Moldova to host 135th Ministerial Session of Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe

The Republic of Moldova will host the 135th Ministerial Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. More than 50 delegations from member states are expected to attend the event, including over 20 ministers of foreign affairs. The meeting due on 15 May in Chisinau marks the end of the Republic of Moldova’s mandate in the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

The agenda of the meeting, which will take place at the Palace of the Republic, will reflect the priorities assumed by the Republic of Moldova during its presidency and will include topics such as continued support for Ukraine, with a focus on post-war accountability and reconstruction, combating disinformation and foreign interference, strengthening security, and reinforcing democratic resilience.

The ministers will also discuss the Democratic Pact for Europe, the future external action strategy of the Council of Europe, migration, and the strengthening of international cooperation and multilateralism.

The media programme of the event will start at 08:00 with the arrival of the delegations. At 09:00 the official opening of the ministerial session will take place, featuring an address by President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu, a speech by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popsoi, as well as an intervention by Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset.

At the end of the event, the rotating presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe will be handed over to the Principality of Monaco.

After the presidency handover ceremony, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, Mihai Popsoi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Principality of Monaco, Isabelle Berro-Amadei, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, will hold a joint press conference.

The Republic of Moldova assumed, on 14 November 2025, the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The mandate is exercised by our country for a period of six months, until 15 May 2026. This is the second mandate exercised by our country since accession, the first having taken place in 2003.

The Committee of Ministers is the Council of Europe’s main decision-making body, responsible for implementing the organisation’s objectives. Member states are represented by their ministers of foreign affairs and by the permanent representatives to the Council of Europe.

The Presidency of the Committee of Ministers is exercised by each member state in turn, in alphabetical order, for a period of six months. This is the second time that the Republic of Moldova holds this responsibility, the first Presidency having been exercised in 2003.

The Council of Europe is a European intergovernmental organisation created on 5 May 1949. It currently has 46 member states and its official seat is in Strasbourg, France. The main objectives of the Council of Europe are the protection of human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law; raising awareness of and advancing the development of Europe’s cultural identity and diversity; identifying solutions to the problems facing European society; and strengthening democratic stability in Europe by supporting political, legislative and constitutional reforms.

The Republic of Moldova became a member of the Council of Europe (CoE) on 13 July 1995.