The Republic of Moldova is at a crucial moment for its future. The road from the signing of the first strategic document regarding the relations with the European Union to the launch of accession negotiations was too long, of 20 years. Amidst an information war, the European future cannot be left to political debates and competitions, but the involvement of every citizen is needed. This is what the representatives of the civic initiative “Citizens for Europe”, founded by several personalities from various fields, say. They urge the citizens to join the initiative regardless of their profession, regardless of the community in which they live, regardless of the language they speak, IPN reports.

In a press conference, the executive director of the Institute for Strategic Initiatives (IPIS), Vadim Pistrinciuc, one of the founders of the initiative, said that 20 years ago, the Republic of Moldova signed the Republic of Moldova-European Union Action Plan, which specified not only the direction of the country, but also the transformations that Moldova undertook to achieve in order to get closer to the EU standards. And today, after 20 years, Moldova has reached a beautiful moment, when accession negotiations begin. “I personally have different feelings, including sadness that it took us exactly 20 years to get here. 20 years with many steps forward, but also with many steps back, 20 years of separation from the family, 20 years of protests, many parties, many governments. 20 years of a lot of suffering, but we are still here, close to the denouement, and what we will do next depends on us,” stated Vadim Pistrinciuc.

According to him, when the idea of the country becoming part of the EU is bombarded daily by falsehoods and manipulations, it is very important that the subject of the European future is not left only to the discretion of the politician. “It is very important that every citizen who cares about the future of this country should not be indifferent to all kinds of untruths. Let’s try to get involved, to be volunteers, to talk to other people, to talk on social networks, to try to break these false patterns, to stop this information war. Let’s communicate with our citizens who need a fair, balanced opinion and who need to know the truth,” stated the IPIS director.

Ludmila Roșca, a trainer at the Public Administration Institute of the Moldova State University, said that 20 years ago, she was involved in promoting European values in educational institutions, including higher education. In the international community and in the European area of education, she saw a new type of relationship between teachers, researchers after she was involved in mobility projects within the Erasmus+ program. All this enabled her to see the significance of European integration and of training and education programs. “Dear mates, we all know that the role of the teacher in contemporary society is much greater than transmitting knowledge. Through everything they do, including extracurricular activities, they educate society, promote a set of values. I ask you very much to get involved in this civic activity and to explain to our compatriots what advantages we have by integrating into the European Union,” stated Ludmila Roșca.

Youth Media Center executive director Veronica Boboc said that she wants to contribute to the country’s development by informing the citizens. “As long as the people are informed and think critically, it is harder to fool them, to induce a state of fear in them. The people who are informed can discuss, make informed decisions, and certainly bring development to this country... The ‘European Citizens’ Community aims to inform, to explain without political commitments what is happening in the country and what we are going to choose in the referendum of October 20,” noted Veronica Boboc, who joined the initiative.

Dimitri Moruz, a civic activist from Cahul, said that it is very important to have unity, involvement, mobilization to inform the citizens, to change life for the better.

Another founder of the initiative, WatchDog community head Valeriu Pasha stated that a month after its launch, about 360 people have joined the civic campaign and 100 of these people represent the diaspora. “There are several options for involvement. We will go in caravans through localities across the country to talk to the citizens. In particular, we will have an online campaign. If there are citizens who feel more comfortable contributing by sharing content, making posts, you are welcome to join us,” said Valeriu Pasha.