, including the rule of law and justice reform; the economic growth plan of the Republic of Moldova in the context of European integration; the necessary steps for transposing the EU Directive 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages.

High-ranking officials, including Cristina Gerasimov, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, spoke at the opening of the meeting.