Chișinău will host the 15th annual CORLEAP meeting on Monday, 14 September 2026, under the Eastern Partnership framework. Moldovan and European officials are due to discuss countering foreign information manipulation and interference and strengthening evidence-based policymaking at local and regional level. A pilot European training initiative for public administration officials from Eastern Partnership countries is also scheduled to be launched.

The event runs from 09:30 to 13:00 Brussels time, corresponding to 10:30–14:00 in Chișinău. According to the European Committee of the Regions, those two themes are the main items on the agenda. The meeting has not yet taken place; this article covers the announced programme, not outcomes.

What is CORLEAP?

CORLEAP is the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership. It brings together representatives of local and regional authorities from the European Union and Eastern Partnership countries, to develop cooperation and to strengthen the local and regional dimension of relations between the EU and its eastern partners. The Chișinău event will be the format's 15th annual meeting.

Foreign interference and information manipulation

One of the subjects officially listed for 14 September is countering foreign information manipulation and interference. European institutions commonly use the acronym FIMI — Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference. Discussions are expected to examine how local and regional authorities in Eastern Partnership countries can strengthen their ability to identify and respond to such phenomena. The Committee of the Regions' event notice does not attribute a specific operation to any particular country.

Evidence-based policymaking

The second announced focus is strengthening evidence-based policymaking at local and regional level. The idea is to make more systematic use of data, analysis and verifiable information when administrations take decisions that affect their communities. The discussion concerns Eastern Partnership countries and the capacity of their local and regional administrations to develop more effective public policies.

EPAPA academy due to be launched

The Chișinău meeting is also due to launch the pilot Eastern Partnership Academy for Public Administration at Local and Regional Level — EPAPA. The initiative is aimed at civil servants in local and regional public administrations across Eastern Partnership countries. The European Committee of the Regions says it will give these officials the opportunity to follow an EU course designed specifically for them. Practical details of the launch remain to be confirmed on the day.

Who is expected to take part

The meeting will be co-chaired by Patrick Molinoz of the European Committee of the Regions and Moldova's Constantin Cojocari. Announced speakers include Alexei Buzu, Secretary General of the Government of Moldova; Adrian Băluțel, Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Moldova's Parliament and Vice-President of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly; Konstantinos Koukas, President of the Chamber of Local Authorities and Vice-President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe; and Ambassador Iwona Piórko, Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova. Other Moldovan and international representatives are also expected.

Moldova's European path

The meeting takes place as relations between Moldova and the European Union continue to deepen. Moldova is an EU candidate country, and public administration reform is an important part of its path towards membership. Cooperation is not limited to central governments: local and regional authorities have a role in implementing reforms, which is why formats such as CORLEAP seek to include that dimension.

A second meeting on 15 September

CORLEAP will not be the only European meeting in Chișinău this week. On Tuesday, 15 September 2026, the inaugural meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee between the European Committee of the Regions and the Republic of Moldova is scheduled. The format follows a decision of the EU–Republic of Moldova Association Council on 28 May 2026. Tuesday's discussions will cover the state of Moldova's EU accession process and public administration reform. It is a separate event, the day after CORLEAP.

Source consulted: 15th CORLEAP annual meeting (European Committee of the Regions). 15 September meeting: Inaugural meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee between the CoR and the Republic of Moldova. Image: Parliament of the Republic of Moldova in Chișinău, April 2025, photographed by Z thomas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0; this is not a photograph from the 14 September 2026 CORLEAP meeting.