The inaugural meeting of the Advisory Council under the Government Agent of the Republic of Moldova took place in collaboration with the Council of Europe on 23-24 November 2023, in Strasbourg, France.

The meeting brought together members of the Advisory Council, which included relevant national authorities, representatives from civil society and academia. It served as a platform to tackle complex and systemic issues concerning the execution of several judgments of the European Court of Human Rights against the Republic of Moldova. The Department on Implementation of Human Rights, Justice, and Legal Co-operation Standards, along with the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights of the Council of Europe, facilitated the discussions.

In her opening remarks, the Minister of Justice, Ms Veronica Mihailov-Moraru, spoke about the recent regulatory changes that have allowed the launch of this dialogue platform. Through this platform, the expertise of representatives from national authorities, academia, and civil society can be harnessed.

“This discussion platform will contribute to strengthening the state’s capacities to promote and respect human rights. I encourage you to contribute and make use of your expertise within this Advisory Council. We have a real opportunity to further consolidate our representation before the European Court and to streamline the process of executing the judgments and decisions of the European Court of Human Rights,” Minister Mihailov-Moraru mentioned.

“The purpose of the Advisory Council is of great importance — to ensure the effective representation of the Republic of Moldova before the European Court of Human Rights and the execution of its judgments against the Republic of Moldova. The proper execution of judgments of the European Court’s is the cornerstone of the European mechanism for the protection of human rights”, underlined Mr Frederic Dolt, Head of Department on Implementation of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation Standards, Council of Europe.

Mr Pavlo Pushkar, Head of Division at the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, noted that the Advisory Council should be endowed with the necessary powers and authority to acquire relevant information. It should liaise with persons or bodies responsible at the national level for deciding on the measures necessary to execute the judgment. If necessary, it should also have the capacity to take or initiate relevant measures to expedite the execution process.

The Advisory Council members examined several Moldovan cases, both under standard and enhanced procedure. They discussed perspectives on individual and general measures to be implemented at the national level following the judgments of the European Court in each instance.

The meeting was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe Project “Strengthening the human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova”, which is part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova for 2021-2024.