U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 2004 - Moldova

At the end of 2003, Moldova hosted about 130 refugees and asylum seekers in need of protection, including about 125 asylum seekers with pending cases and 5 persons granted asylum during the year.

The number of Moldovan nationals claiming asylum in Europe and the United States has grown over the past two years. Some 5,200 Moldovans claimed asylum in 2003, mostly in France (1,600), Austria (1,200), Slovakia (570), and the United Kingdom (500) and about 1,000 were internally displaced.

During the year, 92 persons applied for asylum in Moldova, including 14 from Sudan and 14 from Russia. An additional 14 applications came from stateless Palestinians. Of the 20 cases decided in 2003, Moldova made 5 grants of refugee status.

New Developments

On January 1, the Law on the Status of Refugees entered into force, creating a new government department within the Ministry of Justice, the Main Directorate for Refugees (MDR,) responsible for refugee status determination, reception, and support. The law permits asylum seekers to apply for temporary work permits after six months, if they are still waiting for a decision. The law also allows for temporary protection to groups of people "in exceptional cases." Rejected asylum seekers may appeal within 10 days to the Council for Refugees, a panel of representatives to be made up of Moldovan government departments, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and a nongovernmental organization. UNHCR reported that the full implementation of the law was hampered by government delays in adopting administrative regulations during the year.

In October, MDR opened the first reception center for asylum seekers, with a capacity for 80 people. In December, the government approved a regulation to provide a monthly subsistence loan of $10 to refugees for six months.