The Effect of the European Court of Human Rights on Legal Reform in Moldova (Research Brief)
October 24, 2011
The purpose of this project was to assess Moldovan compliance with European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgments, and the influence that these judgments have on legal reform and judicial capacity-building. This research examined two fundamental questions: Firstly, what types of violations and cases have been brought against Moldova? Secondly, does the government fulfill its obligations to the Court and implement its judgments. In order to be able to assess the compliance and judicial capacity-building effect of ECHR judgments, I conducted interviews in Moldova with various government, international and non-governmental organizations. Using a structured interview instrument (composed of closed and open-ended questions) I was able to determine that Moldova generally complies with ECHR decisions; however, in terms of changing the legal culture in the country, the ECHR has not proven an effective mechanism for judicial reform.
Steven D. Roper, of Eastern Illinois University, was a 2010-11 Short-Term Travel Grants (STG) fellow.
