Support to Public Administration Reform and EU alignment in Moldova

SALAR International is currently implementing an inception phase for a potential new project in Moldova aiming to support public administration reforms and EU alignment in the country. The inception phase will be implemented from June 2024 – January 2025.

In 2023 a dialogue between the Embassy of Sweden in Chisinau, Moldova and SALAR International was initiated regarding potential Swedish support to the decentralisation process and the subnational government system in the country.

Moldova and other Eastern Partnership countries are now highly prioritised due to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and the country is undergoing severe challenges related to the energy crisis and an influx of refugees from the war in Ukraine, putting a strain on the political and socio-economic context. Although efforts to reform the Moldovan public administration have been ongoing over the last several years, these recent events have resulted in a more urgent reform process in light of its candidate status to the EU granted in 2022 within the framework of the EU Association Agreement.

The country has passed notable laws for the reform process including the National Decentralisation Strategy and Action Plan for 2012-2016. The new Public Administration Reform (PAR) strategy from 2023 is a significant priority area for the Government of Moldova, including improving the quality of policy making, professionalising the civil service, increasing accessibility of public services and promoting greater accountability and transparency of the public institutions.

Strategic factors for support

Aligned with the priorities of Strategy for Sweden’s reform cooperation with Eastern Europe 2021-2027 as well as the Swedish Government’s new reform agenda ‘Development assistance for a new era – freedom, empowerment and sustainable growth’, SALAR International has outlined three strategic factors for where and how it can support and bring added value through a proposed multi-year project intervention in Moldova:

• Support the decentralisation process and strengthen the capacity of the country’s local self-government in line with reforms and strategies adopted by the Government of Moldova.
• Technical support to the EU accession process.
• Specific alignment with Sweden´s reform cooperation with Eastern Europe 2021-2027 and the priorities of the Government of Sweden.

The inception phase of the project will be implemented from June 2024 – January 2025.

The Swedish Government’s reform agenda - Development assistance for a new era - freedom, empowerment and sustainable growth.

Shane Quinn
Project Manager shane.quinn@skr.se