How Moldova saved democracy: nine strategic lessons for Moldova's and Europe's Democratic future

By Veronica Cretu

Public policy expert, 

Co-founder, Moldova4EU Diaspora Task Force

For years, the international community has viewed my home country, Moldova, through a lens of vulnerability and poverty. A small nation wedged between a revanchist russia and the European Union, it was seen as a fragile state, a geopolitical battleground destined to be a perpetual victim of external interference. But this year, 2025, something remarkable happened. Faced with an unprecedented, €350 million hybrid assault designed to derail its democracy, Moldova did not just survive. It fought back, and it won.

The story of how Moldova saved its democracy is not a tale of great power intervention or a top-down government decree. It is the story of a nation that activated its own immune system, pioneering a “whole-of-society” approach to democratic defense that offers a vital blueprint for every European nation confronting the threat of foreign malign influence.

From my vantage point, both as a member of the Moldovan diaspora and as a long-time practitioner in international development and digital governance, I have seen this resilience evolve. On the night of the September 29th right after the parliamentary elections, as the results began to trickle in and it became clear that we had won, I found myself jotting down the immediate lessons from this hard-fought victory. These initial reflections, born in a moment of relief and clarity, were later validated and deepened by the insights shared at our recent "Moldova Defends Democracy: How Moldova protected its 2025 elections despite €350 million in interference" event in Vienna, on November 6, 2025. 

Six lessons from a historic election night

1. A vote for Ukraine: a vote for regional security

The pro-European outcome in Moldova was, first and foremost, a vote in solidarity with Ukraine. A pro-russian government in Chișinău would have opened a strategic corridor for moscow, increasing pressure on Odesa and the Black Sea. Instead, Moldova chose to be a predictable, reliable partner for Kyiv, strengthening the regional front against russian imperialism. This was not just geopolitics; it was a matter of shared security and moral clarity.

2. Transforming fear into collective courage

moscow’s playbook is built on fear: intimidation, manipulation, and disinformation designed to paralyze. But fear has a dual power. It can lead to passivity, or it can become a catalyst for action. In Moldova, we chose the latter. We did not give in to fear. Instead, we transformed it into solidarity and participation, proving that a community united by courage can overcome the most sophisticated campaigns of intimidation.

3. The triumph of engagement over opportunism

In any crisis, there are those who “play it safe,” waiting in the shadows to see who wins. This adaptive opportunism erodes civic trust and participatory culture. But Moldova’s victory was not won by opportunists. It was won by the thousands who refused to wait, who engaged, mobilized, and took the risk of speaking the truth. They proved that the future is built not by those who watch from the sidelines, but by those who act when it matters most.

4. The urgent need for a new Moldovan Diplomacy

The latest Eurobarometer data reveals a sobering reality: public support for Moldova’s EU accession is fragile in many member states. This demands a new kind of diplomacy: sharper, more proactive, and more creative. We need to move beyond formal speeches in Brussels and engage directly with national parliaments, civil societies, and media in every EU capital. Don't get me wrong: events like the EU Enlargement Forum on November 18, 2025, are valuable opportunities that bring together candidate countries and member states for frank discussions. 

But we must complement these high-level gatherings with grassroots engagement at the national level. 

And we must leverage our greatest untapped resource: the diaspora. By creating a “Diaspora Diplomatic Academy” and a “Diaspora Barometer,” we can transform our highly skilled diaspora into a powerful, data-driven diplomatic force.

5. The immediate Agenda for building a resilient Moldova

This victory is not an endpoint; it is the beginning of a new chapter. To achieve our goal of EU integration by 2028 or 2030 the latest, we must focus on four key areas:

• Education for Critical Thinking: We must build a generation resilient to propaganda by making critical thinking a mandatory part of our school curriculum.

• Evidence-based governance/data driven governance: We must train our civil servants to make decisions based on data and evidence, not political agendas.

• Strong local communities: We must empower our villages and towns with participatory democracy, making citizens active partners in their own governance.

• A realistic security debate: We must have an open and honest national conversation about the relevance of our constitutional neutrality in the face of russian aggression.

6. Moldova’s lessons for the West

For decades, the narrative has been that small countries like Moldova must “learn democracy” from the West. But today, the opposite is true. While populist and far-right movements gain ground in many wealthy, stable Western nations, Moldova, with far weaker institutions and under immense external pressure, chose democratic mobilization over populist retreat. The uncomfortable question for the US and Europe is this: If Moldovans can defend democratic values under such duress, what is your excuse?

A victory, not an end to the war

While we are still taking stock and celebrating this hard-won democratic victory, we must be clear-eyed about the reality we face - this was another battle, not the end of the war. 

There is no time for complacency.

As I write this, the criminal regime in moscow continues to re-arm, not just with conventional weapons, but with the sophisticated tools of hybrid warfare, preparing for its next assault on our sovereignty.

Just last night (Nov 19, 2025), maps from Ukrainian air defense showed russian missiles and drones streaking across the sky, their flight paths skirting Moldova’s borders. This is not an abstract threat. It is a visceral, immediate danger, a constant reminder that the enemy is at our gates and will not hesitate to escalate. How can we relax when the next attack will be even stronger?

Our success in September was not a signal to lower our guard, but a mandate to strengthen it.

The way forward: A new model for European Resilience

The Moldova Defends Democracy event in Vienna reinforced these lessons. We heard from investigative journalists who went undercover in troll farms, from civil society leaders who built a united front, from our international partners and from diaspora members who have become strategic actors in their own right.

This is the “whole-of-society” model in action. It is a blueprint for a new kind of democratic defense, one that is decentralized, networked, and deeply rooted in civic courage. And it is a model that the rest of Europe would do well to study.

