Moldova

Key priorities to improve the civil society environment:

1. The Ministry of Finance should increase tax benefits for philanthropic donations and sponsorship to a level that would provide real benefits for philanthropic activity;
2. The legal framework for public procurement should be adjusted, with a legal mechanism for social contracting with clear instructions, a standard package of model documents, and knowledge being built in public institutions based on this mechanism;
3. Local Public Authorities (LPAs) and law enforcement should adopt non-violent and non-intrusive assistance and response procedures regarding peaceful assemblies based on the observance of human rights, including for critical and anti-government assemblies;
4. The Service for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering (FIU) and the National Bank should implement anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) measures impacting CSOs (including banking policies) only to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) NPOs, in line with FATF Recommendation 8 arising from the Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment of the NPO Sector;  
5. LPAs should increase transparency in decision-making by developing modules on their webpages similar to those used by the Government (particip.gov.md) and establish District Participation Councils (CRPs) based on existing functional models;
6. The Government and Parliament should ensure that the Public Participation Law is drafted and finalised with broad civil society involvement; and,
7. The Government should ensure the allocation of financial resources for the implementation of the Civil Society Development Program (PDOSC). . 

Ongoing action – Advancing digital rights:

Ensuring that freedom of association and access to funding are not limited by Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) measures. CSOs in Moldova struggle with excessive bureaucracy related to the Ultimate Beneficial Ownership requirement. Legal inconsistencies create confusion and unnecessary administrative burdens, which is why Legal Resources Center Moldova will advocate to bring clarity to the process.

Past achievements:  

CSO Meter monitoring and recommendations have already delivered the following results: 

Digital rights:

• Connect sectors to advance conversations and policy on digital rights. In Moldova, Promo-LEX has been facilitating a platform that brings together state institutions, civil society and businesses. In 2025, Promo-LEX provided tools and guidance to shape national policy and practice. The Draft Digital Rights Matrix and accompanying Road Map, presented to stakeholders on 19 September, established a shared vision of 20 key digital rights and outlined strategic priorities for protection and promotion, helping to guide coherent and inclusive policymaking. These tools were strengthened through stakeholder input and informed by the Ombudsman’s study on the Impact of Digitalisation on Human Rights.

Advancing public participation:

• Modern Law on Noncommercial Organisations (2020): (2020): Evidence-based advocacy by the CSO Meter Hub led to the removal of harmful limitations on civil society participation, aligning the law with international standards on freedom of association.
• Protecting people against abusive lawsuits targeting public participation (SLAPPs) (2024): A report on SLAPP cases (prepared by Legal Resources Center Moldova from the CSO Meter Hub) was cited in the EU Commission’s 2024 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy,  prompting the Ministry of Justice to initiate public consultations on the Roadmap for Democratic Institutions—a key step in Moldova’s EU accession process. As a result, the Roadmap includes strategic action to amend national laws that ensure legal safeguards against abusive lawsuits.
• New Law on Access to Public Information (2023): Independent Journalism Centre, together with other national partners, succeeded in promoting amendments to the draft law, including more favourable terms and conditions and a monitoring mechanism

Facilitating access to funding:

• Law clarifying the legal status of philanthropy and sponsorship adopted (2022): CSO Meter Hub and Advisory Board members as part of the Moldovan Platform for Promotion and Development of Philanthropy, together with 39 CSOs directly contributed to the drafting of the law. The adopted amendments provide regulations on the recording and manner of use of donations, transparency for philanthropic activity and sponsorship, clear definitions, and an extended list of the goals of philanthropic activities. The next step necessary to promote philanthropic activities and to encourage donations from the business and private sectors would increase the tax benefits for donors.

Freedom of assembly:  

• Ban on public assemblies revoked (2021): Promo-LEX led a series of advocacy actions to challenge excessive and unlawful limitations on public assemblies imposed during the pandemic. As a result, on April 28, 2021, the Constitutional Court ruled that the state of emergency imposed by the Parliament on March 30, 2021, was unconstitutional, leading to the revocation of the ban on public assemblies.

Country context and important trends relevant to the civil society environment:

Throughout 2025, the Republic of Moldova continued consolidating its path to European integration. In September 2025, Moldova swiftly and successfully completed the bilateral screening process with the European Commission, which was launched in July 2024.1 Once the member states agree to open accession negotiations, the process will move forward through negotiation chapters organised into thematic clusters.

The political agenda was dominated by the parliamentary elections held on 28 September 2025, widely viewed as a pivotal moment for determining the country’s future trajectory. Political options were strongly polarised between the pro-European and anti-European perspectives, reflecting a fragile balance ahead of the elections. It is generally acknowledged that the objective of the anti-European vector was to block EU accession, to draw the Republic of Moldova back into Russia’s sphere of influence, and to use the country as a base for hybrid attacks against the EU and operations in Ukraine. Following the elections, the ruling Pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity won 55 out of 101 seats, thereby securing a simple majority in Parliament. In November 2025, the new Government, led by Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu, was sworn in.

The electoral process was undermined by an unprecedented campaign of disinformation and manipulation, which was largely orchestrated and financed by the Russian Federation through intermediaries, as uncovered and documented by numerous undercover journalistic investigations2 and operations3 conducted by law enforcement and public security authorities. The methods exposed by these investigations included illegal funding amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, propaganda and disinformation media networks, the exploitation of front non-profit organisations, a “digital army” conducting smear and manipulation campaigns on social networks, voter bribery, covert support for certain political actors, and preparations for mass unrest. The online environment was the main channel for spreading disinformation throughout the year.

