89-470: Dorin Recean (born 17 March 1974) is a Moldovan economist, politician, and academic serving as Prime Minister of Moldova since February 2023. Since 2022 he has also served as Presidential Advisor on Defense and National Security, and Secretary of Moldova's Supreme Security Council . He previously served as Minister of Internal Affairs of Moldova from July 2012 to February 2015. He has extensive experience in
178-631: A Master's degree in Business Administration from Newport International University 's Belgium branch. Dorin Recean started his career as a lecturer in 1995 at his alma mater, the Academy of Economic Studies, and continued teaching there until 2007. From 2002 to 2010 he also worked in different private companies in various capacities. He also taught at the Chișinău -based Newport International University from 2000 to 2010. In January 2010, Dorin Recean
267-582: A vassal state of the Ottoman Empire from 1538, until the 19th century. In 1812, following one of several Russian–Turkish wars , the eastern half of the principality, Bessarabia , was annexed by the Russian Empire , marking the beginning of Russian influence in the region. In 1918, Bessarabia briefly became independent as the Moldavian Democratic Republic and, following the decision of
356-769: A "partly free" country with a score of 62/100 in 2023. They summarized their finds as follows: "Moldova has a competitive electoral environment, and freedoms of assembly , speech , and religion are mostly protected. Nonetheless, pervasive corruption , links between major political figures and powerful economic interests, and critical deficiencies in the justice sector and the rule of law all continue to hamper democratic governance." According to Transparency International , Moldova's Corruption Perceptions Index improved to 39 points in 2022 from 34 in 2020. Reporters Without Borders improved Moldova's Press Freedom Index ranking from 89th in 2020 to 40th in 2022, while cautioning that "Moldova's media are diverse but extremely polarised, like
445-547: A clear separation of powers . The president serves as the head of state , is elected every four years, and can be re-elected once. The prime minister serves as the head of government , appointed by the president with parliament 's support. The head of government in turn assembles a cabinet , subject to parliamentary approval. Legislative authority is vested in the unicameral Parliament of Moldova which has 101 seats and whose members are elected by popular vote on party lists every four years. The president's official residence
534-552: A closer alliance with NATO and strongly condemned Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine . Moldova is the second poorest country in Europe by GDP per official capita after Ukraine and much of its GDP is dominated by the service sector . It has one of the lowest Human Development Indexes in Europe, ranking 76th in the world (2022). Moldova ranks 68th in the world on the Global Innovation Index as of 2024 . Moldova
623-539: A component of its support for Moldova in its European integration efforts. The first joint meeting of the Governments of Romania and Moldova, held in March 2012, concluded with several bilateral agreements in various fields. The European orientation "has been the policy of Moldova in recent years and this is the policy that must continue," Nicolae Timofti told lawmakers before his election in 2012 . On 29 November 2013, at
712-621: A conflict between Iohannis, the Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă , and the then Minister of Defense , Gabriel-Beniamin Leș [ ro ] , who intended to change office. On 28 October 2024, Ciucă admitted that he joined the Romanian Communist Party in 1986, but claimed that every military officer had to do that and that he wasn't a communist. The National Liberal Party (PNL) proposed Ciucă as Minister of Defense of
801-561: A conflict that left the Transnistrian region as a de facto independent state. Moldova continues to navigate a complex relationship between pro-Western and pro-Russian factions. In recent years, it has pursued closer ties with the European Union , submitting a formal membership application in 2022. In the November 2020 presidential election , the pro-European opposition candidate Maia Sandu
890-525: A government on 1 November. He was nominated again as Prime Minister-designate on 22 November 2021 and was confirmed by the parliament on 25 November after receiving 318 votes in favor. He was sworn in the office hours later. After Florin Cîțu resigned as president of the National Liberal Party (PNL) on 2 April 2022, followed by an 8-day ad interim leadership of Gheorghe Flutur , Ciucă was elected as
979-643: A majority of voters support the proposal in a referendum. Furthermore, no revision can be made to limit the fundamental rights of people enumerated in the Constitution. The 1994 constitution also establishes an independent Constitutional Court , composed of six judges (two appointed by the President, two by Parliament, and two by the Supreme Council of Magistrature ), serving six-year terms, during which they are irremovable and not subordinate to any power. The court