The path forward is clear. We must continue to build on this momentum, fostering the partnerships that made this victory possible. And we must reframe the narrative once and for all. 

Here are my nine strategic insights for the future of Moldova's and European democracy

1. The "Whole-of-Society" model is a strategy, not a slogan.

• For Moldova: Formalize and deepen the collaboration between government, civil society, independent media, and the diaspora. Create permanent platforms for coordination and joint action, moving from ad-hoc cooperation to an institutionalized national resilience strategy. Such a framework can build directly on the foundation of Open Government tools and practices that we have promoted for years through our Open Government Partnership agenda. As an OGP Envoy since 2016, I strongly believe in the potential of open and transparent governance to enable the kind of whole-of-society collaboration that proved decisive in Moldova's democratic defense.

• For Europe: Shift from funding individual projects to supporting the entire ecosystem of democratic resilience. This means investing in the connective tissue between different societal actors in candidate countries and learning how to replicate this model at home.

2. The Diaspora is a strategic asset, no longer just a source of remittances.

• For Moldova: Create formal mechanisms to leverage the expertise of the highly-skilled diaspora. Initiatives like a "Diaspora Diplomatic Academy" or formal advisory roles can transform this untapped resource into a powerful force for modernization and EU integration. Just as an example: as the Moldova4EU Diaspora Task Force, we have convened three high-level dialogues in Vienna since Moldova received candidate status in 2022, and this is proof that diaspora networks can successfully facilitate high-level policy discussions and strengthen Moldova's position in European capitals. 

• For Europe: Actively recognize and engage with diaspora communities from candidate countries as key partners in the accession process. They are not just stakeholders; they are bridges of knowledge, culture, and democratic values. 

3. Independent Media is national security infrastructure.

• For Moldova: Develop sustainable, long-term funding models for independent media and provide robust legal protections for journalists facing harassment and politically motivated lawsuits.

• For Europe: Treat support for independent media in frontline states with the same urgency as military aid. A well-informed public and a courageous press are core components of any effective "Democracy Shield."

4. Pre-bunking and information hygiene are more effective than debunking.

• For Moldova: Scale up national media and information literacy programs, making critical thinking a mandatory part of the curriculum from primary school through university and into lifelong learning programs.

• For Europe: Shift from a reactive posture of debunking disinformation after it has spread to a proactive strategy of "pre-bunking"—inoculating populations against common manipulation techniques before they are exposed to them.

5. Frozen conflicts are a geopolitical Veto; they must be neutralized.

• For Moldova: Continue to pursue a diplomatic path for the peaceful reintegration of the Transnistrian region while ensuring this process does not halt the country’s EU accession.

6. Institutional agility is the key to outpacing hybrid threats.

• For Moldova: Foster a culture of rapid learning and adaptation within state institutions, particularly in law enforcement, cybersecurity, and intelligence, to stay ahead of evolving threats.

• For Europe: Create dedicated platforms for rapid, real-time knowledge sharing between member states and candidate countries on emerging hybrid threats and effective countermeasures. Moldova’s experience is a valuable, live case study.

7. Vulnerable regions require targeted democratic support

• For Moldova: Develop specialized approaches for Gagauzia that faces unique linguistic, cultural, and economic challenges. This means creating tailored communication strategies, supporting local independent media like Nokta, and ensuring that EU integration benefits are clearly visible and accessible to all communities. The work of journalists like Mihail Sirkeli demonstrates that even in the most challenging environments, independent voices can maintain democratic discourse and counter disinformation.

• For Europe: Vulnerable regions within candidate countries, whether due to ethnic minorities, economic disadvantage, or geographic isolation, require targeted support and cannot be treated as afterthoughts in the accession process. These regions are often the first targets of malign influence precisely because they feel disconnected from the benefits of democratic governance.

8. Democratic resilience requires a new Diplomatic Choreography.

• For Moldova: Capacitate and empower a new generation of diplomats who are fluent in network-based engagement, community-building, citizen-centric diplomacy, and who can operate effectively beyond formal state-to-state channels.

• For Europe: Redesign diplomatic practice to embrace a multi-stakeholder reality. The future of effective diplomacy lies in the ability to build and sustain alliances with civil society, independent media, and diaspora networks, the very actors who are on the frontlines of defending democracy.

9. The illusion of "Friendship" with an authoritarian regime must be forever abandoned

• For Moldova: Communicate through all means possible that the current russian regime does not operate within the norms of civilized international relations. It does not understand friendship or partnership, only dominance and submission. Any policy based on the assumption that "normal relations" are possible with putin's russia is fundamentally flawed and dangerous. 

• For Europe: Confront the uncomfortable reality that some European leaders and business interests still cling to the fantasy of "doing business" with putin's regime. This is not pragmatism; it is willful blindness to the nature of the threat. russia's brutal invasion and war in Ukraine, brutal interference in Moldova, and across Europe has demonstrated that it views any relationship as zero-sum. The sooner Europe abandons the illusion of "reset" or "engagement," the sooner it can build effective defenses against russian aggression.

These nine insights represent hard-won lessons from the frontlines of democratic defense. Moldova's victory in 2024 and 2025 was not the result of luck or external intervention, but of a deliberate, coordinated effort to build resilience from the ground up. 

The "whole-of-society" model that emerged is not unique to Moldova; it is replicable, scalable, and urgently needed across Europe. 

As we face an era of intensifying hybrid threats and authoritarian aggression, the choice is clear: we can either learn from Moldova's example and strengthen our democratic defenses, or we can continue to treat each attack as an isolated incident, watching russian drones fly above the European cities, leaving ourselves vulnerable to the next assault.  

The time for half-measures and wishful thinking is over. 

Democracy requires active defense, and Moldova has shown the way forward.