The EU Member States and the services of the European Commission are having discussions on the relaxation and travel conditions for citizens of non-EU states. “The conditions are being debated, but there is no clear approach on which we could pronounce,” secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Eugen Revenco stated in a public debate entitled “Movement and place of Moldovan citizens in Europe during and after pandemic: opportunities and risks” that was organized by IPN News Agency.
The official noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration until now has been in touch with the services of the European Commission and the EU Member States so as to facilitate the Moldovans’ return home and to buy different goods, including medical equipment. The relations with the neighboring states, such as EU member Romania, are close and the exchange of experience takes place. “New unknowns appear in the management of the situation. The pandemic intervention and control mechanisms used in different countries are adjusted and applied in Moldova too,” stated Eugen Revenco.
In another development, the official said the Republic of Moldova is slightly different from most of the countries of the region as its population moves intensely and the number of those who travel is very large compared with the population that remains in the country. “Therefore, the exact impact of the returns to the country, as regards the spread of infection with COVID-19, is not known and those who returned to Moldova cannot be blamed for spreading the infection, even if the first case of COVID-19 in our country was imported. I don’t know at what moment we should have intervened, but after the first case was identified the citizens continued to return. In such a situation, the authorities did what they could and we will see in time if the strategy was correct or not,” said Eugen Revenco.
The debate “Movement and place of Moldovan citizens in Europe during and after pandemic: opportunities and risks” was the 141st installment of the series “Developing political culture through public debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
