IPN on September 25 published an OP-ED article entitled “EU’s mission in Eastern neighborhood and Moldova: stimulation of development or European integration?”, signed by expert in political sciences Dionis Cenusa. The authors says that as the European values are perceived as a threat by the corrupt political forces in the Eastern Partnership countries and are the main targets of the Russian propaganda, the EU is obliged to double its efforts to protect and promote them. According to Cenusa, the EU should act based on the commitments assumed through the Association Agreement and should focus on its complete implementation by the transposition of the European values, not only of the specialized legislation. The establishing and efficiency of reforms depend on the visibility of independent institutions, which is impossible if the political factor neglects or undermines good governance and other European principles. The quality of the European integration and the continuous democratization of the region depend a lot on the attention devoted to the way in which the rule of law or the human rights are observed. The ignoring of these aspects can disqualify the European integration process, transforming it into an ordinary intervention with a limited impact, dedicated to the development of the countries in transition.
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The ethnic communities of Moldova presented the culture and traditions of their native countries in the 16th Festival of Ethnic Groups on September 24. In the morning, representatives of ethnic communities, accompanied by President Igor Dodon, laid flowers at the monument to ruler Stephan the Great, took part in the opening of the Festival and then amused themselves with music, dance and traditional dishes in the central park of Chisinau. Director general of the Interethnic Relations Bureau Oleg Babenko said the Festival of Ethnic Groups is an emblem for the Republic of Moldova. The event is one of the most valuable achievements of the state policy in the field of interethnic relations. “The Festival contributes to stimulating the intercultural dialogue and continuing the European integration project in the Republic of Moldova. The Festival makes us more tolerant and more united so that we combine forces to build our tomorrow,” stated Oleg Babenko.
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The Republic of Moldova will learn from the experience of Cyprus in resolving a secessionist dispute, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Galbur said in a news conference given after a meeting with his Cypriot counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides. Andrei Galbur said the European integration in Cyprus took place in parallel with the settling of the conflict that existed in the north of the country. He noted that Cyprus is a reliable supporter of reforms in Moldova and of the country’s European course. For his part, Ioannis Kasoulides said that his visit to Moldova is a step towards identifying new areas of cooperation, such as migration, social security, mutual recognition of diplomas and others
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The business community will be able to access data about the market on the left side of the Nistru. A partnership for conducting common market studies was established by the Chamber of Trade and Industry of Tiraspol and the Moldova-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The cooperation platform was set up within the Support to Confidence Building Measures Program that is implemented by UNDP Moldova. The market studies enable the business community and other interested sides to find out the consumption potential, quality of provided services, consumer satisfaction and other data not only on the right side of the Nistru, but also on its left side, which is a novelty. Those interested can go directly to the Moldova-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry or the Chamber of Trade and Industry of Tiraspol to order market studies. There will be created a specialized website and organized a campaign to inform potential clients. The platform has an increased sustainability potential given the business community’s interest in such information.
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President Igor Dodon on October 11 will meet with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin in Sochi, on the sidelines of the Summit of CIS Heads of State. He also plans to go to Brussels in October or November to discuss the future Moldova-EU relations. The visit is now coordinated with the Office of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Police Federica Mogherini, Vice-President of the European Commission. President Dodon informed about this in an interview for Radio Free Europe. The President said the working meeting with his Russian counterpart will center on subjects from the bilateral agenda. As to the working visit to Brussels, Igor Dodon said he plans to exchange opinions on the developments in Moldova, including about the mixed member system.
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Milk production in the Republic of Moldova decreased significantly during the last 25 years. In 1990 the Moldovan firms yearly produced almost 1 million and a half of tonnes of milk, but now yield about 400,000 tonnes. The data were presented by Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment Ion Parea in an international conference entitled “Quality and safety of milk” on September 27. “In 1990, most of the animals were publicly owned. The potential was then concentrated in agricultural enterprises. Now many animals are privately owned and the results achieved in the private sector are different from those achieved in other states,” said Ion Parea, noting that the sector needs to be urgently recovered. Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Peter Michalko said the export of milk to the EU market is monitored strictly. Moldova, if it wants to export this product, should analyze the deficiencies in the sector and adjust its policies to consolidate production halls so as to meet the EU standards. “Actions need to be taken to adopt legislation, to carry out inspections, to monitor and supervise the health of animals,” stated Peter Michalko.
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The EU Ambassador in Chisinau Peter Michalko said the relations between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova reached a rather advanced level and the Association Agreement can no longer be scrapped. Speaking in a press club meeting, the diplomat said the relations between Chisinau and Brussels have a solid basis. As to an eventual point in time when Moldova can submit an application for EU membership, the ambassador said everything depends on the quality of the done reforms. The new EU ambassador said the priorities of the government of Moldova should include the implementation of the Association Agreement according to schedule, the improvement of the state of affairs in justice and of the conditions of activity in the business sector. As regards the macro-financial assistance of €100 million promised by the EU to Chisinau, the diplomat said the money will be disbursed if reforms are done. The provision of the macro-financial assistance will also depend on the decisions that Chisinau will take in the context of the changes made to the Election Code. Referring to the Eastern Partnership Summit of November 24, Peter Michalko said the EU is for advancing the relations between the sides.
