Foreign Policy Association together with Friedrich­Ebert-Stiftung offer you a newsletter on foreign policy and European integration issues of the Republic of Moldova. The newsletter is part of the “Foreign Policy Dialogue” joint Project. NEWSLETTER MONTHLY BULLETIN OCTOBER 2021 NR.10(188) Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates NTheewnselewttselre-tutel resistedreevaelliozpaet ddebyMMădăădlăinlinNNeceșcușțuuț,ur,eeddaitcotor-rc-ocooordrdinoantaotror TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. Sergiu Litvinenco, Minister of Justice: “The resilience of the justice system is fierce, but we are prepared, and we have both the patience and the determination to go all the way” 2. Cornelia Cozonac, Director of CIJM: “Courageous people and people of integrity will make the difference in the justice reform and the fight against corruption” 3. Victoria Sănduță, Judge and founder of the“Voice of Justice” Association”: “We have“old-fashioned” judges in the SCM, with lots of life and work experience, but unfortunately, they come from the Soviet era” 4. Nadejda Hriptievschi, Founder and Director of the Justice and Human Rights Programme at the Center for Legal Resources of Moldova: “Justice reform, between challenges and absolutely necessary measures” Știri pe scurt: The Minister of Justice, Sergiu Litvinenco, declared on September 28, at the 6th meeting of the European Union- Republic of Moldova Association Council, held in Brussels, that the judicial reforms have already been launched by the current government. The official referred to the amendment of the Constitution to strengthen the independence of the judiciary, the adoption of the law strengthening the capacities of the National Integrity Authority in the field of verification of assets of the civil servants and the possibility of confiscation of the assets that cannot be justified. “We have started the work on the reform of external and extraordinary evaluation of judges and prosecutors, the so-called vetting. We have developed a concept and sent it to all development partners. The essence of the reform is that judges and prosecutors will be evaluated in terms of integrity by external commissions, including foreign experts, and all those who cannot justify their assets will be excluded from the system,” Litvinenco said. He added that the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Moldova also needs a profound reform. Republic of Moldova face to face with the justice system reform The Republic of Moldova and Gazprom reached an agreement on October 29 on the extension of the gas supply contract by five years. The delegations of the two parties, which had a meeting in St. Petersburg, agreed on the price formula, the audit of the debt of the Moldova-Gaz in 2022 and the need for further negotiations to establish a payment schedule, announced the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development of the Republic of Moldova. The gas price paid by Chisinau to Gazprom in November will rise to$450 per thousand cubic meters, while in December a price of less than$400 is expected. The Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, Andrei Spinu, announced that he cannot reveal the calculation formula, because it is a commercial secret. In October, the Republic of Moldova received gas on the basis of a one-month extension of the contract with Gazprom, in insufficient volume. The volume difference was purchased during that period on the spot market, through the Energocom company, at market prices. The President of the Republic of Moldova was in Paris on November 10 and 11, where she participated in the Peace Forum, an annual event organized under the auspices of the French President Emmanuel Macron, which brings together leaders of states, governments, entrepreneurs in various fields and activists from the whole world in a format of discussions on global topics.“I have attended the opening ceremony of the Peace Forum, along with President Macron, the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, and other heads of state and government. In the panel on women’s leadership, we have discussed the issue of gender equality and the problems facing women in politics. Despite the changes for the better in this regard in Moldova, there is still much to be done to reduce social and economic inequities in our country”, wrote Maia Sandu on Facebook. During the forum, Maia Sandu also had bilateral meetings with the President of Estonia, Alar Karis, and the President of Iceland, Guðni Jóhannesson. For three decades, the Republic of Moldova has been known for a weak justice system and endemic corruption that has put into the orbit of Eastern European countries with serious problems in this regard. Among the main factors that contributed to this state of affairs are the subordination of justice to the political factor, as well as the widespread corruption among the magistrates- judges and prosecutors- who even today cannot justify their large fortunes from these positions of civil servants in the poorest state in Europe. For the most part, the judiciary is still trapped in an old-fashioned mentality from the days of the Soviet Union, when the judiciary was just an executor of the state party and decisions came vertically top down. With the installation for the first time of a pro-European majority government and relatively young politicians with a different mentality, a new approach is expected in Chisinau. A more democratic one to be able to clean the justice system. However, this requires time, pragmatism and a lot of will to reform, both on the part of politics and the judiciary. Monthly newsletter, No.10(188), October 2021 111 Bucuresti St., Chisinau, MD-2012, Republic of Moldova, Tel.+373 855830 Website: fes-moldova.org. E-mail:fes@fes-moldova.org