Author: Natalia Șeremet

Mai multe organizații ale societății civile își exprimă satisfacția în privința faptului că în Republica Moldova incertitudinea cu privire la legitimitatea Guvernului și a majorității parlamentare a luat sfârșit, iar transferul de putere a avut loc fără violență. Declarațiile noului Guvern privind fortificarea democrației, reformarea justiției și combaterea corupției sunt deosebit de încurajatoare și sperăm mult că acestea se vor materializa în reforme reale.

În ultimii ani, democrația din Republica Moldova a fost în declin. Acest fapt a fost resimțit pe deplin de către societatea civilă. Fosta guvernare a redus considerabil implicarea societății civile veritabile în procesul decizional, a încercat crearea unei societăți civile paralele, a sabotat eforturile noastre, a lansat atacuri împotriva ONG-urilor incomode și chiar a încercat să limiteze finanțarea externă a ONG-urilor. Scopul acestor acțiuni a fost discreditarea și scindarea organizațiilor societății civile. Noi sperăm că aceste practici sunt în trecut și că la astfel de acțiuni nu se va mai recurge niciodată.

Ne exprimăm speranța că noua majoritate parlamentară și noul Guvern vor intensifica colaborarea cu organizațiile societății civile. Considerăm că deținem un nivel de expertiză care trebuie să fie valorificat în interesul cetățenilor Republicii Moldova. Pe această cale, ne exprimăm deschiderea de a coopera cu autoritățile noi, în domeniile noastre de expertiză. De asemenea, vom monitoriza cu atenție politicile promovate de guvernare și vom reacționa, inclusiv public, la orice deviere de la angajamentele asumate și standardele democratice și de bună guvernare.

Organizațiile semnatare de asemenea speră că noua majoritate parlamentară și noul Guvern vor crea condițiile necesare pentru dezvoltarea societății civile din țară și vor facilita realizarea rolului ei în societate. În acest sens, îndemnăm noile autorități să întreprindă în principal următoarele:

1. asigurarea implementării eficiente a Strategiei de dezvoltare a societății civile 2018-2020;
2. sporirea transparenței procesului decizional, în special la nivelul Guvernului și Parlamentului, implicarea organizațiilor societății civile în elaborarea principalelor documentele de politici. Excluderea practicii defectuoase de adoptare a proiectelor de legi și altor acte normative, inclusiv modificarea acestora, fără asigurarea consultărilor publice cu toate părțile interesate;  
3. adoptarea în lectură finală a proiectului Legii cu privire la organizațiile necomerciale, în versiunea curentă (după prima lectură);
4. îmbunătățirea mecanismului 2% și a celui cu privire la filantropie și sponsorizare, în sensul înlăturării barierelor tehnice nerezonabile și încurajării contribuabililor să susțină sectorul neguvernamental;
5. asigurarea finanțării de stat existente a ONG-urilor în bază de transparență și condiții egale;
6. detalierea cadrului legal cu privire la antreprenoriatul social și cumpărarea serviciilor sociale;
7. clarificarea procedurii privind contractarea de către autoritățile publice a serviciilor prestate de ONG-uri;
8. investigarea obiectivă a atacurilor nefondate îndreptate împotriva organizațiilor societății civile, în vederea sancționării făptuitorilor și prevenirii unor fapte similare;
9. Încurajarea și susținerea ONG-urilor în vederea promovării și apărării valorilor democratice în regiunea transnistreană, precum și elaborarea unor mecanisme de protecție al apărătorilor drepturilor omului de pe ambele maluri ale Nistrului.

Apelul integral este disponibil aici. 

