Moldova's vetting process faces hurdles amid USAID funding cut
The vetting process, already delayed, has been further affected by the Trump administration’s decision to halt external funding through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
This statement was made on Thursday evening by President Maia Sandu during a TV show on a Chișinău station. The President expressed confidence that the evaluation of prosecutors will proceed, albeit after a break, and that the system will eventually cleanse itself of corrupt officials in this manner.
"The process has been affected because the evaluation of prosecutors was funded by USAID, and this funding has now been halted. It is unclear whether this funding will be reinstated. In the meantime, we are seeking to compensate by securing European Union funds to take over the financing of this evaluation," Maia Sandu stated.
The President assumed there would be a pause in the vetting process, adding, "Given the previous pauses, there will likely be another one." She emphasized that completing this evaluation "once and for all" is beneficial for those working in the system.
"This way, they won’t have to wonder endlessly whether they’ll pass the evaluation. It would have been better if the evaluation of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office had been completed by the end of the previous year, as planned. We would then have had an institution where people knew they had remained, and could focus on their priorities," said the President, noting that delaying the vetting process serves the interests of the corrupt and harms citizens.
The removal of USAID’s independence and its transfer to the control of the State Department will significantly alter how the U.S. allocates foreign aid. After assuming office, Donald Trump suspended nearly all U.S. international assistance for 90 days to audit its alignment with the new administration’s foreign policy. Exceptions were made for humanitarian programs that "save lives."
U.S. support for the vetting process in Moldova for 2024 amounts to $1.5 million and has been provided through the State Department. Assistance for justice and anti-corruption efforts totals nearly $1.9 million and has been allocated through USAID.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
