The European Union is a project to which all he member states contributed and which is able to change the states, but the choice to go towards the EU is made at home, by every state apart, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Štefan Füle said in the opening of Europe Days in Moldova on May 18, IPN reports.
The Commissioner said the EU offers opportunities for the individual development of the states, but it is essential that all the actions promoted are for the people. “I address you as a man born in the Czech Republic, in a totalitarian regime. We went through transition, through elections. The EU has the ability to transform countries. The Czechs made their choice. This choice can be made only here, at home,” stated Štefan Füle.
Mayor General of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca opened Europe Days as a host of the holiday in Chisinau. He said that the EU offers freedom, democracy, developed infrastructure, security, peace and confidence in tomorrow. “We now enjoy a great opportunity of entering the EU. The situation at technical level is good, but at political level we have double standards of which we must get rid. I call on you, dear colleagues from Brussels, to criticize us and to exert pressure on us so that we meet the European standards. But do not interrupt our European course,” he urged.
President Nicolae Timofti said Europe Day is an occasion for the people to celebrate freedom and tolerance, which are values that represent the foundation stones of Europe. “The Moldovan political class undertook the desideratum of integration into the EU. I hope that the political leaders will find a compromise and will invest a new Government. The alignment to the EU values and standards is a vital process for Moldova,” he stated, adding he is glad that Europe Days this year are marked in Tiraspol too.
Prime Minister designate Iurie Leanca said the presence of Commissioner Štefan Füle in Chisinau on this day can be considered symbolical as it is an expression of the support that the EU offers to Moldova. “We achieved important results in only several years and the progress made motivates us to go on. I returned from Poland, where I saw the Royal Palace in Cracow. At the entrance to the castle, I found the coat of the Principate of Moldova among the military emblems. I thus remembered that we formed part of the European family. What we aspire for today is not integration, but return to the values of the European family,” he said.
A European Village was improvised in the center of Chisinau on May 18. The visitors were able to find out about the traditions and culture of the European states and the projects financed by the EU in Moldova. The EU embassies staged contests and prepared national dishes. On May 26, a similar village will be set up in Tiraspol.