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#17328693609691068-564: A new $ 94 million tranche under the existing lending program as part of a larger $ 800 million fund agreed with the IMF in 2022 to help Moldova deal with the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On March 24, Moldova and the European Free Trade Association announced that it had reached an agreement on a comprehensive free trade agreement, after two years of negotiations, allowing Moldova to export goods without paying customs tariffs to
1157-603: A number of more specialised police institutions including the Police Department of Chisinau Municipality and the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation. The Moldovan Border Police are responsible for border security. It was a military branch until 2012 when it was put under the control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to The Law on Police Use of Force Worldwide, "Moldova does not regulate and restrict
1246-764: A participant in NATO 's Partnership for Peace programme. The Francophonie was joined in 1996 with the country joining the World Trade Organization in 2001 and the International Criminal Court in 2002. In 2005, Moldova and the European Union established an action plan that sought to improve cooperation between Moldova and the union. At the end of 2005, the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM)
1335-469: A political centre at the time of the foundation of the Principality of Moldavia in 1359. The origin of the name of the river remains unclear. According to a legend recounted by Moldavian chroniclers Dimitrie Cantemir and Grigore Ureche , Prince Dragoș named the river after hunting aurochs : following the chase, the prince's exhausted hound Molda (Seva) drowned in the river. The dog's name, given to
1424-636: A role in shaping foreign policy. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian Government has frequently used its connections with the Russian Orthodox Church to block and stymie the integration of former Soviet states like Moldova into the West. In February 2023 Russia cancelled a 2012 decree underpinning Moldova's sovereignty. In May 2023 the government announced its intentions to withdraw from
1513-458: A run-off on 3 November 2024. The referendum was seen as a test of Moldova's commitment to EU integration, amid claims of vote manipulation by criminal groups. The European Union created a Partnership Mission in Moldova through its Common Security and Defence Policy on 24 April 2023. The mission seeks to support the government of Moldova in countering hybrid threats the country faces as a result of
1602-508: A separate administration and are administratively part of either cities (41 of them) or communes (659). This makes for a total of 1,682 localities in Moldova, two of which are uninhabited. The largest city in Moldova is Chișinău with a population of approx. 695,400 people. The second largest city is Tiraspol at 129,500, part of the unrecognised breakaway region of Transnistria , followed by Bălți (146,900) and Bender (91,000). The Moldovan police force ( General Police Inspectorate ) reports to
1691-542: A summit in Vilnius , Moldova signed an association agreement with the European Union dedicated to the European Union's ' Eastern Partnership ' with ex-Soviet countries. The ex-Romanian President Traian Băsescu stated that Romania will make all efforts for Moldova to join the EU as soon as possible. Likewise, Traian Băsescu declared that the unification of Moldova and Romania is the next national project for Romania, as more than 75% of
1780-540: A value of US$ 700,000, to the 22nd Peacekeeping Battalion of the Moldovan National Army to "increase the capability of Moldovan peacekeeping contingents." Moldova signed a military agreement with Romania to strengthen regional security in 2015. The agreement is part of Moldova's strategy to reform its military and cooperate with its neighbours. Since 2022, the army has begun a process of modernization, and has been provided with more than €87 million in support for
1869-588: A vote of its assembly. The decision was disputed by Soviet Russia , which in 1924 established, within the Ukrainian SSR , a so-called Moldavian autonomous republic on partially Moldovan-inhabited territories to the east of Bessarabia. In 1940, as a consequence of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , Romania was compelled to cede Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the Soviet Union , leading to the creation of
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#17328693609691958-474: A year and a half-long investigation, the organization was able to transcribe and digitalize his thesis, " The dimension of the Romanian army's engagement in multinational joint operations", finding that multiple pages of his work were copied, word for word, from other works without the texts correctly attributed to the original authors and lacking the requisite quotation marks, as required by academic norms. During