Organizațiile semnatare:

1. Amnesty International Moldova
2. Asociația de reabilitare a invalizilor din RM (ARIM)
3. A.O. Eco-Răzeni
4. Asociația Internațională a Păstrătorilor râului Nistru „Eco-Tiras”
5. Asociația Femeilor Profesioniste și de Afaceri din Moldova (BPW Moldova)
6. Asociația Obștească BIOS
7. Asociația pentru Guvernare Eficientă și Responsabilă (AGER)
8. Asociația Presei Independente (API)
9. Asociația Promo-LEX
10. Centrul de Analiză și Prevenire a Corupției (CAPC)
11. Centrul de Drept al Femeilor
12. Centrul de Informații GENDERDOC-M
13. Centrul de Instruire și Consultanță Organizațională (CICO)
14. Centrul pentru Jurnalism Independent (CJI)
15. Centrul de Investigații Jurnalistice (CIJ)
16. Centrul de Resurse Juridice din Moldova (CRJM)
17. Centrul International La Strada Moldova
18. Centrul pentru Politici și Analize în Sănătate (Centrul PAS)
19. Comunitatea Watchdog.md
20. Consiliul Național al Tineretului din Moldova (CNTM)
21. CPR Moldova
22. Expert-Grup
23. Fundația pentru Dezvoltare
24. Institutul de Politici Publice (IPP)
25. Institutul pentru Politici și Reforme Europene (IPRE)
26. Piligrim-Demo
27. REC Moldova
28. RCTV Memoria
29. Terra-1530
30. Uniunea Organizațiilor Invalizilor din Republica Moldova UOI RM
31. Coaliției Naționale „Viața fără Violență în Familie”

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) today expressed concern at recent developments in Moldova which are effectively paralyzing governance in the country.

During the past week, the Constitutional Court has ordered the dissolution of Parliament, suspended its functioning and invalidated its subsequent acts, including the appointment of a government and speaker, and has triggered the removal of the President.

The ICJ is particularly concerned at the excessively swift procedure through which the Constitutional Court reached its decisions to dissolve Parliament, remove a sitting President of the Republic and replace him with the Prime Minister. The ICJ calls attention to the unhelpful timing of the Constitutional Court ruling that was issued on the very day it identified as the end of the Parliamentary term, depriving Parliament of the clarity needed to exercise its powers.

These developments occur against the background of the manifest deficiencies in the institutional independence of the Moldova judiciary which were documented in a recent ICJ report.

In the report issued in March 2019, the ICJ highlighted the problematic appointment in 2018 of three judges of the Constitutional Court in circumstances that did not ensure a sufficient level of transparency, during an electoral campaign and without an open competition process. The report noted that the three appointed judges have previously been Prosecutor General, director of the intelligence service and chair of the legal committee of Parliament, part of the then ruling political majority.

The ICJ welcomes the announcement by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe that the Venice Commission has been asked to issue an urgent opinion on the constitutional crisis.

“The rule of law is the common ground on which constitutional conflicts must be solved”, said Massimo Frigo, Senior Legal Adviser of the Europe Programme of the ICJ. “We call on all institutions and parties in Moldova to seek a solution that squarely complies with the rule of law and the international law and standards to which Moldova has subscribed. In this regard, we urge all parties concerned to wait for the opinion by the Council of Europe Venice Commission in this matter and to reconsider the situation in light of its findings.”

Background

The Constitutional Court, in decisions issued on 7, 8 and 9 June 2019, held that Parliament should be dissolved for having been unable to establish a government within three months of the end of the previous Government’s term of office.

The decisions triggered the removal from office of the President of the Republic, Igor Dodon, for having refused to dissolve Parliament.  This led to the interim appointment of Pavel Filip, as acting President of the Republic.

The Court also declared unconstitutional and void any act issued by Parliament after 7 June.

Neither Parliament nor President Dodon have accepted the decisions of the Constitutional Court on their removal or on the validity of their acts, nor do they consider as legitimate the appointment of Pavel Filip as acting President.

Parliamentary factions constituting the current majority in Parliament had reached a deal to form a coalition government and appointed a speaker and Prime Minister.

According to the Constitutional Court’s interpretation of article 85 of the Constitution, these agreements failed to respect the three-month deadline.

Others have put forward different interpretations of when the deadline of the three months period to appoint a Government would elapse, and of the obligation of the President of the Republic to dissolve Parliament.

