The « Partnership for Good Governance » programme team wishes you a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2026!

This overview highlights key activities and achievements in the Eastern Partnership region from August to December 2025, in the framework of the EU and Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”.

The Republic of Moldova has made concrete progress with the support of the “Partnership for Good Governance”, an EU and Council of Europe joint programme. From modernising court systems and enhancing anti-money laundering, to strengthening women’s access to justice and combating discrimination, the programme’s results were welcomed at the third annual meeting in Chişinău, the Republic of Moldova, where partners reaffirmed their commitment to European standards for justice, equality, and inclusion.

>> Factsheet of results obtained in the Republic of Moldova as part of the Partnership for Good Governance available in English and Romanian.

The Council of Europe is helping Armenia strengthen its ability to combat corruption and money laundering through targeted trainings for officials from the country’s Anti-Corruption Committee and Financial Monitoring Centre, the Ministry of Justice, notaries and the State Register of Legal Entities. These activities, carried out under the programme, aim to enhance institutional capacity, improve inter-agency co-operation, and align national practices with European anti-corruption and anti-money laundering standards.

>> Read more: Council of Europe continues supporting Armenia in enhancing anti-corruption and money laundering investigations - Partnership for Good Governance

>> Read more: Working towards improving Armenia’s capacity to fight money laundering and terrorist financing - Partnership for Good Governance

Anti-corruption practitioners and experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine met in Strasbourg to exchange best practices in investigating and prosecuting corruption cases. The regional workshop focused on improving case prioritisation, asset recovery, and international co-operation to address cross-border financial crime. The discussions strengthened professional networks and promoted the application of effective, trust-based approaches to combat corruption across the region.

>> Read more: Regional workshop addresses evolving corruption challenges in Eastern Partnership countries - Partnership for Good Governance

Exploring digital tools to protect women from violence in Azerbaijan. Officials from Azerbaijani institutions met with experts from Türkiye and Spain in Baku to examine international digital tools for supporting women victims of violence. Participants reviewed Türkiye’s KADES app and Spain’s VioGén system as models for faster response and improved inter-institutional coordination. Azerbaijani authorities expressed interest in developing a national platform to strengthen protection and support services for women.

>> Read more: Azerbaijani institutions explore international digital tools to protect women victims of violence - Partnership for Good Governance

Moldovan legal professionals advance access to justice for women. Judges and prosecutors from across the Republic of Moldova reviewed achievements of the Eastern Partnership mentoring programme for legal professionals, which promotes gender equality in daily judicial practice. This regional initiative supports mentors and mentees in applying victim-centred approaches, especially in cases of domestic violence, and strengthens professional skills, communication, and empathy. Twenty-six participants were recognised for their contributions, advancing a more gender-sensitive justice system in line with the Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2024–2029.

>> Read more: Moldovan legal professionals discuss ways to enable access to justice for women - Partnership for Good Governance

Hate-crime data collection in Armenia has improved, following a targeted training for law enforcement and civil society. The course aligned national practice with European standards using real cases, while addressing challenges such as data protection. It also strengthened co-operation between institutions to ensure more effective protection for victims.

>> Read more: Armenian authorities and civil society strengthen co-operation on hate crime data collection - Partnership for Good Governance

The Ombudsperson offices of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Montenegro met in Budva, Montenegro, to exchange practices and experiences related to anti-discrimination, protection of vulnerable groups’ rights, gender equality, and on the dialogue with civil society organisations. This peer learning session helped broaden participants’ understanding of effective methods for engaging with vulnerable groups and reinforced collaboration between the participating institutions.

>> Read more: Upholding equality through peer exchange between Ombuds-institutions from Montenegro and Azerbaijan - Partnership for Good Governance

For the Europe Day in Kutaisi, Georgia, the Council of Europe joined the nationwide celebration to promote European values, equality, and active citizenship through open dialogue and public participation. The EU and Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance” highlighted interactive initiatives advancing equality and non-discrimination. More than 130 participants demonstrated strong awareness of EU history, symbols and values, while noting the need to deepen understanding of the Council of Europe’s role. The event showed how public engagement can strengthen knowledge of European institutions and promote inclusion and civic dialogue.

