IPN on June 5 published an OP-ED entitled “Priorities of Eastern Partnership until 2020 and how Moldova can benefit from these”, signed by expert in political sciences Dionis Cenusa. According to the author, the Eastern Partnership, as the Association Agreement, should not be used as a screen that actually hides the ossification of the political class, erosion of democratic institutions or segregation of civil society and the mass media according to political principles. The politologist approves of the plan of action for the Eastern Partnership until 2020 proposed by the EU. He said this is comprehensive and covers practically all the areas needed by Moldova to ensure a qualitative jump and restore the social contact with its own people. The author warns it is important to discipline the government and to make this promote the public interests.

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Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai, alongside the Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Pirkka Tapiola and director general of the Tourism Agency of Moldova Stanislav Rusu, planted linden tree samplings in the square of the Metropolitan Church in central Chisinau as a symbol of the contribution to the development of tourism industry and to sustainable economic development of society. According to Ambassador Pirkka Tapiola, statistics show that Moldova is the least visited country in Europe, but a lot of events take place here. “The Republic of Moldova is fundamentally a European country that is between two European cultures: Romanic and Slavic. It is a country with a fascinating history,” stated the diplomat.

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The campaign “Opening Doors for Europe’s Children” has a new member. This is CERI International Moldova, which became the eighth partner organization. Within the campaign, the partner organizations combine forces and plead for strengthening families and promote transition from residential care to community, family-type care for all the children of the Republic of Moldova. “We are here to help the disfavored families to overcome the difficulties and to bring up children in the warm and friendly environment of a family,” stated Ecaterina Babin, programs director at CERI International Moldova.

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The author of the analysis “Expulsion of diplomats: “red lines” inside and outside Moldova” that was published on June 5, 2017 suggests that the government of Moldova acted consciously when it expelled five Russian diplomats, but could thus face significant problems at internal level, including diminution of the support for the country’s European development course. “This could happen because a part of the Moldovan population is under the influence of the own traditions and nostalgias that were already transmitted from generation to generation and were fueled copiously by the Russian audiovisual area and by promoters of the policy of the pro-Russian course and simply does not treat the Russian spies as spies, in the meaning of “bad guys”. The “short-circuit” in the minds of those citizens of the Republic of Moldova that occurred on the occasion of the expulsion of the spies of a foreign state could produce different and rather unexpected reactions: from tacit or open revolt to consolidation of the ranks of the political forces that wave flags anti-U.S., anti-EU and anti-West and this can weaken further the social base of the country’s European development course and, respectively, the government that declares itself pro-European,” wrote the author.

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The Free Trade Area of the Republic of Moldova with the European Union opens up new possibilities for developing the business sector, in particular for increasing the number of joint companies, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said in a meeting with the President of Belarus Alexandr Lukashenko in Minsk. For his part, President Alexandr Lukashenko said the Belarusian authorities plead for stimulating the bilateral partnership and for making maximal use of the opportunities provided by the bilateral and multilateral agreements to which Moldova and Belarus are a party.

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A number of 89 children of Ratus village of Criuleni district will benefit from better conditions at the local kindergarten that was renovated and outfitted within the program of technical and financial assistance provided by the Government of Romania for preschool education institutions of the Republic of Moldova. A sum of 110,000 lei was allocated to the kindergarten in Ratus from the grant provided by the Government of Romania, while the mayor’s office contributed over 48,000 lei. Attending the inauguration, Romania’s Ambassador Daniel Ionita said the works were carried out in accordance with the European standards. To renovate and equip Moldovan kindergartens, the Government of Romania allocated €26 million. The money has been used to refurbish 832 kindergartens in the Republic of Moldova.

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The sewer pipes in Chisinau will be unblocked and cleaned twice faster, while the time needed for dealing with consumers’ requests to repair sewer pipes will decrease significantly. In this regard, S.A. “Apa Canal Chisinau” (ACC) on June 7 tested the specialized units of transport and equipment bought within a program financed by the EBRD and EIB. Ten IVECO vehicles, two MAN trucks and a car with a video inspection system to determine the technical state of pipes were purchased within the project. According to the data of ACC, the company’s teams in the first five months of 2017 dealt with 2,000 cases of sewer blocking, an increase of 10% compared with the corresponding period last year.