2047-827: Is a member state of the United Nations, the Council of Europe , the World Trade Organization , the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe , the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development , the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation , and the Association Trio . The name Moldova is derived from the Moldova River ( German : Moldau ); the valley of this river served as
2136-502: Is also providing assistance to Moldova in implementing the necessary reforms for full accession by 2030. The European Union's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has confirmed that the pathway to accession does not depend upon a resolution of the Transnistria conflict . On 27 June, Moldova signed a comprehensive free trade agreement with
2225-487: Is invested with the power of judicial review over all acts of parliament , over presidential decrees , and over international treaties signed by the country. The head of state is the President of Moldova, who between 2001 and 2015 was elected by the Moldovan Parliament, requiring the support of three-fifths of the deputies (at least 61 votes). This system was designed to decrease executive authority in favour of
2314-584: Is the Presidential Palace, Chișinău . After the prime minister and government resigned in 2020 and the president and parliament failed to form a new government, early parliamentary elections were held in July 2021. According to Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe observers, the 2021 parliamentary elections were well-administered and competitive, and fundamental freedoms were largely respected. The Party of Action and Solidarity won 63 seats in
2403-457: The 2021 Romanian political crisis . Since the investment of the Ciucă-led CNR cabinet, Romania has experienced a shift towards authoritarianism and illiberalism . In March 2023, Ciucă introduced an artificial intelligence assistant, an "honorary advisor" known as ION, which aims to scan social networks to inform the government of the Romanian people's wishes and opinions. Following
2492-557: The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . A memorandum dated 29 March 2023 stated that the mission aims at "enhancing the resilience of Moldova's security sector in the area of crisis management as well as enhancing resilience to hybrid threats, including cybersecurity, and countering foreign information manipulation and interference". The initial mandate of the mission is expected to be for two years and it will be made up of up to 40 police and customs officers and judicial officials. Estonia , Latvia , Lithuania , Germany, Poland , Sweden,
2581-521: The Czech Republic , Portugal , Romania , and Denmark have all voiced support for the mission. On 2 February 2023 Moldova passed a law introducing criminal penalties for separatism , including prison terms. The law continues with penalties for financing and inciting separatism, plotting against Moldova, and collecting and stealing information that could harm the country's sovereignty, independence and integrity. The Moldovan armed forces consists of
2670-787: The Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ) quickly agreed to renew a minority government with the PNL, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) offered to support him temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic in exchange for agreeing to 10 measures. He presented his government on 29 October. Having failed to win the support of the PSD or the Save Romania Union (USR), he gave up forming
2759-487: The Dniester river on the country's eastern border with Ukraine. Moldova is a unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic with its capital in Chișinău , the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Most of Moldovan territory was a part of the Principality of Moldavia from the 14th century until 1812, when it was ceded to the Russian Empire by the Ottoman Empire (to which Moldavia
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2848-636: The EU and closer ties with the West. Right after his official nomination, Recean declared: "The new government will have three priorities: order and discipline, revitalizing economy, and peace and stability. The new government will continue the implementation of Moldova's strategic course – integration to the European Union." Recean and his wife, Stella, have two children. He speaks English , French , and Russian in addition to his native Romanian . Recean also holds Romanian citizenship and self-identifies as an ethnic Romanian . Moldova Moldova , officially
2937-432: The European Free Trade Association . On 28 June 2023, the European Union announced a €1.6 billion support and investment programme for Moldova, as well as confirming reductions in the price of mobile data and voice roaming charges in Moldova by European and Moldovan telecoms operators, as well as Moldova joining the EU's joint gas purchase platform. Formal accession talks began on 13 December 2023. A referendum on joining