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Laws that guarantee rights similar to men’s to women were adopted in Moldova, but the women do not benefit from the same representation in politics. In the case of candidates, the percentage of political representation varies around 30%. In the Eastern Partnership countries, 23% of the women, on average, run to be elected MPs and 16% of these are elected. The data were included in the regional study of the women’s representation in politics in the EaP states, which was presented on September 26. Director of the Marketing and Polling Institute (IMAS) Doru Petrutsi said the women’s participation in politics depends on the place of the woman in society, the political context and the legal framework. The supply on the labor market for women and their employment as well as the mass media that regulate the perception of the women’s participation in politics count a lot. The political parties also play an important role in promoting women. According to the head of the Parliament’s commission on social protection, health and family Valentina Buliga, the first step in the area of gender was made through the law on the equality of chances between women and men that was approved in 2007. In April 2016, the legislature made changes to a number of laws to ensure gender equality in the public, economic and other spheres. Eva Gutjacr, deputy head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, said the women’s representation in politics as well is fundamental for democracy. Everywhere in the world, the women sit in Parliament alongside men and their voice counts in debates and in the process of taking political decisions. The women showed political leaderism, participate in political decisions and had an important impact in society. Even if there are challenges, there are instruments to promote gender equality in decision-making.
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Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu offered apologies to Romania for the harsh statements made by President Igor Dodon in the recent past. “A President who lacks competence offsets this lack with harsh statements. The reforms and European integration remain our priority, while Romania remains Moldova’s key partner and our advocate in the European integration process,” Andrian Candu stated after the trilateral meeting with the president of the Chamber of Deputies and the president of the Senate of Romania. In the meeting with Nicolae-Liviu Dragnea and Calin Popescu Tariceanu, Andrian Candu underlined the authorities’ determination to continue to implement the provisions of the Association Agreement with the EU and to continue on the European path by doing reforms for the people’s benefit. For their part, the Romanian officials reiterated Romania’s readiness to support Moldova in its efforts to come closer to the European standards, in particular in the sociocultural sphere, energy security, infrastructure and agriculture.
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In 2014-2018, the Republic of Moldova was to get over €400 million for implementing the priorities stipulated in the Association Agreement with the European Union. About 60% of this financing has never entered the country, director of the Institute for Development and Social Initiative “Viitorul” Igor Munteanu stated in the program “Emphasis on today” on TVR Moldova channel. Igor Munteanu said this shows that the state will receive less money in the future because it didn’t show capacities to use this assistance and Moldova thus freezes the natural growth and places undeserved obstacles in the dialogue with the EU. In the Eastern Partnership, the Republic of Moldova continues to be considered as a country that made particular progress owing to the visa free regime and to the fact that it moved faster than other countries in obtaining a Free Trade Agreement with the EU, but this does not bring sufficient resources for developing the economy and the state institutions, stated the expert.
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A project launched by the European Union and the Council of Europe aims to support fight against corruption and against crime in Moldova, with highlights including the creation of an agency to recover proceeds of crime, and efforts to enhance transnational cooperation. Other goals include strengthening civil society and investigative journalism. During the ceremony held to inaugurate the “Controlling Corruption through Law Enforcement and Prevention” (CLEP) Project, Deputy Justice Minister Nicolae Esanu stated that qualitative changes are needed, and the ongoing central administration reform is one of the last chances that our country has to implement fundamental reforms. EU Ambassador Peter Michalko recalled that fighting corruption and money laundering is among the priorities of the Moldova-EU Association Agreement. Corruption sets back governance and democracy in sectors such as policing, customs service, tax administration, education and so on. The general public should be confident in the institutions that participate in these important processes, the diplomat said. The project has a duration of three years, until May 2020, and a budget of 2.25 euros, provided by the European Union and the Council of Europe.
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MEP Knut Fleckenstein, who is the co-author of a European Parliament report on the Eastern Partnership, said those who do more reforms will get more support from the European Union, but when reforms are not implemented, the EU will no longer offer support. “More for more and less for less,” the official stated in an interview for Radio Free Europe. The MEP also said that the EU is not satisfied with what has been done until now, but if things go better, it will continue the rapprochement with the EaP states. As to the new European neighborhood policy, called Eastern Partnership Plus, which is to be raised at the Eastern Partnership Summit that will take place in Brussels this November, Knut Fleckenstein said that even if the EU brings new stimuli to the Eastern partners, everything will be subject to stricter conditionality and will depend on reforms. “It is about two things. On the one hand, we want to achieve more goals than now. On the other hand, we want to offer the partner states more stimuli, such as to make the entry of these states into the Customs Union or the Schengen Area possible. We will also increase the budget for the money to reach those who need it most,” stated Knut Fleckenstein.
The summary of news from the IPN series “European Integration” is produced with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany and can be further disseminated on condition that the source is indicated..
