The European Union is the natural option for the development and modernization of Moldova and of the other countries of the region as well. Even if some of the social categories, including the national minorities, oppose such an option, a national consensus about this course can and should be reached by mutual respect within society and by transparency in doing reforms. Such statements were made in the public debate entitled “Political culture in the context of polarization of political options in Moldova. Pro-European option: change as a chance and remedies against fear of change”, staged by IPN Agency in partnership with Radio Moldova.
”One of the reasons why the European idea wash’s one that would divide is that rationally the governments of different orientations, cultures and ideologies repeatedly took steps towards the EU. We didn’t impose this option on Moldova or Ukraine. The countries themselves asked to come closer to the EU as large segments of the population and the elites saw in this an instrument for modernization,” said the Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Pirkka Tapiola. According to him, the pluralism of opinions and options within society is normal and should not be a reason for conflicts as, in the end, everyone shares the same ambitions. “What people want in society? To live better, to have clear rules, a level playing field, a better justice system, a better fight against corruoption… The more the quality of this goes up, the easier it will be to bring together these two entities,” stated Pirkka Tapiola.
The project’s permanent expert Igor Botan, director of the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT), said that the USSR itself signed an economic agreement with the EU and afterward, the states that appeared as a result of the fall of the USSR, signed themselves separate agreements. In Moldova’s case, all the governments, starting from the agrarians and ending with the pro-European coalition, took smaller or bigger steps towards the EU. “We have four political governments that ruled the country and each of them took by a step in a certain direction called the European integration,” stated Igor Botan. He expressed his confidence that regardless of the exact composition of the government coalition, the road to the EU will be continued. However, some of the parties in the election campaign will make effort to use the pro-Russian voters or Euro-skeptics to promote the pro-Customs Union option.
Anatol Taranu, director of the Institute for Political Analysis and Consultancy “Politicon”, wondered why almost half of Moldova’s population shares another option than the European one, if this is the natural one. According to him, on the one hand, the problem results from the attitude of some of the national minorities. “A part of our population formed part of the old dominant imperial nation, with certain privileges and advantages. Not everyone is ready to give up these privileges and advantages, most of which are already imaginary,” he stated. The second category of Euro-skeptics consists of social groups with a low general or political culture, less informed about the EU. “The only solution is for the government and civil society organizations to make effort to integrate the national minorities into society. As important is the effort to culturalize the masses without which the European idea cannot win ground in Moldova.”
The October 16 debate is the 34th of the series of debates “Development of political culture in public debates”. The IPN Agency stages these debates the third consecutive year with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation and in cooperation with Radio Moldova.
