The reason why Moldova is not in the EU alongside the other former Soviet republics as the Baltic countries is the hesitation shown by society and the political class about the country’s development course, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca said in the Konrad Adenauer European Policy Forum “Moldova’s Future in the European Union”, IPN reports.
“In 1991, Moldova and Latvia were both Soviet republics with a comparable economic and social independence level. Today Latvia is a country with an average pension of €300, an average salary of €800, and agricultural subsidies of €180 per hectare, not speaking about the social or political safety, including the military one, not only of Latvia, but also of Estonia and Lithuania and of the other countries of Central Europe situated westwards,” stated the Premier.
“I’m convinced that the difference between what Latvia has and what we have is not because we were less intelligent or were less hardworking, but because we have permanently hesitated since 1991. We hesitated because we didn’t have a very clear view on the future of this country, didn’t known what kind of political system we want, where we want to be anchored and what kind of rules we want to impose. As a result, we have a state with yet weak institutions that are influenced by the political class. I refer to the institutions that must be fully independent.
“We must not invent the bicycle. We must employ the same elements as those used by the Baltic countries, Romania, Poland or those that now do the same thing in the Western Balkans, which now are ahead of us and move on the path to European integration much more actively.”
Present at the conference, Dr Hans-Gert Pottering, Chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and ex-President of the European Parliament, reiterated that the EU does not export ready-made solutions, but can share its experience and can offer assistance in working out concert solutions, adjusted to the local problems, but which must be in accordance with the European values.
The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) started work in Moldova in 2007, centering on political education and consultancy. Initially, the projects were coordinated through the Bucharest Office, but in 2009 the Foundation launched an individualized program for Moldova. In 2014, the Foundation registered a Representative Office in Moldova. The educational activities include conferences, seminars and workshops, while the counseling activities are aimed first of all at the political parties.
