OSCE supports exchange on combating corruption and virtual assets between practitioners from Italy, Moldova and Romania

The OSCE organized a study visit that brought together Italian, Moldovan and Romanian anti-corruption practitioners in Bucharest, Romania, from 26 to 28 March. The participants shared good practices in combating corruption and the misuse of virtual assets, highlighting the significance of interinstitutional and international co-operation in this area.

“Enforcing connections and learning from one another is very important,” said Alexandr Pînzari, Director of the National Anticorruption Center (NAC) of Moldova. “In recent years, the number of corruption cases has increased and the efficiency of law enforcement has improved through the use of modern investigation techniques and tools, a lot of which we learned from other countries and partners.” Over three days, practitioners from Moldova engaged with their Romanian counterparts from various anti-corruption institutions in theoretical and practical sessions focused on the investigation and prosecution of complex corruption cases, good practices in information analysis and other topics. Combating money laundering through the use of cryptocurrencies was also tackled by an OSCE virtual assets expert and a practitioner from the Guardia di Finanza, Italy’s economic and financial police.  

“What sets this study visit apart is its strong emphasis on practical, hands-on learning. During the three days, participants had an opportunity to participate in interactive workshops, case studies and scenario-based exercises that replicate real-world challenges,” said Ralf Ernst, Deputy Co-ordinator and Head of Economic Activities at the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.

On the margins of the study visit, the Moldovan NAC also signed a protocol to co-operate with the Romanian Anti-Corruption General Directorate (DGA) on preventing and combating corruption. 

The study visit was conducted as a collaborative effort of two OSCE extrabudgetary projects: Innovative policy solutions to mitigate money-laundering risks of virtual assets, financially supported by Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States of America; and Supporting Anti-Corruption Efforts of the Government of Moldova, financially supported by France, Germany, Italy and Romania.