Preparing Moldova’s Public Administration for EU Membership: Information System for EU Affairs, under Discussion

A meeting took place between the Senior Expert of the “Moldova is Europe” Project, funded by EU and Denmark, Andrej Engelman and representatives of the State Chancellery to discuss the development of a dedicated information system to support the functioning of the state following the Republic of Moldova’s accession to the European Union.

The discussions focused on the institutional and operational changes that Moldova will need to prepare for as it moves from the pre-accession phase towards EU membership. While cooperation with the European Commission is a primary focus during the pre-accession period, EU membership will require a stronger emphasis on engagement with the Council of the European Union and its decision-making processes.

During the meeting, the structure and functioning of the Council were presented, including the mechanisms through which documents are transmitted to Member States and the substantial volume of documentation that national administrations must process. These considerations highlighted the importance of establishing a dedicated information system capable of ensuring the efficient reception, registration, classification, management and publication of EU-related documents and information.

The participants also discussed the institutional and technical requirements for developing the proposed system, including the government decisions needed to advance its final design and implementation.

The meeting provided an opportunity to examine the practical preparations required to ensure that Moldova’s public administration is equipped to manage EU-related information efficiently and to participate effectively in the work of the European Union following accession. The development of an appropriate information system will be an important element in strengthening interinstitutional coordination and supporting the government’s capacity to fulfil its responsibilities as an EU Member State.

It will be a challenge for Moldovan authorities to properly organise internal coordination for the period after the EU accession when, as a Member State, Moldova will have to take active part in the EU legislative procedure and decision making through the Council. The work on a new internal coordination and upgrading of the information system will start after the negotiations will be finalised, but initial preparatory steps are already under consideration.