3026-643: The European Parliament approved a grant of €90 million to Moldova. The money was to supplement US$ 570 million in International Monetary Fund loans, World Bank and other bilateral support already granted to Moldova. In April 2010, Romania offered Moldova development aid worth of €100 million while the number of scholarships for Moldovan students doubled to 5,000. According to a lending agreement signed in February 2010, Poland provided US$ 15 million as
3115-671: The First Orban Cabinet . He was transferred as a reserve on 28 October 2019, being succeeded as Chief of the Romanian General Staff by Daniel Petrescu. He became the Minister of Defense of Romania on 4 November 2019. In October 2020, he joined the National Liberal Party (PNL) to run as a senator for the Senate of Romania in that year's legislative elections and was subsequently elected as well. On 7 December 2020, following
3204-569: The Ground Forces and Air Force . Moldova maintains a standing army of just 6,500 soldiers, and spends just 0.4 percent of its GDP on defence, far behind its regional neighbours. Moldova accepted all relevant arms control obligations of the former Soviet Union. On 30 October 1992, Moldova ratified the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe , which establishes comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment and provides for
3293-521: The Left Bank of the Dniester ). The final status of Transnistria is disputed , as the central government does not control that territory. 10 other cities, including Comrat and Tiraspol , the administrative seats of the two autonomous territories, also have municipality status . Moldova has 66 cities (towns), including 13 with municipality status, and 916 communes. Another 700 villages are too small to have
3382-581: The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) and is the primary law enforcement body, responsible for internal security, public order, traffic, and criminal investigations. Several agencies responsible for border management, emergency situations, migration and asylum also report to the ministry. Civilian authorities maintained effective control over the security forces. The Moldovan Police are divided into state and municipal organisations. State police provide law enforcement throughout Moldova while municipal police operate at
3471-534: The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (Moldavian SSR). On 27 August 1991, as the dissolution of the Soviet Union was underway, the Moldavian SSR declared independence and took the name Moldova. However, the strip of Moldovan territory on the east bank of the Dniester has been under the de facto control of the breakaway government of Transnistria since 1990. The constitution of Moldova
3560-569: The Neolithic and Bronze Ages . In antiquity , Moldova's location made it a crossroads for invasions by the Scythians , Goths , Huns , and other tribes, followed by periods of Roman and Byzantine control. The medieval Principality of Moldavia emerged in the 1350s , and was the medieval precursor of modern Moldova and Romania . It reached prominence under rulers like Stephen the Great before becoming
3649-724: The Ordre national du Mérite of the French Republic, Commander rank, and of the National Order of Merit of Romania, Commander rank. In 2019, he was awarded the Order of the Star of Romania , Officer rank. In 2020, he was awarded the Legion of Merit by U.S. Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman . Nicolae Ciucă has been accused of plagiarizing his PhD thesis by the independent news organization PressOne . Following
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3738-573: The Republic of Moldova , is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe , on the northeastern corner of the Balkans . The country spans a total of 33,483 km (12,928 sq mi) and has a population of approximately 2.42 million as of January 2024. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised breakaway state of Transnistria lies across
3827-659: The Romanian Land Forces who is serving as the president of the Senate of Romania . Ideologically a conservative , he served as Prime Minister of Romania between 25 November 2021 and 12 June 2023 after receiving widespread parliamentary support on behalf of his own party, the National Liberal Party (PNL) along with the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ). Since 10 April 2022, he has also been serving as
3916-732: The UN Firearms Protocol , Stability Pact Regional Implementation Plan , the UN Programme of Action (PoA), and the OSCE Documents on Stockpiles of Conventional Ammunition. Since declaring independence in 1991, Moldova has participated in UN peacekeeping missions in Liberia , Côte d'Ivoire , Sudan , and Georgia . On 12 November 2014, the US donated to Moldovan Armed Forces 39 Humvees and 10 trailers, with
4005-423: The Venice Commission across all areas and ensure effective and continuous implementation of human rights legislation." The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights ' 2016 recommendations on hate crimes were "largely reflected in amendments to the Criminal Code adopted by the Moldovan Parliament and published on 3 June 2022", but the report notes that Moldovan law enforcement officers often fail to record