Article 85 of the Constitution states:

(1) In the event of impossibility to form the Government or in case of blocking up the pro­cedure of adopting the laws for a period of three months, the President of the Republic of Moldova, following consultations with parliamentary fractions, may dissolve the Parliament.

(2) The Parliament may be dissolved, if it has not accepted the vote of confidence for setting up of the new Government within 45 days following the first request and only upon declining at least two requests of investiture.

(3) The Parliament may be dissolved only once in the course of one year.

(4) The Parliament may not be dissolved within the last six months of the term of office of the President of the Republic of Moldova nor during a state of emergency, martial law or war.

See original press release here

La 11 iunie 2019, Curtea Europeană a Drepturilor Omului (CtEDO) a pronunțat hotărârea în cauza Ozdil și alții c. Moldovei (cererea nr. 42305/18). CtEDO a constatat că reținerea și „îndepărtarea” a 5 profesori turci de pe teritoriul Moldovei în Turcia a fost contrară art. 5 și art. 8 din Convenția Europeană a Drepturilor Omului.

Reclamanţii sunt profesori turci din rețeaua de școli „Orizont”. Autoritățile turce au acuzat școlile date de legătură cu mişcarea „Fetullah Gülen”, iar pe angajații acestora de terorism.

La 6 septembrie 2018, reclamanții au fost reținuți în casele lor sau pe drum spre muncă, urmare a unei operațiuni comune desfășurate de serviciile secrete moldovenești și turcești. În aceeași zi, reclamanții au fost îndepărtați din Moldova, cu un avion charter care i-a dus în Turcia. Serviciul de Informații și Securitate (SIS) a comunicat despre desfășurarea acestei operațiuni în vederea prevenirii amenințărilor la adresa securității naționale. Familiile reclamanților nu au cunoscut nimic despre soarta acestora timp de câteva săptămâni.

La 7 septembrie 2018, Biroul Migrație și Azil (BMA) a comunicat că reclamanții au îndeplinit cerințele legale de acordare a azilului în Republica Moldova. Cu toate acestea, cererile lor au fost respinse pe baza unei note primite de la SIS, potrivit căreia ei reprezentau amenințare la adresa securității naționale. Actele în cauză și hotărârile judecătorești au fost contestate la nivel național, dar fără succes, pe motiv că avocații nu au prezentat procurile semnate de persoanele îndepărtate din țară, ci de soțiile lor.

CtEDO a notat că reclamanţii anterior, în cererile de azil, şi-au exprimat frica de proceduri penale în Turcia. Totuși, autorităţile naționale, când i-au înlăturat din țară, nu doar că au omis să ofere reclamanţilor posibilitatea de a alege țara unde urmează a fi expulzaţi, dar în mod deliberat i-au transferat către autorităţile turceşti. Operațiunea a fost planificată din timp. Faptul că un avion charter îi aștepta pe reclamanți pe Aeroportul Chișinău confirmă aceasta. Faptele speţei au arătat că transferul a fost organizat în comun cu autoritățile turcești și în aşa o manieră încât să îi ia prin surprindere pe reclamanți și să nu le acorde timp și posibilitate de a se apăra.

La fel, CtEDO a notat că BMA a expediat deciziile sale familiilor reclamanților după scoaterea ultimilor din țară, deși era obligat să le înmâneze reclamanților. CtEDO a tratat cu precauție aceste decizii, având în vedere că, anterior, Directorul BMA declarase că BNA nu a fost implicată în înlăturarea reclamanților din țară. Reclamanţii au fost înlăturaţi printr-un transfer ilegal, care a omis toate garanţiile legale naţionale şi internaţionale. CtEDO a constatat că înlăturarea din țară nu a fost legală și nici lipsită de arbitrariu, contrar art. 5 CEDO.

CtEDO a mai notat că unii reclamanți locuiau în Moldova de peste 20 de ani, având soți sau copii cetățeni ai Republicii Moldova. Ei aveau dreptul de ședere, permis de muncă în Moldova și erau integrați în societatea moldovenească. Aceste elemente confirmă existența unei ingerințe în dreptul la viața privată, garantat de art. 8 CEDO. Având în vedere ilegalitatea îndepărtării din țară și lipsa unor remedii eficiente împotriva acesteia, această normă a fost violată.  

