The Republic of Moldova could significantly contribute to the improvement of the relations between the EU and Russia, a very important state from all viewpoints, Vice President of the European Parliament Miguel Angel Martínez said on October 29. The European official stated that Moldova knows Russia very well, does not have hostile feelings towards it and can serve as a bridge between the EU and Russia. Miguel Angel Martínez also said that his visit to Moldova has been too short to be able to make a through assessment, but he convinced himself that the people and politicians in Moldova have a common wish - to join the EU. Moldova implements reforms that it needs for modernization, democratic consolidation and prosperity. Miguel Angel Martínez stressed that according to his information, these reforms are implemented rather slowly, but he considers that the EU should assist Moldova in hastening them. Speaking about the new legal agreement that Moldova will sign with Brussels, the Vice President of the European Parliament said that the agreement should clearly stipulate that Moldova intends to join the EU. For his part, Moldova’s Speaker Marian Lupu said that besides doing the homework, the progress on the path to European integration depends significantly on how the European partners perceive Moldova politically. The Republic of Moldova is not yet so known on the European arena. “We must be present on the agenda of the European debates more often and assert ourselves in Europe in such a way,” the speaker said. Marian Lupu also said that the existent legal framework must not be mechanically extended, but there should be identified a qualitatively new framework in the relations between Moldova and the EU. According to him, there are two possibilities of doing this. The first possibility is to stick to the bilateral plan of action and to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement extended for a certain period of time. But this option will not provide possibilities of establishing new contractual relations with the EU. The second possibility is to establish a new contractual framework that will replace the existent one. Not the title, but its content counts. It should built on the present situation in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy and promote a clear message about Moldova’s European prospects, Speaker Marian Lupu said.