On 12–13 November, members of the APSCF Board – Daniela Mamaliga, Ludmila Malcoci, and Liliana Rotaru – together with APSCF Secretary General, Irina Popusoi, held a series of important meetings with European Union institutions to advocate for children’s rights and the reform of the care system in Moldova.
As part of an advocacy visit to Brussels, the APSCF delegation held four high-level meetings with representatives of European institutions:
-Ewa Kopacz, Vice-President of the European Parliament and Coordinator for Children’s Rights
-Katarina Ivanković Knežević, Director for Social Rights and Inclusion – DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
-Johannes Ratte, Policy Officer responsible for enlargement negotiations with Moldova, human rights, and civil society – DG Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (ENEST C2), European Commission
-Camille Le Ho, Policy Officer at the European External Action Service
During the discussions, APSCF representatives presented:
-the progress achieved by the Republic of Moldova in reforming the residential child care system;
-the challenges faced by authorities and civil society in implementing the reform;
-the opportunities offered by the European integration process for strengthening prevention, family support, and alternative care services.
APSCF also called for the support of the European Union to:
-complete the reform of the child protection system;
-ensure the effective implementation of the rights of all children, including the most vulnerable;
-recognize and actively involve civil society as a key partner in monitoring, implementation, and policy development processes.
Sincere thanks are extended to Irina Papancheva from Hope and Homes for Children for organizing the visit and facilitating the meetings. The discussions were also attended by Zuzana Konradova from Eurochild, a European network of NGOs of which APSCF is a member.