Chisinau, January 16 (Infotag). The Council of Europe will continue rendering support to democracy consolidation in Moldova, Lilia Snegureac, Director of the CE Information Office in Chisinau, told a news conference in Infotag today.

For 2004, the Office has projected a whole number of arrangements called to promote democracy development in this republic and make its citizens better informed about their rights and the CE jurisprudence.

In particular, the Information Office has programmed to translate and distribute among citizens a brochure about realization of decisions passed by the European Court of Human Rights. Liliana Snegureac believes this is very important for Moldovan residents who practically have no idea about how to challenge this or that decision with the ECHR.

“Judging by the large number of complaints coming to the Court from the Dutch or French, one may get an impression that human right are violated in those countries more often than in Moldova. But this is not so. Simply, Moldovans do not know their rights”, she said.

The Office Director said the ECHR has, so far, passed only one decision on Moldova – concerning the Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia. Meanwhile, Moldovan citizens have sent nearly 800 complaints to the Court, and proceedings have been initiated in 13 of them.

This year, the CE Information Office will publish 3 volumes of documents of the ECHR jurisprudence as well as a number of CE Resolutions and other documents, will organize seminars and competitions, radio and television debates, will publish in the press various materials on the international law norms, will hold a training on blood transfusion issues, and arrangements for the youth.

This year, the Council of Europe is going to put forward 2 projects that may be realized in Moldova – one to help restore trust between two Dniester banks and the other on the freedom of religion.

At the news conference, the Office presented its new publications – “Council of Europe: 800 million Europeans”, “Directory of the European Convention on Human Rights”, and “Human Rights in Europe”.