In 2024, there were slight improvements in the environment for the work of civil society organizations in the Republic of Moldova, but the overall situation did not change significantly. The most important improvements were in the area of the right to participate in decision-making with changes in legislation and practice. There were also positive developments in the legislation on cooperation between the state and CSOs and in the area of digital rights. The area of freedom of assembly has benefited from the end of the state of emergency and the lifting of previously imposed restrictions, but in practice it has been confronted with interventions by law enforcement forces in a number of peaceful assemblies without clear justification. These are the general conclusions of the CSO Meter 2024 Country Report, presented on Monday by the Promo-LEX Association at a public event, IPN reports.
The report's author and Promo-LEX expert Florin Gisca noted that most positive changes in the work of civil society organizations - more than 13,000 in number - were the result of the opening of public institutions and the effort to align with EU standards. "Although progress has been made, it has been slow and has produced few perceptible improvements for CSOs. CSOs in Moldova continue to face difficulties in terms of practical participation in decision-making processes, de facto cooperation with the state, access to alternative sources of funding, insufficient protection of privacy and ensuring the protection of digital rights", said Florin Gisca.
Mate Csicsai, Head of the Policy, Press and Information Section of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, Mate Csicsai, noted that the CSO Meter is a useful tool that shows how the CSOs' environment of activity works and indicates clear recommendations for improvement. "Overall, we find that CSOs in Moldova operate in a generally favorable environment. However, a greater effort is needed to increase the participation of CSOs in decision-making at all levels", Mate Csicsai said.
The report's recommendations for improving the CSO environment focus on the need for authorities to facilitate access to alternative sources of funding, including by increasing tax benefits for philanthropic donations and sponsorships, contracting out social services, improving the social entrepreneurship framework and expanding the coverage of the percentage designation mechanism. Likewise, it is recommended to improve transparency and practical participation of CSOs in decision making, adoption and implementation of nonviolent, non-invasive and dialog-based operational procedures for peaceful assemblies, including for critical and anti-government assemblies.
Among the recommended actions are the finalization and implementation of the new State Register of Law Establishments, which will simplify the registration process for CSOs, including the development of the online registration procedure.
The CSO Meter report is an annual edition, reflecting key developments in the work of CSOs in Moldova, benchmarked against 32 international standards in the field. The document was prepared with the input of 40 representatives of civil society organizations and central public authorities within the framework of the Project "CSO Meter: Empowered for Action", with the financial support of the European Union. The preliminary version of the report can be accessed on the Promo-LEX website.
