The Competition Council of the Republic of Moldova has obtained the certificate for the implementation of the international anti-bribery standard ISO 37001, confirming the institution’s commitment to tackling corruption risks and aligning itself with European best practices.

ISO 37001 is an international standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and published in 2016, which provides for the creation of an institutional framework for the prevention and detection of bribery and corruption. The standard supports institutions in adopting an anti-bribery policy, appointing a person responsible for compliance, training staff, assessing risks, and establishing clear procedures for reporting and investigating incidents.

Alexei Ghertescu, President of the Competition Council, said that the implementation of the standard represents an important step in strengthening transparency and integrity in the activity of the Competition Council: „Through this initiative, we are firmly committed to maintaining transparency in our work and zero tolerance for corruption, thus helping to align our institution with international best practices.  This not only supports the process of integration of the Republic of Moldova into the European Union, but also strengthens the confidence of the business sector in public institutions, essential for economic development and attracting investments”.

Corneliu Rusnac, program manager at USAID Moldova, highlighted the commitment of the Competition Council to adopt the anti-bribery standard, stressing that it sends a clear message to the private sector that the authority is determined to identify and eliminate corruption risks.

Cristina Ceban, state secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, welcomed the partnership between the Competition Council and the Moldovan Standardization Institute for the implementation of ISO 37001. She underligned that the exclusion of corruption risks, which is an essential criterion in the process of integration of the Republic of Moldova into the EU, strengthens the confidence of the business sector in public institutions, supports economic development and stimulates investment.

The alignment of the Competition Council to ISO 37001 was achieved with the support of the USAID Programme for Institutional and Structural Reforms in Moldova (MISRA), over nine months. The process included training about 60 employees, reviewing and developing internal policies, as well as creating procedures for identifying and minimizing corruption risks, and the compliance audit was carried out by an internationally accredited company.

The implementation of ISO 37001 reinforces reputation and trust in the Competition Council, helping to reduce risks and to associate the institution with initiatives that promote integrity and ethics. In addition, fighting corruption and reducing corruption risks are essential conditions in the process of integration of the Republic of Moldova into the European Union and corresponds to the public commitments to implement the anti-bribery standard ISO 37001 with the aim of increase efforts to detect and combat potential corruption cases within state structures that have oversight functions.