The holding of the European Political Community Summit in Bulboaca was a really historic event and a real success for the Moldovan diplomatic service. The impact of this exemplary effort by the Moldovan authorities to bring the European community leaders together will be rewarded in time through concrete projects and programs to support the Republic of Moldova and this will help the country on its path of European integration, said experts invited to IPN’s public debate “EPC Summit - diplomatic success for the Republic of Moldova”.
“For the Republic of Moldova, this event was a success. The Republic of Moldova, together with the development partners, was able to organize a high-level meeting not for itself, not for the European Union, but for the whole Europe. This summit wasn’t a presidency ending event, like in the case of the Council of the European Union or the Council or Europe or the OSCE. On the contrary, it was an ordinary summit, a platform on which heads of state and government and high-ranking EU officials pronounced on problems experienced by Europe. These problems refer primarily to Eastern Europe and it is very good that the second EPC Summit was held in an Eastern European country as the hosts can include specific issues in the agenda. I don’t say that at the next summits in Spain and the UK, the problem of Eastern Europe will not be debated. This problem will be discussed as it is a cardinal one not only at European level, but also at global level. The EPC Summit was an event staged at an opportune moment in the Republic of Moldova and I think, as I noted above, that this was a success,” said Victor Juc, a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, director of the Institute of Legal, Political and Sociological Research of the Moldova State University.
Former deputy premier for reintegration Vlad Kulminski said that from diplomatic viewpoint, it was an exemplary effort and the results will soon be evident given the great openness in Europe enjoyed by Moldova.
“It was an exemplary effort. At regards the organization, I don’t want to say that everything was perfect, but it was close to being perfect. Surely, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and for the whole state Republic of Moldova, this is a resounding success in terms of the organization of this summit. But I consider that this is not the most important and greatest accomplishment. The content of this summit is what really matters for me. If we sum up and say what important happened at this summit for the Republic of Moldova and what is its main result, I would say that the Republic of Moldova practically took a determined step towards the European Union and a step to leave this gray zone and the sphere of influence of the Russian Federation. To my mind, this summit was a very important stage for the Republic of Moldova in this regard. I think we will fully realize the significance of this summit in a period. We now cannot fully appreciate the results or importance of this summit as the geopolitical situation in the region is changing, but this event for the Republic of Moldova was a decisive and important step,” stated Vlad Kulminski.
Executive director of the sociological company iData Mihai Bologan said the conducted polls show that the EPC Summit aroused citizens’ interest and was among the main subjects of May-June. The palpable results of the summit can be monitored during the next months and these will be seen in the responses of participants in surveys on the European integration perspective or the investment climate.
“This summit also had special symbolism as it was held in a rural locality of the Republic of Moldova, which is situated very close to Transnistria and, respectively, to Ukraine. The fact that all the leaders from the European states came to this place shows that the Republic of Moldova’s security can be trusted and we are united and able to secure support from the givens states. Before the summit, we carried out a survey, but they discussed then a lot the European Moldova National Assembly. We determine a monthly indicator of the event of the month in the people’s opinion and a record number of 43% of the respondents said then that the national assembly was the most important event. The preparations for the summit of June 1 ranked third. In May and June, society lived intensely these two events: the European Moldova National Assembly that confirmed the wish of the largest part of society to join the European family, and the EPC Summit that confirmed the European countries’ support for the Republic of Moldova. In our researches, the agenda regarding the Republic of Moldova’s accession to the European Union appeared together with the start of the Russia Federation’s aggression against Ukraine and when we were granted the EU candidate status. With particular intensity that varies from month to month, the issue of our country’s accession to the EU is one of the subjects discussed in society. It is indeed supported by visits made by our senior officials abroad and vice versa, by visits made by officials, Presidents, Prime Ministers of European countries to the Republic of Moldova. As to the indicator about the EPC Summit’s impart, we will yet measure things. We will assess the long-term impact,” stated Mihai Bologan.
The public debate entitled “EPC Summit - diplomatic success for the Republic of Moldova” was staged by IPN in the framework of the project “Support for European Integration by stimulating discussion in the mass media about the European Political Community (EPC) Summit”, which is supported by Soros Foundation Moldova.
