OREANDA-NEWS  On 02 March was announced, that European Commission funds projects to support free and fair parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova.

In the context of the legislative elections in the Republic of Moldova on 5th of April, the European Commission has allocated funds amounting to EUR 3 mln for projects to promote and monitor compliance with international standards during the electoral process. The Commission and the United Nations Development Programme have just signed a EUR 2 mln grant contract to implement the "Electoral Support to the Republic of Moldova” project under the "Instrument for Stability". This project is designed to strengthen the institutional and functional capacities of the Central Electoral Commission and increase the efficiency of the electoral information management. In addition, with the support of around EUR 0.5 mln from the "European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights" (EIDHR) several civil society organizations are working to promote citizens' participation in the electoral process. Furthermore, the Joint Programme "Support to free and fair elections" of the European Commission and the Council of Europe to which the Commission contributes EUR 0.5 mln, assists the country (as well as other countries in the EU’ s Eastern Neighborhood region) in conducting elections in line with democratic standards, in particular through improved electoral legislation and practice.