Exit from the CIS: Parliament votes to denounce two more agreements. What remains in force until 8 April 2027

On 29 October 2026, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova approved in the first reading the denunciation of two more agreements concluded within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). According to the Parliament’s Communications Directorate, neither document was ever implemented in practice, and both have lost their relevance as national legislation is aligned with the European Union acquis. The vote is part of a broader process: the Republic of Moldova has already denounced the founding acts of the CIS, and its withdrawal from the organisation takes legal effect on 8 April 2027.

Which agreements were voted on 29 October

The first document is the 1992 Agreement on the Return of Cultural and Historical Property to Countries of Origin. The bill was initiated by the Ministry of Culture. The agreement provided for the creation of an intergovernmental commission to develop a restitution mechanism, but the commission was never established and the document’s implementation was limited, according to the Parliament’s statement.

In the meantime, the Republic of Moldova has developed its own framework for protecting movable cultural heritage, aligned with European standards. In 2023, the Regulation on the Circulation of Movable Cultural Property was approved, and in 2025 the National System for the Protection, Recovery and Return of Movable Cultural Heritage was established. Under these circumstances, the CIS agreement is no longer considered necessary.

The second document, initiated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is the 2017 Protocol on the Procedure for the Transfer of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances and Precursors, Firearms, Their Main Components, Ammunition, Explosives and Explosive Devices Constituting Evidence in Criminal Cases. According to the Parliament, the protocol was never implemented, and the cooperation mechanisms it provided for were never used.

Denouncing the protocol does not mean that criminal cooperation with CIS countries will stop. It can continue under other international instruments to which the Republic of Moldova is a party, including the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters and the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, the statement said.

How the withdrawal from the CIS began

On 11 March 2026, the Government approved bills to denounce the Agreement on the Establishment of the CIS, signed in Minsk on 8 December 1991; the Protocol to that agreement, dated 21 December 1991; and the CIS Charter, adopted in Minsk on 22 January 1993. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the decision was prompted by the Russian Federation’s failure to respect the Community’s fundamental principles, including the recognition of territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders, as well as by the Republic of Moldova’s new priorities as a candidate country for accession to the European Union.

Parliament voted to denounce the agreements in the final reading on 2 April 2026. The law and the promulgation decree signed by President Maia Sandu were published in the Official Gazette, and the CIS secretariat in Minsk was notified on 8 April, Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Popșoi later explained. “Legally speaking, once 12 months have passed, on 8 April next year, under international law, we will no longer be part of the CIS,” Popșoi said, according to the state news agency Moldpres. He added that, in practice, the Republic of Moldova has not participated in the organisation’s political events for years.

The Government estimates that the state budget will save around 3.1 million lei a year, the amount of the annual membership contribution.

What remains in force

Withdrawal from the statutory bodies does not automatically annul all 283 agreements signed within the CIS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the Republic of Moldova will continue to apply predominantly trade and economic treaties, such as the Free Trade Area Agreement, “as long as they serve the country’s economic interests”. Deputy Prime Minister Popșoi compared this approach with Georgia’s, which denounced the fundamental agreements but remained party to some economic agreements.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says citizens’ freedom of movement in CIS countries will not be affected, as it is largely governed by bilateral agreements that remain in force. Relations with member states will continue on a bilateral and multilateral basis, the ministry’s spokesperson, Tatiana Barac, also said, according to Moldpres.

How the agreements are being reviewed

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the authorities have examined the relevance and applicability of treaties concluded within the CIS over the past two years. Of the 283 agreements, 71 have been denounced, while around 60 were under review, according to figures shared in March 2026 and reiterated by the Deputy Prime Minister in April. The relevant ministries propose denouncing agreements, the Government approves the bills, and Parliament votes in two readings. The two agreements voted on 29 October followed the same process: one was initiated by the Ministry of Culture and the other by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The authorities have not published, in the sources consulted, an updated list of all agreements denounced since April 2026, or a timetable for the approximately 60 agreements under review.

What comes next

• Second reading of the two bills voted on 29 October; no date has been announced.

• Review of the other CIS agreements under consideration, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to in the spring.

• 8 April 2027: the founding acts of the CIS cease to have effect for the Republic of Moldova.