4094-431: The 101-seat parliament, enough to form a single-party majority. The 1994 Constitution of Moldova sets the framework for the government of the country. A parliamentary majority of at least two-thirds is required to amend the Constitution of Moldova , which cannot be revised in times of war or national emergency. Amendments to the Constitution affecting the state's sovereignty, independence, or unity can only be made after
4183-439: The Commonwealth of Independent States and the immediate suspension of its participation. In July 2023 Moldova passed a law on denunciation of the agreement on Moldova's membership in the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly . On 25 July 2023, the Moldovan government summoned the Russian ambassador to Moldova, Oleg Vasnetsov, after media reports of alleged spying devices on the rooftop of their embassy in Chişinău. On 26 July 2023,
4272-453: The EU is planned for autumn 2024, there will be no voting stations in Transnistria, however residents there will be free to travel into other areas of Moldova to vote, should they wish to. In Moldova's referendum on joining the EU, a narrow 50.17% voted "yes," with Maia Sandu alleging "unprecedented" outside interference. Sandu received 42% in the simultaneous presidential election, while her rival, Alexandr Stoianoglo, garnered 26%, leading to
4361-417: The European Union. On March 1, during the meeting with the Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and President Klaus Iohannis , both countries pledged to boost economic ties following Russia's invasion of Ukraine . Romania reiterated its support for Moldova's accession to the European Union. On March 14, Recean announced that Moldova had reached an agreement with the International Monetary Fund on
4450-410: The European Union. On May 18, Recean announced at a security conference in Bucharest that Moldova was no longer using Russian gas or electricity, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine , stating that "Moldova is integrated in the European energy network both technically and commercially." On June 26, he commented that the aborted Wagner mutiny in Russia "is a clear indication of the weakness of
4539-457: The Moldovan government expelled 45 Russian diplomats and embassy staff due to "hostile actions" intended to destabilise the Republic of Moldova, according to Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu. On 30 July, the Russian embassy announced that it would suspend consular appointments "for technical reasons". The Moldovan Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) also ended all partnership agreements with Russia's FSB after sending official notifications to
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#17328693609694628-423: The OSCE and UN fact-finding and observer missions. The foreign minister of Moldova , Andrei Stratan , repeatedly stated that the Russian troops stationed in the breakaway region were there against the will of the Moldovan government and called on them to leave "completely and unconditionally". In 2012, a security zone incident resulted in the death of a civilian, raising tensions with Russia. In September 2010,
4717-426: The Parliament (Sfatul Țării), united with Romania . During the Second World War it was occupied by the Soviet Union which reclaimed it from Romania. It joined the Union in 1940 as the Moldavian SSR . During this period, policies of Russification and economic transformation deeply influenced the region. The dissolution of the USSR in 1991 led to declared independence , followed by the Transnistria War in 1992,
4806-431: The Red Scorpions), with which he participated in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Ancient Babylon in Iraq. He was promoted to the rank of General on 25 October 2010. In 2015, he replaced Ștefan Dănilă [ ro ] as Chief of the Romanian General Staff . His 4-year term under this office was extended for another year by the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in 2018. This caused
4895-497: The Russian leadership and the Russian management of the army" and that "Russia is much weaker than people perceived it to be". He also stated in regards to the Transnistrian conflict that "first of all Moldova will solve this Transdniestria issue peacefully". "This is fundamental. The first thing is to demilitarise the region where Russian troops are stationed illegally . This will most likely happen when Russians are pushed out of Ukraine ." Recean supports Moldova's membership to
4984-464: The authorities in Moscow. Moldova has set 2030 as the target date for EU Accession. Moldova signed the Association Agreement with the European Union in Brussels on 27 June 2014. The signing came after the accord was drafted in Vilnius in November 2013. Moldova signed the membership application to join the EU on 3 March 2022. On 23 June 2022, Moldova was officially granted candidate status by EU leaders. The United Nations Development Programme
5073-484: The bias motivations behind hate crimes, and additionally recommended "developing its victim support system to ensure effective access to justice, assistance, and protection services for hate crime victims". In 2021, 8 hate crimes were recorded, 7 of which reached a successful conviction, with one going to prosecution but without a conviction. Moldova is divided into 32 districts ( raioane , singular raion ), three municipalities and two autonomous regions ( Gagauzia and