CtEDO a obligat Guvernul Republicii Moldova să plătească reclamanților în total 125,000 euro cu titlu de prejudiciu moral. Reclamanții au fost reprezentați la CtEDO de către avocatul moldovean Vitalie NAGACEVSCHI. 

Anterior mai multe organizații ale societății civile au emis un apel prin care au cerut autorităților naționale întoarcerea tuturor cetățenilor turci scoși ilegal din țară și tragerea la răspundere a persoanelor vinovate de aceste acțiuni.

Democratic standards significantly deteriorated in Moldova in the past three years. The June 2018 local elections in the capital of Chisinau, won by an opposition candidate from the political Block ACUM, were arbitrary annulled by judges. In November 2018, the European Parliament expressed its grave concern with backsliding in relation to democratic standards “resulting in the Republic of Moldova being a state captured by oligarchic interests with a concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a small group of people exerting their influence on parliament, the government, political parties, the state administration, the police, the judiciary and the media and leading to highly unsatisfactory implementation of legislation with little benefit for the citizens”.

Parliamentary elections took place on 24 February 2019. They were carried out based on a mixed electoral system changed in 2017 by the Democratic and Socialists Parties against a broad national consensus and against Venice Commission recommendations, favoring the two parties, and with unprecedented use of administrative resources favoring the ruling Democratic Party. The elections were considered fair and competitive by OSCE/ODIHR and recognized by local actors.

The Constitutional Court validated the results on 9 March 2019. The art. 85 para. 1 of the Constitution provides for a 3-month term for the Parliament to appoint the Government. The President of the country, after consulting the parliamentary groups,  is entitled to dissolve the Parliament if the 3-month term expired. According to the general legal rules and previous practices, 3 months would expire at the end of 3 calendar months from the event, in this case 9 June 2019. The Constitutional Court also highlighted that the scope of this constitutional provision is to avoid an institutional crisis or conflict between state powers (Judgement 30/2013, para. 73).  

Following February elections four major political actors entered the new Parliament, none with a sufficient number of mandates to form a governing coalition and appoint the Government: Party of Socialists (35 seats out of total 101), the Democratic Party (led by oligarch Plahotniuc, 30 seats), ACUM block (i.e. Now!) (led by Maia Sandu and Andrei Nastase, 26 seats), and the party of a convicted oligarch Shor (7 seats). The positions of three main actors seem irreconcilable: Socialists, represented by President Dodon, campaigned for closer relations with Russia and its Eurasian Union, ACUM campaigned against state capture by Plahotniuc and for closer relations with the EU, while the ruling Democrats were ready to form a unity government to preserve power at any cost. Almost three months of uncertainty and fruitless attempts to establish a functional alliance followed. A solution to avoid new elections was only negotiated and agreed upon after visits and mediation by envoys from the EU (Johannes Hahn), US (Brad Freden), and Russia (Dmitri Kozak).

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT DECISION OF 7 JUNE 2019, ARBITRARILY REDUCING THE TERM FOR INVESTING A GOVERNMENT

On Friday, 7 June, in the afternoon, when an agreement between the Socialists and ACUM became probable, the Constitutional Court, composed mostly of Democratic Party affiliates, declared that the deadline for forming a new government is midnight of 7 June. Though the art. 85 para. 1 of the Constitution provides a three-month timeline from the date of validation of election results (9 March) for forming a government, the judges interpreted that the deadline expires 90 days later (midnight 7 June), rather than on Sunday, 9 June. No clear reasoning was provided for this interpretation. The Court also instructed President Dodon to dissolve the parliament immediately.

CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT. COUP D'ETAT VS DISMANTLEMENT OF THE CAPTURED STATE

The Socialists and ACUM rejected the Court’s ruling and, in a last-ditch effort to resolve the post-electoral stalemate, convened the Parliament on Saturday, 8 June. The parties finalized and signed a “temporary political agreement for the de-oligarchization of Moldova.” That very same day, the newly formed majority of 61 MPs voted the Socialists’ leader Zinaida Grecianii as Speaker of the Parliament. Immediately after, the President of Moldova nominated Ms. Maia Sandu as Prime-minister candidate. In the same day, the Parliament voted for the new Government led by Maia Sandu. The Parliament also voted a declaration on Moldova being a captured state and voted for dismissal of the leadership of key state institutions.

The Parliaments’ decisions and the Presidential decree of nomination of the Prime-minister were immediately contested to the Constitutional Court by the outgoing ruling Democratic Party. In less than an hour, the Constitutional Court declared unconstitutional the Parliament’s decisions on election of its Speaker and appointment of the new Government, as well as the Decree of the President for nomination of the Prime-minister, pushing the country in an extremely volatile situation of duality of power, marked by uncertainty and risk of a clash between opposing political forces.

The Democratic Party accused President Dodon and the new government of coup d’état. On Sunday morning, 9 June, the Constitutional Court suspended President Dodon due to his refusal to dissolve the Parliament, and appointed the ruling prime minister Pavel Filip, the Deputy-President of the Democratic Party, as acting President, who immediately dissolved the Parliament and called for snap elections on 6 September.

DUALITY OF POWER

Moldova is now in a new stalemate. On the one hand, the Parliament continues to convene and voted for a set of anti-corruption reforms. On the other hand, Plahotniuc’s ruling government refuses to cede power, and its position is supported by the Constitutional Court. The Democrats organized protests in Chisinau on Sunday and their supporters have surrounded the key law enforcement agencies and the Government. Democratic Party also called for removal of President Dodon and early Presidential election. Plahotniuc’s media released compromising videos where President Dodon acknowledges receiving funding from Russians.

The Democratic Party protesters are preventing the new Government officials’ access to the main Government institutions. On 10 June, the Government led by Maia Sandu held its sitting in the Parliament’s building. The chief of police declared allegiance to the Democratic Party government. Several local authorities have declared their collaboration with the new Government.

The EU, US and Russian Ambassadors were present at the parliamentary session on Saturday, and supported the appointment of the new government. However, no foreign leader has formally congratulated Maia Sandu, instead their bland statements are calling for national dialogue.

The conflict between the two opposing parties will probably continue escalating in the following days. Clashes between opposing protesting crowds are very likely, as well as between newly-appointed officials and law enforcement. Officials at all levels will be declaring their fealty to either side, which could lead to further clashes at local levels.

The new Government’s primary aim is to take control of state institutions currently under full command of Plahotniuc, adopt swift anti-corruption and electoral reforms, and relaunch relations with the EU, IMF and World Bank. New parliamentary elections are expected to be called under a reformed electoral system.

The National Platform of the Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership, which includes 86 active NGOs, issued a declaration on 9 June, calling national and international actors to recognize thst developments in Moldova

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the recent political events in the Republic of Moldova;

CONSIDERING the judgments and decisions of the Constitutional Court of 7, 8 and 9 June 2019,  

CONSIDERING the Parliament’s decisions of 8 and 9 June 2019;

CONSIDERING the major differences between the parliamentary fractions of the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM) on the one hand, and the Socialists Party of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM), the Political Party Platform Dignity and Truth (PPDA) and the Party Action and Solidarity (PAS), the last two forming the Bloc ACUM, on the other hand;

QUALIFYING as necessary and positive the declarations of the political forces of the Republic of Moldova of 8 June 2019 on maintaining the public order;

POINTING OUT the  need for respecting by all political forces, as well as the Constitutional Court and the judicial system, of the legislation, the democratic principles and the rule of law;

UNDERLYING the role of the Constitutional Court as a guardian of the respect of the Constitution and its role to contribute to a proper functioning of the public authorities, separation of powers, checks and balances among these, resolution of political disputes and not their amplification;

