Visit to Washington: CALC in Transatlantic Dialogue

Representatives of the Council and Secretariat of the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (CALC) – including Polina Panainte, Secretary of the Coalition, and Iulian Groza, Executive Director of IPRE and member of the CALC Council – took part in a working visit to Washington, the first delegation from the Republic of Moldova to arrive in the U.S. capital after the parliamentary elections. The delegation brought together experts from think tanks, civil society leaders, and media partners.

The visit, organized with the support of our friends and partners from The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), included bipartisan meetings on Capitol Hill with members of the U.S. Congress and Senate, as well as an event at the GMF headquarters dedicated to the topic “Elections 2025 in the Republic of Moldova: Lessons for Democracy, Security, and the Transatlantic Relationship”, with the participation of Moldova’s Ambassador to the United States, Vlad Kulminski.

During the discussions, CALC representatives highlighted the crucial role of the coalition and civil society in ensuring the integrity of electoral processes, strengthening institutional resilience, and countering external interference, hybrid threats, and information manipulation. “Strengthening this civic pillar remains essential for safeguarding democracy and protecting the European path of the Republic of Moldova,” emphasized Polina Panainte.

The visit reaffirmed the importance of civil society engagement in promoting the national interests of the Republic of Moldova and demonstrated once again that our country remains a reliable partner of the United States and a factor of stability in the Black Sea region.