5162-538: The breakaway Transdniestria region, prosecution and imprisonment for peaceful dissent continued." On 18 June 2023, some 500 LGBT activists and supporters held a Pride parade in the capital city of Chișinău which for the first time needed no heavy police cordons to protect them from protesters largely linked to the Orthodox church. According to Human Rights Report of the United States Department of State , released in 2022, "While authorities investigated reports of human rights abuses and corruption committed by officials,
5251-405: The conflict. He has argued for increased military cooperation between Moldova and NATO . Recean was born in Dondușeni in the Soviet Union on 17 March 1974. He later moved with his family in Mîndîc village, Drochia district. In 1996, he graduated from the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova with a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. In 2000, Dorin Recean graduated with
5340-428: The conscious support of citizens who should understand that it is critical for the state's survival", calling for funds to be allocated to the task. In February 2023, Dorin Recean was appointed Prime Minister of Moldova by President Maia Sandu, following the resignation of Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița . He was sworn in on February 16, 2023. Since being sworn in, Recean has continued to pursue Moldova's accession to
5429-608: The country itself, which is marked by political instability and excessive influence by oligarchs." According to Amnesty International 's 2022/23 report, "No visible progress was made in reducing instances of torture and other ill-treatment in detention. Impunity continued for past human rights violations by law enforcement agencies. New "temporary" restrictions on public assemblies were introduced. The rights of LGBTI people were not fully realized, leading to cases of harassment, discrimination and violence. Some refugee reception centres turned away religious and ethnic minority refugees. In
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#17328693609695518-456: The country signed the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly Convention to become a member and was also admitted in July 1995 to the Council of Europe . Moldova became a member state of the United Nations the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the North Atlantic Cooperation Council , the World Bank , the International Monetary Fund and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in 1992. 1994 saw Moldova became
5607-442: The destruction of weapons in excess of those limits. The country acceded to the provisions of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in October 1994 in Washington, D.C. It does not have nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological weapons. Moldova joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 's Partnership for Peace on 16 March 1994. Moldova is committed to a number of international and regional control of arms regulations such as
5696-456: The introduction, Nicu Sebe, the coordinator of the research team behind ION, revealed that the event was staged with the AI being unable to generate responses; instead, there was a human operator responsible for selecting pre-prepared responses to anticipated questions. Besides this, it was revealed that out of the 500,000 messages that ION got, only the positive ones were published, with the rest being filtered out. On 12 June 2023, according to
5785-409: The investigation, journalist Emilia Șercan discovered that at least 42 out of the 138 pages in the doctorate thesis were plagiarized and that 94.2% of the plagiarized content in Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă's thesis originates from non-digitized works, which could not be detected using anti-plagirizing software. Nicolae Ciucă denied the accusations, stating they "cannot be scientifically proven." Ciucă
5874-498: The legislature. Nevertheless, the Constitutional Court ruled on 4 March 2016 that this constitutional change adopted in 2000 regarding the presidential election was unconstitutional, thus reverting the election method of the president to a two-round system direct election . After achieving independence from the Soviet Union, Moldova's foreign policy was designed with a view to establishing relations with other European countries, neutrality, and European Union integration. In May 1995
5963-425: The local administrative level. National and municipal police forces often collaborate closely for law enforcement purposes. The Special Forces Brigade "Fulger" is a specialized combat-ready police force primarily responsible for tackling organized crime, serious violent crime, and hostage situations. They are subordinate to the General Police Inspectorate and therefore under strict civilian control. There are also