RECALLING the Eastern Partnership membership status of the Republic of Moldova and the documents signed with development partners;

BEARING IN MIND the important role of the civil society from Moldova in consolidating the rule of law, sustainable social and economic development of the country, as well as the role of the National Platform of the Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership;

CONDEMNING the manifest deviations from the text and spirit of the Constitution and the procedure of the Constitutional Court in the recent days;

The National Platform of the Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership declares:

We are struck by the manner in which the Constitutional Court acted on 7, 8 and 9 June 2019. The Constitutional Court has interpreted the 3 month period from which the President of the country can dissolve the Parliament as being equal to 90 days, although any period expressed in months, according to the general legal rule, represents a calendar month. De facto, by this interpretation, the term during which the Parliament ca vote laws and appoint a Government, was reduced from 9 June to 7 June 2019. The decision of the Constitutional Court was issued at the end of the working day of 7 June 2019, which is, according to the Court, the day on which the term has expired. The Constitutional Court was requested  to decide on this matter back on 22 May 2019, as a matter of priority.

In addition, the Court has interpreted the right of the President of the country to dissolve the Parliament as an obligation, without analyzing if the other conditions imposed by the Constitution (consultation of parliamentary fractions) for dissolving the Parliament had been met. On 8 June 2019, the Constitutional Court issued two judgments declaring unconstitutional the Parliament’s decisions on electing the Parliament’s Speaker and nominating the Prime-Minister. The judgements were issued in less than an hour from the moment the Parliament’s decisions were adopted, which were not yet signed and published. No independent judge can annul an act/document without having seen it. Moreover, the judgments of the Constitutional Court of 8 June 2018 were adopted without hearings and without consultation of the authorities, requirements imposed by the Code of Constitutional Jurisdiction.

On 9 June 2019, at the PDM request from 8 June 2019, the Constitutional Court has suspended the President of the country Igor Dodon from his function, attributing the right to dissolve the Parliament to the ex-Prime Minister, the deputy-president of the PDM, Pavel Filip. This judgment was adopted before 10:30am, in the absence of the authorities and the authors of the request, in a hearing that lasted less than 5 minutes. The hearing was not announced in advance, no information was available about the submitted request. The Constitutional Court has suspended the activity of the President of the country, even if an official request to dissolve the Parliament had not been submitted. Previously, the President Igor Dodon has announced the convening of the parliamentary fractions for 10 June 2019 to discuss the dissolving the Parliament.

The Constitutional Court activity of 7, 8 and 9 June 2019 confirms that it has compromised its constitutional role, acting exclusively in the interest of one political party. 17 NGOs, have expressed their concern about the Constitutional Court in December 2018, when three persons (50% of the Court) affiliated to PDM were appointed in a non-transparent manner.

In this context, the National Platform of the Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership:

1. Encourages the Constitutional Court to urgently revise its decisions adopted on 7, 8 and 9 June 2019 and to return to legality. In order to reestablish the trust in the Constitutional Court and stabilize the situation in the country, we encourage all constitutional judges to resign;
2. Calls on all political forces in Moldova to respect the constitutional provisions and act using strictly legal instruments, without destabilizing the socio-political situation;
3. Requests the state institutions and all public officials to respect and act only according to the legal provisions and respect their legal attributions, not to allow interferences or any illegal meddling with their activity;
4. Calls on all citizens of the Republic of Moldova to act calmly, to renounce at hate speech and instigation of violence, while those willing to protest, to do so only peacefully;
5. Recognizes as legitimate the activity of the Republic of Moldova’s Parliament of 10^th legislature, including since 8 June 2019, which has a full mandate regarding the validation of the results of the next parliamentary elections;
6. Requests all public central and local authorities’ leaders, public officials and state employees to recognize the legitimacy of the Parliament of 10^th legislature, of the Government sworn in on 8 June 2019 and collaborate with the authorities legally constituted of the Republic of Moldova for ensuring good governance, deescalating the situation and respecting the will of the people expressed at parliamentary elections of 24 February 2019;
7. Requests the international development partners of Moldova to recognize the legitimacy of the Parliament of 10^th legislature, of the Government sworn in on 8 June 2019 and collaborate with the authorities legally constituted of the Republic of Moldova for reestablishing the political dialogue, deescalating the situation and respecting the will of the people of Moldova expressed at parliamentary elections of 24 February 2019.

