MOLDOVA Law and Practice Contributed by: Ina Jimbei, Efrim, Roșca and Associates
3. Limitation Periods and the Duration of Litigation 3.1 Statute of Limitations Under Article 79 (2) of the Competition Law, a claim for damages arising from an infringement of competition law must be brought within one year from the date on which the Competition Council’s infringement deci - sion becomes final. A decision becomes final either because it was not challenged within the statutory time limit or because it has been upheld, in whole or in part, by a final and irrevocable court judgment. The Competition Council’s decision nevertheless has a decisive impact on the limitation period. Since a damages action may only be brought after the infringement decision has become final, the one-year limitation period begins to run only from the date on which that decision acquires finality. 3.2 Typical Length of Private Antitrust Litigation The duration of private antitrust litigation does not dif - fer from that of other civil proceedings in the Republic of Moldova, as no special procedural rules or expe - dited timelines apply. In recent years, however, the overall length of civil litigation has increased due to the ongoing judicial vetting and evaluation process, which has resulted in a significant number of judges leaving the judiciary or being removed from office. As a result, first-instance proceedings may take up to three years, while appeal and cassation proceedings may each require a further two to three years, mean - ing that complex cases can remain pending for six or more years before a final judgment is rendered.
Starting 26 June 2026, Law No 80/2025 empowers qualified entities to bring actions on behalf of consum - ers seeking injunctive or redress measures. 4.2 Opting In or Out According to Law No 80/2025, actions claiming injunc - tive measures operate on an opt-out basis, without specific certification criteria for class approval. Actions seeking redress measures are opt-in, requir - ing consumers to provide written consent within 30 days from the filing of the claim, but not later than the end of oral proceedings. 4.3 Direct/Indirect Purchasers Moldovan law does not distinguish between direct and indirect purchasers in the context of private antitrust actions. The Competition Law contains no specific provisions governing the standing, rights or eviden - tiary rules applicable to indirect purchasers, nor does it provide special rules on the passing-on of overcharg - es. Accordingly, the general rules on civil liability and standing apply. Any natural or legal person that can demonstrate that it has suffered damage as a result of an infringement of competition law may, in principle, bring a claim for compensation, subject to the condi - tions laid down in Article 79 of the Competition Law and the general rules of the Civil Code and Civil Procedure Code. Moldova is currently in the process of transpos - ing the EU Damages Directive (see 1.2 Recent Devel- opments ), which is expected to introduce specific rules on direct and indirect purchasers. 4.4 Class Certification Moldovan law does not provide for a class certification procedure or a class action mechanism comparable to those available in some other jurisdictions. Private antitrust claims must generally be brought by the individual natural or legal persons alleging that they have suffered damage as a result of an infringement of competition law. While the Civil Procedure Code permits procedural joinder of multiple claimants or defendants where their claims or obligations are connected, this does not constitute a collective redress or class action mecha - nism. Accordingly, there are no special certification
4. Class and Collective Actions 4.1 Statutory Basis
The concept of collective actions is not regulated under Moldovan legislation. However, the Civil Pro - cedure Code provides for procedural co-participation, which allows several plaintiffs and/or defendants to participate jointly in a single proceeding.
110 A NTITRUST LI T IGATI O N 2026
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