June 30, 2026, Chisinau – The Ministry of Justice hosted the third monitoring meeting on the implementation of the interim benchmarks for Chapter 23 – Justice and Fundamental Rights.This was the first reporting meeting held after the official opening of negotiations for Cluster 1 “Fundamental Values”.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the European Commission, the Ministry of Justice and the national institutions responsible for implementing the commitments undertaken by the Republic of Moldova in the process of accession to the European Union.
Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Cristina Gherasimov, mentioned at the beginning of the meeting that the opening of negotiations on Cluster 1 confirms the reform efforts of the Republic of Moldova and marks a stage in which the commitments undertaken will be transformed into sustainable results.According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the objective is not only to meet the benchmarks, but also to consolidate an independent, accountable and trusted judiciary.
During the meeting, the authorities presented the third progress report on the implementation of the interim benchmarks for Chapter 23. The reporting focused on developments in justice reform, the fight against corruption and the protection of fundamental rights.
On the justice dimension, measures to strengthen the independence, integrity and efficiency of the judicial system were presented.Discussions focused on continuing the external evaluation of judges and prosecutors, filling vacant positions, strengthening self-administration bodies, digitalizing justice, and modernizing the infrastructure of courts and prosecutors' offices.
In the field of anti-corruption, the authorities reported progress in strengthening institutional capacities, the degree of implementation of GRECO, OECD and ODIHR recommendations, as well as the investigation of high-level corruption cases.
On the fundamental rights component, discussions referred to the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, the strengthening of national institutions for the protection of human rights, reform of the penitentiary system, the promotion of equality, the protection of victims and freedom of the media.
Chapter 23 – Justice and Fundamental Rights is one of the essential chapters of the accession negotiations to the European Union.The Ministry of Justice coordinates this chapter in cooperation with the responsible national institutions and in permanent dialogue with the European Commission.