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In possession of a leaked document, Reuters said the experts of the Venice Commission concluded that the electoral system change in Moldova is “inappropriate“, invoking risks of political or business interests. Veaceslav Berbeca, expert of the Institute for Development and Social Initiative “Viitorul”, noted that what Reuters broadcast is a draft that will be yet modified, but it will definitely contain such sentences as “we express our concern”. Analyst Roman Mihaes said the Venice Commission cannot reject the whole bill and most probably pronounced on particular provisions.

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Prime Minister Pavel Filip, in the June 8 meeting of the Cabinet, spoke about the results of his June 6-7 visit to Belarus. He said the constructive dialogue with the Belarusian side shows that Moldova is able to build mutually advantageous bilateral relations also with states that are not members of the EU, especially those from the Commonwealth of Independent States. “The Moldovan-Belarusian relations are an example showing that the pro-European option of the Republic of Moldova does not prevent us from having good relations with the countries from the East, based on mutual respect,” stated the Premier.

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The Liberal Party was removed from government to free room for others, while Kiril Luchinski was arrested because of journalist Natalia Morari, the leader of the Party “Platform Dignity and Truth” (PPPDA) Andrei Nastase stated in a TV program. Speaking about the current situation of the Liberal Party, Nastase said that Vlad Plahotniuc removed this party from government because he no longer needs it and freed room for others. The politician noted that the Liberal Party also became a victim due to Mihai Ghimpu’s foolishness as he came up with the idea of distributing the state institutions according to political criteria. The Democratic Party wants to place a reliable person instead of Dorin Chirtoaca and this is Socialist Ion Ceban.

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The business entities will be able to bring only high-quality and safe medical equipment into the country. At the same time, all the diagnostic and treatment devices will be periodically tested to avoid medical errors and incidents in the process of investigating patients and performing medical procedures. The measures are stipulated in the Law on Medical Devices that was adopted by Parliament in the final reading on June 9. The law was drafted by the Ministry of Health and represents a novelty for Moldova. It is also a measure defined in the national plan of action for implementing the Moldova – EU Association Agreement.

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Entrepreneurs from both sides of the Nistru River were informed about possibilities of exporting agrifood products to the European Union and subsidization programs at the business forum “AgriFood Export”. Attending the event, the Ambassador of Italy in Chisinau Valeria Biagiotti said almost three thirds of Italy’s agrifood exports are intended for the EU, which can be an attractive market for Moldova as well. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Iurie Usurelu said that to obtain more important market shares, the exported products should be of a high quality and in larger amounts, which can be provided only if small and medium-sized producers form associations.

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Deputy Speaker of Parliament Iurie Leanca said the European Parliament’s interest in the Republic of Moldova decreased following the political crises of the last few years. Speaking to journalists about the visit he made to Brussels on June 6 and 7 in a press briefing, Iurie Leanca said the Moldovan authorities should restore the Europeans’ interest in the Republic of Moldova so as to advance on the path of European integration. Iurie Leanca noted that until July 16 those who plead for the change in the electoral system in Chisinau are to have discussions with experts of the Venice Commission, but he is not very optimistic about the developments.

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The EU Delegation in the Republic of Moldova has launched a series of videos showing testimonials by businessmen in the Republic of Moldova. The Delegation will request the Broadcasting Coordination Council to recommend the broadcasters to disseminate the videos. The eight participating companies come both from the agricultural sector and from the industrial sector. According to the Head of the EU Delegation Pirkka Tapiola, the Moldovan products’ access to the European market is very difficult, but Moldova is a success story. In 2016, Moldova’s exports to the European Union made up more than 60% of the country’s exports and their value grew by 7.7% in 2016. The country’s main export products to the European Union are electrical cables, apparel and knitwear, car seats, sunflower seeds, wheat, iron bars, walnuts and shoes.

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.