>> Read more: Celebrating Europe Day in Kutaisi: citizens test their knowledge of Europe and equality - Partnership for Good Governance

Young European Ambassadors from the Republic of Moldova met at the Council of Europe Office in Chişinău, the Republic of Moldova, to strengthen youth engagement in promoting equality and inclusion. They shared “No to hatred and discrimination” initiatives, organised and explored ways to foster more inclusive communities in the country, based on European values. The meeting followed regional trainings on countering hate speech.

Five civil society organisations developed creative counter-narratives and educational resources for community-based stakeholders to combat hate speech. These local initiatives were part of a small grant scheme from the Programme designed to strengthen grassroots efforts in responding to hate speech in Ukraine.

>> Read more:  Civil society supported to prevent and counter hate speech

Representatives of Belarusian democratic forces and civil society completed a Council of Europe training on equality and anti-discrimination in Strasbourg. Eighteen participants received certificates, and experts presented new Belarusian-language tools - including a glossary of human rights terms and training materials - enriching the Council of Europe’s equality resources. Part of the EU and Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”, the initiative strengthened the Belarusian actors’ capacity to promote inclusion and apply European standards.

>> Read more: Belarusian democratic forces and civil society promote Council of Europe anti-discrimination standards - Partnership for Good Governance

Law enforcement and civil society from the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership region join forces to strengthen co-operation in combating hatred, discrimination and racism. Supported by the EU and the Council of Europe, the regional exchange held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina,  enhanced trust between police and communities, promoted good practices in investigating hate crimes, and reinforced commitment to human rights-based, inclusive policing across participating countries.

>> Read more: Law enforcement and civil society from the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions join forces against discrimination in Sarajevo - Partnership for Good Governance

>> Read more: Inclusive Policing in Action: Law Enforcement and Civil Society Exchange on Protecting Ethnic and Religious Communities - Partnership for Good Governance

Inclusive policing strengthens protection of ethnic and religious communities. Law enforcement officers and civil society representatives from Armenia, Montenegro, and Serbia exchanged practices to better identify, investigate and prevent hate-motivated crimes against ethnic and religious groups. Supported by the EU and the Council of Europe, the four-day event enhanced inclusive policing, dialogue and trust between authorities and minority communities, reinforcing regional co-operation to combat discrimination and hatred across the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions.

>> Read more: Inclusive Policing in Action: Law Enforcement and Civil Society Exchange on Protecting Ethnic and Religious Communities - Partnership for Good Governance

Mediation is strengthened in Armenia by establishing a new network of trainers. Twelve mediators in the country completed a Training of Trainers course, creating the first network of mediation trainers. The initiative builds on a pool of 120 qualified mediators established under recent justice reforms and will ensure the long-term sustainability of mediation in family law disputes. Supported by the EU and the Council of Europe, it advances faster, more accessible and people-centred justice in Armenia.

>> Read more: Building capacity: Armenia established a network of mediation trainers - Partnership for Good Governance

The Republic of Moldova marked the European Day of Justice with focus on judicial reform. Judges, court presidents and members of the Superior Council of Magistracy gathered in Chișinău to discuss judicial reforms and European standards during a roundtable marking the European Day of Justice. Participants exchanged good practices on ethics, transparency and court management, highlighting the importance of user-centred justice and continued alignment with the Council of Europe’s CEPEJ tools and principles.

>> Read more: Celebrating the European Day of Justice in the Republic of Moldova - Partnership for Good Governance

The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) published the 2024 data analysis results for the “Dashboard for Eastern Partnership”, providing an overview of regional and national trends of judicial reforms efforts in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. The report brings together comparative data for all countries on efficiency, quality, independence, and accountability, making complex judicial reforms easy to follow at a glance.

>> Read more: Justice Dashboard Eastern Partnership: Publication of the 2024 data analysis - Partnership for Good Governance

The Quick Response Mechanism is a “Partnership for Good Governance” tool, by which the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) and other Council of Europe bodies may provide ad hoc legal and policy advice to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, linked to priority reforms on: strengthening justice, countering economic crime, promoting equality and non-discrimination and advancing women’s access to justice and combating violence against women.

At its 144th plenary session (held on 9-10 October 2025), the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe adopted, among others:

ARMENIA

• Amicus curiae brief on the compatibility of Article 236 of the Criminal Code with the European standards on legal certainty.

At its 145th plenary session (held on 12-13 December 2025), the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe adopted, among others:

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

• Venice Commission/DGI Joint Opinion on the draft law on the Prosecution Office for Anticorruption and Combatting Organised Crime.