6052-543: The modernization of the defence sector and the strengthening of security through the European Peace Facility . In October 2022, Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatii claimed that 90 percent of the country's military equipment is outdated and of Soviet origin, dating back to the 1960s and 1980s. In April 2023, Valeriu Mija, Secretary of State for Defence Policy and National Army Reform in the Defence Ministry, claimed that Moldova needed $ 275 million to modernize its armed forces, especially in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and
6141-406: The new party leader. He is the third consecutive politician since 2019 to serve as both prime minister and president of the PNL at one point, the first two being Orban and Cîțu. On 26 August 2022, Ciucă signed the first financing contracts of the so-called Anghel Saligny investment program, a foundation whose purpose is to develop settlements for Romanian civilians, formally created as a result of
6230-405: The other members. The agreement was signed in Vaduz , the capital of Liechstenstein . At the summit in Switzerland , Recean met with representatives of Liechstenstein, Switzerland, Iceland , and the representatives of Google . On April 6, he thanked the Prime Minister of Poland , Mateusz Morawiecki , for expressing his government's support for an accelerated pathway for Moldova's accession to
6319-430: The population speaks Romanian. A document written in 2021 by the Russia's FSB's Directorate for Cross-Border Cooperation, titled "Strategic objectives of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Moldova" sets out a 10-year plan to destabilise Moldova. Using energy blackmail, political and elite sources in Moldova that are favourable to Russia and the Orthodox Church. Russia denies any such plan. Religious leaders play
6408-602: The presence of 1,500 Russian soldiers in Transnistria . In June 2023, Poland also sent a transport of military equipment worth €8 million (including drones , laptops, explosive ordnance disposal equipment , and ultrasound equipment) to the Moldovan police to increase the country's internal security. Analysts at the Centre for European Policy Analysis have called for further western weapon donations. Freedom House ranked Moldova as
6497-553: The president of the National Liberal Party (PNL). On 12 June 2023, he resigned as prime minister, as part of a deal with his coalition partner, the PSD, to switch places with Marcel Ciolacu, and was temporarily replaced by Cătălin Predoiu . Ciucă has participated in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq . He was the Chief of the Romanian General Staff from 2015 to 2019, and from 2019 to 2021
6586-572: The private sector and in the IT industry with a specialisation in data, including big data , and information analysis . He also worked in development institutions and was previously a lecturer at several universities. He is considered to be pro-Western and a strong supporter of the accession of Moldova to the European Union . He has opposed and criticised Russia's invasion of Ukraine and supported subsequent steps to reduce Moldova's economic dependence on Russia, expressing his sympathy and support for Ukraine in
6675-500: The process was slow and burdensome. During the year, authorities indicted and detained several former high-level officials including former President Igor Dodon, former member of parliament Vladimir Andronachi, Shor Party member of parliament Marina Tauber and former director of Moldovan Railways Anatolie Topala. None of these cases resulted in conviction by a court at year's end. Authorities took some steps to identify, investigate, and prosecute officials for human rights abuses, but progress
6764-500: The protocol of the CNR, Ciucă resigned. He was replaced as prime minister by Marcel Ciolacu . He became the President of the Senate of Romania on 13 June 2023. Under Ciucă's premiership, Romania experienced democratic backsliding , with The Economist ranking it last in the European Union in the world terms of democracy, even behind Viktor Orbán's Hungary . Ciucă is the recipient of
6853-530: The resignation of Prime Minister Ludovic Orban , he was named acting prime minister by Iohannis. He led as caretaker the government until a new coalition government was formed under Florin Cîțu on 23 December as a consequence of the result of the 2020 Romanian legislative election . However, after the Cîțu Cabinet was dissolved through a motion of no confidence on 5 October 2021, Iohannis nominated Ciucă as Prime Minister-designate on 21 October 2021. While
6942-737: The river, extended to the principality. For a short time in the 1990s, at the founding of the Commonwealth of Independent States , the name of the current Republic of Moldova was also spelled Moldavia . After the dissolution of the Soviet Union , the country began to use the Romanian name, Moldova . Officially, the name Republic of Moldova is designated by the United Nations. The history of Moldova spans prehistoric cultures , ancient and medieval empires, and periods of foreign rule and modern independence . Evidence of human habitation dates back 800,000–1.2 million years, with significant developments in agriculture , pottery , and settlement during