Romanian version of the declaration can be downloaded here

English version of the declaration can be downloaded here 

The National Platform of the Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership includes 86 active NGOs from the Republic of Moldova, from areas like good governance, human rights, economic development, environment, energy, youth and social policies, syndicates and employers’ unions etc.

***

The statements of international development partners of Moldova on the political situation in the Republic of Moldova

• European Union

(08/06/2019)  "Following the decisions taken by the Parliament and in light of the ensuing developments, the European Union calls for calm and restraint. Democratically elected representatives must find the way forward for the Republic of Moldova through dialogue."

Statement available here

(09/06/2019)  „The European Union takes good note of the decisions taken yesterday by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, including on the formation of the government coalition. The European Union stands ready to work with the democratically legitimate government, on the basis of a mutual commitment to reforms and to the core principles enshrined in our Association Agreement. The respect for the rule of law and democracy should remain the pillars of our relations. This is also foremost what the citizens of the Republic of Moldova expect and deserve.In light of the developments following the decisions taken yesterday by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, the European Union strongly reiterates its call for calm and restraint. Dialogue between democratically elected representatives must remain the key to finding a solution to the current political crisis.”

Statement available here

• U.S. Embassy Moldova

(09/06/2019)  "The United States calls on all Moldovan parties to show restraint and to agree on a path forward through political dialogue. The February 24 parliamentary elections were competitive and respected fundamental rights. The will of the Moldovan people as expressed in those elections must be respected without interference. Ensuring a prosperous and democratic future for Moldova and its citizens is a shared goal the United States will continue to support."

Statement available here

• Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General

(09/06/2019)  "I am extremely concerned by the latest developments in Moldova. I call on the democratically elected Parliament, the legitimate Government and all political forces to act with restraint and responsibility. Recent decisions of the Constitutional Court are difficult to understand and seem to be arbitrary in the light of the text of the Constitution and of international rule of law standards. In a democratic state everybody must respect the Constitution, in case of uncertainty a good objective advice is always needed. Therefore I decided today in my capacity of Secretary General to request an urgent opinion of the Venice Commission on the latest decisions, including on the conditions of dissolution of the Moldovan Parliament.”

Statement available here 

• NATO

(09/06/2019)"NATO is following with concern the political crisis in the Republic of Moldova. We call on all political forces in the country to exercise calm and restraint, and to resolve their differences through dialogue, in full respect of the rule of law."

Statement available here

• OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Miroslav Lajčák

(09/06/2019)  "The OSCE Chairmanship is following the political crisis in the Republic of Moldova with great concern. The citizens of the Republic of Moldova need a political solution to the current crisis and stability to ensure the European path of the country.”

Statement available here

• President of Romania, Claus Iohannis

(09/06/2019)  "Romania, as a state holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and firmly supporting the European path of the Republic of Moldova, appeals to all political forces to respect the democratic process and the will of the citizens expressed through the vote in the elections in February 2019. The citizens of the Republic of Moldova need a politically negotiated solution that will ensure their prosperity, continue reforms and strengthen the pro-European path. "

Statement available here 

• Russian Embassy in the Republic of Moldova

(08/06/2019)  "We support the efforts of the parliamentary parties to form a functioning coalition and to create a government able to ensure sustainable civil peace and sustainable development of the Republic of Moldova in accordance with established democratic norms."

Statement available here  

(10/06/2019)   "Moscow welcomes the formation of a ruling coalition and government in the Republic of Moldova. We are focused on working together with the democratically elected authorities of Moldova to restore mutually beneficial Russian-Moldovan relations in various fields in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation of 2001."

