Strengthening Civic Organisations for Participation and Engagement (SCOPE)

Moldova has demonstrated strong political commitment to advancing its European Union (EU) accession process. However, the country continues to face significant challenges, including widespread corruption, a weak rule of law, low public trust in institutions, and ongoing hybrid threats from Russia. While important reforms are underway, stronger civic participation and effective public oversight are essential to ensure that these reforms lead to lasting and meaningful progress.

To empower Moldava to meet these challenges, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee, in collaboration with the Promo-LEX Association, Independent Journalism Centre, ARTICLE 19 Europe, has designed the three-year Strengthening Civic Organisations for Participation and Engagement (SCOPE) project. This project aims to strengthen democratic governance and support Moldova’s alignment with EU values by empowering civil society actors to actively participate in and monitor the accession process.

To achieve this, the project will provide training, peer learning opportunities, and financial support to local civil society organizations. It will also promote collaboration between civil society, independent media, academia, and public authorities by creating platforms for dialogue and engagement in reform processes. In addition, the project will support initiatives that encourage civic participation and enhance public understanding of EU integration.

By addressing barriers to participation, fostering cooperation among key stakeholders, and supporting locally driven solutions, the project will contribute to more transparent, accountable, and inclusive reforms. Ultimately, it seeks to ensure that Moldova’s path toward EU membership delivers tangible benefits for its citizens.

Our Aims:

This project aims to achieve reinforced democratic participation in Moldova and strengthened alignment with EU values by empowering civil society to monitor and engage in the EU accession process. We will do this by:

• enhancing civil society organisations’ capacity to monitor, inform, and contribute to reforms – particularly strengthening legal frameworks related to rule of law, human rights, and freedom of expression.

• fostering a resilient, informed, and interconnected civic sector capable of constructive engagement with public authorities

Expected impact:

By the end of the project, through training, peer learning opportunities, and financial support, SCOPE will have empowered Moldovan civil society to strengthen democratic participation and monitor the EU accession process. SCOPE’s impact will be visible across multiple levels:

• Empowered civil society representatives: At least 20 civil society representatives will have strengthened skills related to strategic communications and leadership and increased their knowledge on legal frameworks governing freedom of assembly and association, electoral rights, freedom of expression and media, in the context of EU accession processes, and will be equipped to train others on these topics.

• Increased skills, knowledge, and capacity: At least 50 locally and/or regionally operating civil society organisations will have increased their knowledge of EU accession procedures, strengthened their skills, and bolstered their technical capacity to lead local reform monitoring and advocacy.

• High-level policy consultation and dialogue: Institutionalised consultation frameworks for policy dialogue between civil society organisations and public authorities, including regular roundtables and consultations with the Bureau for European Integration.

• Intra- and international partnerships: Establishing partnerships and coalitions between civil society organisations and other stakeholders in Moldova and between Moldovan civil society and their European counter parts will enhance coordination and increased opportunities for input of smaller/locally operating civil society organisations.

Project at a glance:

Funder: European Union

Country: Moldova

Partners: Netherlands Helsinki Committee, Promo-LEX Association, Independent Journalism Centre, ARTICLE 19 Europe

Project period: February 1, 2026 – January 31, 2029

Budget: 1.579.013 EUR

Funded by the European Union. The contents of this article and the views expressed within are the responsibility of the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.