In October 2018 MONEYVAL holds its country evaluation visit in Moldova to assess its anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing measures (AML/CFT). The experience from other countries shows that without the CSOs’ active involvement their environment may be negatively affected as the result of this process. ECNL has reached out to local CSOs in Moldova to raise awareness about AML/CFT standards and processes. As a result of ECNL’s engagement, CSOs have already begun to prioritize their work in this field.
To reinforce their efforts and build capacity of further local actors, on September 20th ECNL with its partner Promo-LEX organised a workshop on the MONEYVAL evaluation process and its impact on Moldovan civil society. The event took place in Chisinau with the participation of experts from the Global NPO Coalition and Human Security Collective. The workshop’s aim was to raise awareness about AML/CFT standards and especially, how CSOs can meaningfully engage in the evaluation process. The agenda of the meeting is here. Guests including representatives of the Moldovan civil society, the government and EU discussed whether the related regulations and laws are in place and whether these are effective. CSOs have also agreed to monitor the outcome of the evaluation, and actively engage in the follow-up period and upcoming measures to promote civic space in the country.
ECNL will continue to support local efforts by providing expertise to the planned follow-up activities.