On October 2, 2009, the Soros Foundation Romania launched “Moldova. At the Crossroads”, an analysis of the political system and mass media environment in Moldova. The study offers a coherent and detailed perspective upon democracy in the Republic of Moldova in the middle of 2009, before the second tour of elections, as well as upon the state’s relations to the European Union and Romania.

The study was accomplished in August 2009 after a documentation programme in the Republic of Moldova and it describes the deterioration of the public life in Moldova. The Party of Communists’ assault on the political pluralism, as well as the omnipresent political control in the law and economy or the repression of any opposition manifestations against the state-party PCRM, are some of the democratic rules’ violations that are presented in the study.

Some other aspects that are mentioned in the study: the violation of the law regarding the freedom of meeting, the abusive arrests, the promotion of unacceptable methods of collecting information by the secret services (torture, aggressiveness), lack of press independence, the involving of the politics into the audio-visual or the violation of economic and social rights of the population.

The study presents a series of  “state weapons” used to monopolize the private businesses – The Centre for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption (CCECC), The General Prosecutors that analyze penal cases, nationalizations or cancelling of privatizations, the monopoly situations generated through the government ordinances and others.

“Moldova. At the Crossroads ” (RO, EN, RU) also analyzes Moldova relationship to Romania and the European Union, under the eyes of which took place this democratic regress of a state in which most of the population aspire to become part of the European family.

While hoping that the aspirations of the citizens of Moldova and the actions of the new elected politicians in Chisinau should merge, “ Moldova. At the Crossroads ” study may become an initial bench-mark to measure the quality of former transformations.

At the crossroads, sensitive moments, the signals from the Republic of Moldova are still optimistic: the abolishment of the visa for the Romanians, the encouraging evolutions and openness to the European Union are signs of the normalizations of the relationships between these entities.

The study “ Moldova. At the Crossroads ” (RO, EN, RU) was realized within the “Bridging Moldova” programme of the Soros Foundation Romania and its authors are Ioana Avadani, Executive Director at the Center for Independent Journalism, Stefan Candea, Deputy Director at the Romanian Center for Investigative Jurnalism, Marian Chiriac, Executive Director at Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Romania, Cristian Ghinea, Director at the Romanian Center for European Policies and Sergiu Panainte, Programs Coordinator at Soros Foundation Romania.

The study was launched within an event with the participation of personalities from the civil society in the Republic of Moldova – board members of the Soros Foundation Moldova, of the Soros Foundation Romania, representatives of embassies, of central authorities in Romania, of non-governmental organizations and mass-media.

For more information on the “Bridging Moldova” programme, please contact Sergiu Panainte, Programs Coordinator, Soros Foundation Romania, spanainte[at]soros[dot]ro.

For other information, please contact Laura Husti-Radulet, Communications Manager, +40 733 108 048, lhusti-radulet[at]soros[dot]ro.