The cumulative progress made by Moldova in relation to the European Union in 2015-2016 was sufficient for Moldova to remain on leading positions within the Eastern Partnership (EaP), political pundit Dionis Cenusa said in an analysis article for IPN News Agency.

The politologist examined the EaP Countries Index for 2015-2016.

Partially, Moldova’s lead in the rankings is determined by the previous positive evolutions, such as the visa-free regime with the EU. At the same time, the more favorable position of Moldova is substantially due to the fact that a series of results achieved by Georgia and Ukraine became visible later (2016-2017). The speed at which Georgia and Ukraine move generates fertile ground for these to catch up with Moldova or even to outstrip it in the nearest future.

According to the expert, a more distinct situation is ascertained when attentively examining the performance of countries by sectors. Of six subsectors, Moldova ranks first only in one subsector – citizens in Europe. In democracy and human rights, it shares the first place with Georgia.

Amid the amorphous state of democracy, the regression in a country could remain unnoticed, while the positive measures, on the contrary, could have a substantial impact on the rankings.

This can explain how Moldova obtained the best position in the period (2015-2016) during which the banking frauds became internationally known, leading to a decline of about 15% in the GDP and the freezing of the EU’s budget support, stated Dionis Cenusa.

The expert considers that by the use of conditionality by the EU, the Moldovan authorities can be made to do different reforms. This can help Moldova remain at the forefront of the EaP. But as long as the European conditionality is unable to generate a transformation in the political elites, the real advancing of democracy and of the European project is improbable.