Strengthening Moldova’s Environmental Institutions: Bridging the gap between legal provisions and day-to-day implementation

Experts from the EU- and Denmark-funded project Moldova is Europe – Support for Eu Integration carried out an assessment of the country’s environmental institutions, as part of the actions included in the Reform Agenda. The assessment focused on the Ministry of Environment, the Environmental Agency and the Environmental Inspectorate.

The results were presented during a meeting held at the Ministry of Environment, attended by senior representatives of the environmental sector, the Delegation of the European Union and project team. The experts emphasized that the reform process extends beyond aligning national legislation with European Union requirements. Equally important is to ensure that environmental laws are effectively implemented in practice. The assessment highlighted the need to bridge the gap between legal provisions and day-to-day implementation.

To achieve this, the report recommends greater investments in human resources, the development of clear internal procedures, improved work processes, and stronger digital systems.

In regard to the Environmental Agency, while environmental legislation has largely been aligned with EU standards, the report found that many internal procedures required to support effective implementation are still lacking. The report also noted that many tasks continue to be carried out manually, limiting the use of data and system-based analysis. Staffing shortages were identified as an additional challenge.

With regard to the Environmental Inspectorate, the findings highlighted the important connection between environmental permitting and inspection activities and pointed to the need for clearer procedures and greater transparency.

During the discussion that followed, participants agreed that the most important factor for successful reform is people. Attracting and retaining qualified specialists, as well as providing suitable working conditions, was identified as a priority. Strengthening human resources would create the necessary foundation for developing effective procedures and ensuring that information technology systems function properly.

Participants also noted that reforms cannot rely solely on adopting documents and practices from other countries. International good practices must be carefully adapted to Moldova’s specific institutional context and operational needs.