Before elections, two resonant judicial cases captured public attention: in August, the head of Gagauzia, Evghenia Guțul, was sentenced to seven years in prison for accepting political party funding from an organised criminal group;4 and in September, the fugitive Vladimir Plahotniuc, accused in four criminal cases, was arrested and brought back to the country.5  

Russian hybrid aggression against Moldova’s security was felt throughout the year. In February, Gazprom halted natural gas deliveries to the Transnistrian region, triggering a local crisis and a nationwide energy crisis, which was overcome thanks to emergency measures.6 In 2025, the Republic of Moldova hosted over 135,000 Ukrainian refugees, while incidents involving Russian-made drones posed a direct threat to the population.

Caught between the pressure of hybrid threats and the imperative of European integration, Parliament adopted several pieces of legislation aimed at combating electoral corruption and harmonising national legislation with the EU acquis. However, many of these were advanced without public consultations or disregarding civil society’s input, resulting in provisions with potentially negative impacts on the CSO environment.  

Key developments and priorities in the civil society environment 

The overall situation of the operating environment for CSOs in the Republic of Moldova underwent several changes in 2025. Both positive and negative developments occurred, leading to score changes in six of the eleven monitored areas, without affecting the overall score. The overall score for the CSO environment in Moldova remained at 4.8, the same as in 2024. The average scores for legislation (5.1) and practice (4.4) also remained unchanged.

The CSO environment went through a crisis at the beginning of the year following the withdrawal of U.S. funding, which was overcome with the support of European donors who compensated for part of the financial gap. Another reference point was the draft law on ‘foreign agents’ promoted by the parliamentary opposition, which was not supported by the pro-European majority. Following the parliamentary elections, the Republic of Moldova has maintained its European integration trajectory, which implies the continuation of reforms with expected benefits also for the CSO environment. The autumn Public Opinion Barometer shows that public trust in CSOs increased from 19% in 2024 to 28% in 2025.7  

Net score improvements were recorded in three areas. In Area 7, Right to Privacy, the overall score increased (from 4.3 to 4.4), due to an improvement in the legislation score (from 5.2 to 5.3) after Parliament adopted a set of amendments criminalising digital violence. In Area 10, State–CSO Cooperation, the overall score increased (from 4.3 to 4.4), as a result of an increase in the legislation score (from 4.6 to 4.7) following the Government’s approval of three roadmaps containing actions aimed at improving the CSO operating environment. In Area 5, Right to Participate in Decision-Making, the practice score improved (from 4.5 to 4.6) after Parliament and the Government launched several web portals facilitating participation, access to information, and petitioning, and after the State Chancellery led a participatory process to draft a new law on participation.

In Area 8, State’s Duty to Protect, opposite dynamics were recorded at the level of legislation and practice scores. As a result, the overall score in this area remained unchanged. The legislation score decreased (from 5.0 to 4.9) due to legislative amendments that pose risks to CSOs, such as the ambiguous expansion of the definition of extremist activity, the possibility of suspending CSOs, restrictions on access to information provided by the Law on the State of Emergency/Crisis, and the obligation for CSOs to provide information included in the National Security Law. The practice score increased (from 4.2 to 4.3) as a result of the intensified efforts of public institutions to counter hybrid attacks and protect democracy.

In two areas, overall score decreases were recorded. In Area 2, Equal Treatment, the overall score decreased (from 4.7 to 4.6) as a result of a decline in the practice score (from 4.5 to 4.4). The Commission for Emergency Situations applied unequal treatment toward CSOs in the allocation of compensation for energy consumption, directing funds exclusively to commercial enterprises and neglecting CSOs, including social enterprises established by them.

In Area 4, Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, the overall score decreased (from 5.3 to 5.2), due to declines in both legislation and practice scores. The legislation score decreased (from 5.5 to 5.4) following the decision of the Chișinău Municipal Council to ban assemblies promoting sexual and gender diversity, as well as legislative amendments introducing vague and interpretable sanctions. The practice score decreased (from 5.0 to 4.9) due to a series of unjustified sanctions imposed by the police and the inadequate conduct of law enforcement during the Pride March.

The top three areas by score remain the same as in 2024: Freedom of Association (5.5), Access to Funding (5.3), and Freedom of Peaceful Assembly (5.2). The areas with the lowest overall scores are Right to Privacy (4.4), State Support (4.4), State–CSO Cooperation (4.4), and Digital Rights (4.3).

Out of the 61 recommendations in the CSO Meter 2024 report, three have been fully implemented (none of which were key priorities). These relate to the Government launching the process of drafting a law on the protection of human rights defenders (i), the Government approving and Parliament voting in the first reading on the new law on volunteering (ii), and the improvement of the information publishing system on the Parliament’s website through the launch of a new web portal (iii). Another 20 recommendations that have been partially implemented or are in the process of implementation are listed among the key developments below. 

Video story

How did the CSO Meter help push back on restrictions on freedom of assembly? Find out more from Florin Gisca, Promo-LEX Association (Moldova):