DOC // Report: Justice reform advances, 60% of judges undergoing vetting evaluated

The process of reforming the justice system continues to advance in the Republic of Moldova, and by the end of 2025 approximately 60% of the judges included in the vetting procedure had been evaluated. The Ministry of Justice presented the final report on the implementation of the Strategy for Ensuring the Independence and Integrity of the Justice Sector for 2022–2025, a document that summarizes the reforms carried out over the last four years in the court system and the Prosecutor’s Office.

The report’s data show that, in the period 2022–2024, the pre-vetting exercise enabled the formation of the new compositions of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) and the Superior Council of Prosecutors (CSP), with approximately 133 candidates evaluated.

As for the vetting of judges, by the end of 2025 approximately 60% of the persons subject to the procedure had been evaluated. Out of a total of 202 notified judges, 72 passed the evaluation, 39 failed, 69 resigned, and 22 cases were still pending.

The authorities state that new mechanisms for independence and integrity have been created, but acknowledge that some reforms have progressed with delays, particularly the vetting process for prosecutors.

In the case of prosecutors, the pace of reform has been slower. Of the 158 notified prosecutors, 19 passed the evaluation, five failed, 27 resigned, and 104 files are still under review.

The report notes that some reforms were delayed. The new evaluation boards within the CSM and CSP started operating only in 2025, after the completion of the pre-vetting process.

According to the report, one of the main directions of the reform was strengthening the independence of the court system and the Prosecutor’s Office. In this regard, constitutional provisions and related legislation concerning the functioning of the Superior Council of Magistracy and the Superior Council of Prosecutors, the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court of Justice, and the mechanisms for evaluation and career promotion were amended.

The document states that special emphasis was placed on integrity reform within the justice system through the launch of pre-vetting and vetting exercises. The reform was implemented in stages and included the evaluation of candidates for the CSM and CSP, the screening of candidates for the Supreme Court of Justice, as well as the evaluation of judges from the courts of appeal, court leadership, and prosecutors from the General Prosecutor’s Office and specialized prosecutor’s offices.

The document further shows that disciplinary mechanisms have also been strengthened. For judges, the legislation on the activity of the Judicial Inspection and disciplinary procedures was amended. For prosecutors, the Prosecutors’ Inspection was transferred from the General Prosecutor’s Office to the authority of the CSP, and the number of inspectors was increased. Nevertheless, the authorities admit that not all positions within the Prosecutors’ Inspection have been filled, which has affected the institution’s work and the examination of disciplinary cases.

Of the total actions planned for 2022–2025, 71% were fully implemented, while another 19% are in progress or have been partially completed.

“The Strategy for Ensuring the Independence and Integrity of the Justice Sector for 2022–2025 has underpinned substantial reforms, whose results are reflected both at the institutional level and in citizens’ perceptions. The actions implemented have contributed to the modernization of the judicial system, the improvement of access to justice, and the increase in the quality of the act of justice,” said Vladislav Cojuhari, Minister of Justice.

The head of the Justice Ministry specified that the actions carried out have produced results that are also reflected in the public perception of justice. According to the Public Opinion Barometer, the level of citizens’ trust in the judicial system increased significantly in the last year of the Strategy’s implementation, from 15% in 2024 to 27.5% in 2025.

The minister added that the institution he leads is currently in the process of drafting a new policy document for the justice sector. It will focus on consolidating the reforms already launched and on promoting new sectoral priorities related to the European integration agenda.