The Moldovan government must show that it has not only a European view on the future, but also accomplishments that can convince the people and the European partners that they are responsible, director of the Association for Participatory Democracy Igor Botan said in a debate forum centering on the European integration of Moldova. According to him, the Moldovan authorities are treated by the Europeans with indulgence only because they promote the European course by words. The expert expressed his concern that the EU, closer to the signing of the Association Agreement, may impose certain conditions, as in the case of Ukraine, IPN reports
“The EU now treats the Moldovan rulers as traffic participants that are used to breaking the traffic rules. The reforms initiated by Moldova imply dramatic structure and personnel changes. But we see that those who were involved in corruption schemes and scandals continue to hold their posts, while the very special relations with the political groups remain as topical, despite the initiated reforms,” said the analyst.
Igor Botan also said that the situation in Ukraine would have been different if the Europeans had imposed conditions related to the Association Agreement six months beforehand. “Ukraine is essential for the European integration processes of Moldova because we don’t know how the Transnistrian conflict will be solved and how it will influence our course. I fear that conditions will be imposed on Moldova on the eve and things similar to the developments in Ukraine will happen,” he added.
In connection with these discussions, Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Pirkka Tapiola said the EU is holding a close dialogue with the Moldovan authorities in order to identify the sectors where conditions still need to be applied. “We also had discussions with Ukraine on a number of areas and if justice hadn’t been so selective, the situation would have been totally different. When we imposed certain conditions on Ukraine, we wanted to see a change in the situation and expected that they would stop the dramatic deterioration in the situation. Moldova does not have such problems,” he stated.
The EU ambassador underlined that the way the Moldovan people feel the effects of the Association Agreement depends on the preparedness degree of the state institutions and how well corruption is combated. He reiterated the EU’s commitment to Moldova, saying the European Union will provide financing depending on the efficiency of the reforms implemented by the Moldovan government.
The first annual Conference of the Moldovan European Integration Debate Forum was organized by the Foreign Policy Association and the German foundation Friedrich Ebert, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova.