Statement available here 

• Canadian Embassy in the Republic of Moldova

(09/06/2019)  "We encourage all political parties and institutions in Moldova to engage in dialogue to resolve the current impasse. Any resolution should follow international democratic standards, the rule of law, and reflect the democratic will of the Moldovan people.”

Statement available here

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

(09/06/2019)  "We invite the political forces in power in the Republic of Moldova to act according to the legal framework, to resolve the disputes through the political dialogue, in order to avoid a power struggle. Important for the country and security in the region is the prevention of external interference aimed at implementing the Russian federalization scenario of the country."

Statement available here 

• Joint declaration of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland and Sweden

  (10/06/2019) "France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland and Sweden have noted with close attention the recent developments in the Republic of Moldova. Following the Parliamentary elections, a democratically elected Parliamentary majority has taken important decisions including the formation of a government. In the current constitutional crisis, we see and support the Parliament of Moldova, as the representative of the people of Moldova, and as the best place to discuss all political issues including controversial ones.”

Statement available here

• Switzerland

(10/06/2019)  "Switzerland welcomed the Parliamentary elections of February 24, which were competitive and generally respecting fundamental rights. The expression of the will of the Moldovan people in those elections must be respected. The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova has decided last Saturday to elect a new speaker and to form a new government. Switzerland is looking forward to continuing the implementation of its development cooperation assistance. Following the latest political development, Switzerland calls all political parties and institutions to engage in a peaceful dialogue to resolve this political crisis. Calm and restraint shall prevail for the benefit of all Moldovans."

Statement available here  

• Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Alcee L. Hastings

           (12/06/2019) “I am watching developments in Moldova with concern. Moving the goalpost because one party doesn’t like the outcome of an agreement does not reflect the commitment to democracy we expect to see in an OSCE participating State. I applaud the formation of a democratically legitimate coalition and look forward to supporting the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Moldovan people.”

Statement available here 

La 30 mai 2019, Serviciul Fiscal de Stat a prezentat rezultatele preliminare privind mecanismul de desemnare procentuală (Legea 2%). Rezultatele confirmă în principal faptul că tot mai multe persoane aleg să participe la gestionarea banului public și să direcționeze 2% din impozitul pe venit pentru a susține activitatea unui ONG sau cult religios din țară. Conform rezultatelor preliminare, în 2019, 36,768 de contribuabili au solicitat direcționarea a 2% din suma impozitului pe venit către asociații obștești sau culte religioase. Aceasta reprezintă o creștere cu 44% față de anul trecut când 28,388 persoane au ales să desemneze procentual.

Suma preliminară direcționată în 2019 prin mecanismul de desemnare procentuală este de 8,28 milioane lei, comparativ cu 2018, când suma total desemnată a constituit  6,49 milioane lei până la validare și 5,63 milioane lei, după validare.  13% din desmnări au fost nevalidate pe diverse motive printre care cel mai frecvent rămâne a fi existența datoriilor avute de contribuabil la impozitul pe venit.

Creșterea considerabilă a numărului de persoane, care au ales să direcționeze 2% din impozitul pe venit, se datorează în principal campaniilor eficiente de informare desfășurate de organizațiile non-profit și comunicării mai active cu publicul țintă.

Sumele desemnate procentual urmează a fi verificate și validate de Serviciul Fiscal de Stat. Conform prevederilor legale vor fi validate desemnările procentuale care întrunesc următoarele 3 condiții:  

• declarația persoanei fizice cu privire la impozitul pe venit a fost depusă în termen (1 ianuarie – 2 mai );
• impozitul pe venit declarat a fost achitat integral și în termen;
• contribuabilul persoana fizică nu are datorii la impozitul pe venit.

Ulterior, Serviciul Fiscal de Stat va stabili și va publica lista organizațiilor beneficiare și a sumelor de desemnare procentuală care le revin, iar organizațiile necomerciale și cultele religioase vor recepționa sumele obținute din desemnarea procentuală până la 30 septembrie 2019, atunci când Ministerul Finanțelor va efectua transferul banilor.

Mai multe detalii despre etapele mecanismului 2% vedeți aici.