7031-418: The use of firearms by law enforcement officials as international law requires. Police use of a firearm can only be lawful where necessary to confront an imminent threat of death or serious injury or a grave and proximate threat to life." Nicolae Ciuc%C4%83 Nicolae Ionel Ciucă ( pronounced [nikoˈla.e joˈnel ˈtʃjukə] ; born 22 September 1967) is a Romanian politician and retired general of
7120-522: Was a vassal state ) and became known as Bessarabia . In 1856, southern Bessarabia was returned to Moldavia, which three years later united with Wallachia to form Romania , but Russian rule was restored over the whole of the region in 1878. During the 1917 Russian Revolution , Bessarabia briefly became an autonomous state within the Russian Republic . In February 1918, it declared independence and then integrated into Romania later that year following
7209-571: Was adopted in 1994, and the country became a parliamentary republic with a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of government . Under the presidency of Maia Sandu , elected in 2020 on a pro-Western and anti-corruption ticket, Moldova has pursued membership of the European Union , and was granted candidate status in June 2022. Accession talks to the EU began on 13 December 2023. Sandu has also suggested an end to Moldova's constitutional commitment to military neutrality in favour of
7298-568: Was appointed Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology , where he was responsible for implementing new secure documents, including the biometric passport , as part of the visa-liberalization action plan. He has been a member of the Governmental Task Force on Visa-liberalization with the EU. In July 2012, he was appointed as Interior Minister in the Cabinet led by Vlad Filat , replacing Alexei Roibu . On May 31, 2013, Recean
7387-492: Was appointed by President Maia Sandu as Presidential Advisor on Security Issues and Secretary General of the Supreme Security Council . On September 26, 2022, Recean said that "Moldova can no longer rely exclusively on foreign policy instruments, one of which is its neutral status , to ensure state stability," adding that "Moldova must start working on increasing its defence potential... The authorities need to obtain
7476-774: Was born in Plenița , a commune in Dolj County , on 7 February 1967. He graduated from the Tudor Vladimirescu Military Lyceum in Craiova in 1985 and from the Nicolae Bălcescu Land Forces Academy in Sibiu in 1988. During his military career, he participated in missions in Afghanistan , Bosnia and Herzegovina , and Iraq . From 2001 to 2004, he was commander of the 26th Infantry Battalion (also known as
7565-491: Was elected as the new president of the republic, becoming the first female elected president of Moldova. In the November 2024 presidential election , President Maia Sandu was re-elected with 55% of the vote in the run-off. The Republic of Moldova is a constitutional republic with a unicameral parliamentary system of government and competitive, multi-party elections . The constitution provides for executive and legislative branches as well as an independent judiciary and
7654-553: Was established at the joint request of the presidents of Moldova and Ukraine. EUBAM assists the Moldovan and Ukrainian governments in approximating their border and customs procedures to EU standards and offers support in both countries' fight against cross-border crime. After the 1990–1992 War of Transnistria , Moldova sought a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the Transnistria region by working with Romania, Ukraine, and Russia, calling for international mediation, and co-operating with
7743-585: Was reappointed as Interior Minister in the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Iurie Leancă . Immediately after the November 2014 elections, Recean announced his retirement from politics and that he would pursue a private business career in Fintech . He promoted IT technologies in the field of mobile remittances and payments with the aim of broadening the access of migrant workers and their relatives to secure and affordable money transfers and payments. On February 7, 2022, he
7832-589: Was slow." In a meeting with the European Union in October 2022, EU representatives "welcomed positive developments in Moldova such as the ratification of the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women, the adoption of legislation on hate crime , and the ongoing work to reform the Electoral Code. It encouraged Moldovan authorities to address shortcomings identified by OSCE/ODIHR and
7921-590: Was the Minister of Defence . He briefly led as caretaker the Romanian government between 7 and 23 December 2020, in the aftermath of former prime minister Ludovic Orban 's resignation. On 21 October 2021, he was appointed by President Klaus Iohannis to form a new government following the dissolution of the Cîțu Cabinet and the rejection of Dacian Cioloș as prime minister but subsequently gave up his mandate. Iohannis nominated him again on 22 November 2021. Nicolae Ciucă
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