The European Union is interested in enlargement for geopolitical reasons as it wants to become an important political center, for economic reasons in order to extend its market and also to have control over the migration flow, expert of WatchDog Community Andrei Curăraru stated in a public debate hosted by IPN News Agency. According to him, the entry into the EU offers the states numerous economic and security advantages.

The expert noted that a simple comparison of the average salary in Estonia and Moldova reveals the difference between the two countries and the economic advantages offered by the membership in the European Union.

“I compared the average salary in Estonia in 2004 with the one we had in 2004 in Moldova. In 2004, Voronin held office of President, while Tarlev served as and Prime Minister. They are both active politicians at present. The average salary in the economy was then 1,300 lei. In Estonia, the average salary in 2004 was of 1,000 euros. Today in our country the average salary is 10,000 lei, which is an increase of almost 8 times, while in Estonia the average salary is 2,300 euros. It is a smaller increase, but if we think in general terms, we realize that the benefit this country enjoyed from forming part of the European Union is enormous,” said Andrei Curăraru.

According to him, over time the European Union has been interested in enlargement to become an important geopolitical pole, to increase its sales market and to have control over the migration flow.

“Why is the European Union interested in enlargement? We must understand that the economic nature of this union needs new markets and new labor forces. By 2000, the European Union understood that its civilizational project must include other states. We want migration processes to be managed. That is, the Hungarians who come to settle in Austria, a natural predilection due to historical criteria, benefit from the same rights as in their own country, which is they don’t work in the grey zone for not paying taxes. Business expansion is the second aspect. The businesses are always looking for spaces where they can produce something cheaper. Of course, there is also the geopolitical interest. It is the ambition of the European Union to become an important political center. Now we see initiatives at European level related to a common foreign policy,” said the expert.

He also said that the experience of the states that joined the European Union shows that the pre-accession period lasts, on average, for ten years. During the pre-accession period, considerable funds are allocated to reduce the social and economic gap between candidate and member countries.

“The average period for the European countries, since the obtaining of the candidate status to accession, is around ten years. The investments that the European Union is ready to make in the Western Balkans should also be appreciated. If we refer to Albania, a state comparable to us in terms of population and economic potential, we are talking about 4-5 billion euros already invested in the state,” explained Andrei Curăraru.
 
The public debate entitled “EU enlargement after the collapse of the USSR. Moldova’s lesson” was the 36th installment of the series “Impact of the past on confidence- and peace-building processes”. IPN News Agency carries out this project with the support of the German “Hanns Seidel” Foundation.