““The Association Agreement will lead to Moldova’s loss of sovereignty”, “The Association Agreement will further enflame Russia-Moldova relations”, “Consumer prices will increase as a result of the the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area”. These are only some of the most spread hypotheses about the Association Agreement with the European Union. Are they true theories or just myths? IPN aimed to find out the answer from a number of independent experts and officials working in the addressed areas.
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“The Association Agreement will force Moldova to legalize gay marriage”

“It is one of the most aberrant myths I ever heard. There are no legal or moral reasons for the people to fear that Moldova will be obliged by the EU to accept gay marriages,” said the vice director of the Nondiscrimination Coalition Ana Furtuna. She noted that not all the EU member states legalized this type of marriage, while in Moldova this myth has a political undertone.

“The goal of the Law on Gender Equality (which is contested by representatives of a number of Christian organizations, e.n.) is to eliminate, prevent and combat discrimination against all the categories of people. It doesn’t aim to promote same-sex marriages and, eventually, the adoption of children by these families,” said Ana Furtuna. There is no bill in this respect, not event in thoughts.

“This subject is absolutely aberrant and politicized and there are no reasons or at least a suspicion that such a possibility will appear in the near or distant future,” said the vice director of the Nondiscrimination Coalition

The European Union Delegation to Moldova says family law is not an EU competence. All EU countries develop their own legislative framework for family relations, based on their own values, traditions and culture. The EU does ask Moldova to introduce legislation to protect citizens against discrimination. This is a requirement under the Visa Liberalization Action Plan. The Law on Gender Equality, also known as the Antidiscrimination Law, simply assures the equal treatment of all citizens, including those belonging to minorities.  This protects citizens’ existing rights, for example to enjoy freedom from discrimination in the workplace.

Alina Marin, IPN