Transition of the Civil Service System in the Republic of Moldova

The Republic of Moldova, as many other Central European countries in the 1990s, began the implementation of legal, institutional, political, and economic reforms, as well as comprehensive public administration reforms to form the foundations for an independent Moldova. This chapter describes the transition from communism to democracy through changes in domestic legislation enacted for the reform of the state institutions and of the central and local government of the country. Such changes also depict Moldova’s aspirations to achieve its European Union integration objective by rethinking the role of public authorities and public administration with respect to society. Establishing the rule of law and a new administrative system, strengthening civil society, and shifting to a market-based economy are issues that the country dealt with following its independence. Despite progress, the Republic of Moldova still faces several challenges that affect its long-term development goals. Uncertainty and unpredictability are on the rise and new development paradigms must be adopted to cope with such conditions, while taking into account internal capacity and the limited resources available for the purpose.