Igor Corman: Moldova must have a paramagnetic attitude to Eastern Partnership

“Moldova is not yet a priority for the EU, but we must do everything possible to be heard and seen so that Moldova is treated seriously,” Igor Corman, the chairman of the parliamentary commission for foreign policy and European integration, said during a news conference on January 18, Info-Prim Neo reports. The news conference was held following Igor Corman's participation in the meeting of the working group for setting the future format of the parliamentary dimension of the EU's Eastern Partnership that took place in Brussels on January 14. The meeting was attended by 12 persons – six chairpersons of the relevant parliamentary commissions from the six countries (Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia), five representatives of EU members – the UK, Spain, Sweden, Poland and Lithuania – and one representative of the European Parliament. “The Eastern Partnership responds to the desire of the EU's Eastern neighbors to move closer to the European Union. The former government had a reserved attitude to this initiative as they considered only the bilateral relations with the EU should be developed. We believe we must have a pragmatic attitude to this initiative and use all the possibilities offered by it,” Igor Corman said. The meeting in Brussels decided that the parliamentary dimension will be developed by the EU-Eastern Partnership Parliamentary Assembly (EURONEST PA) that will be composed of representatives of the European Parliament and of the parliaments of the partner countries, and the forum of discussions that will consist of members of the COFACC (Conference of Foreign Affairs Committee Chairpersons) and their counterparts from the countries covered by the Eastern partnership, which will convene two times a year. According to Corman, the Parliamentary Assembly will be composed of 120 MPs. Half of them will represent the European Parliament, while the other half – the parliaments of the partner countries, by ten from each country. The Assembly will have two co-chairpersons and ten vice chairpersons and will come together once a year. The first session was scheduled for the end of March this year. “The Parliamentary Assembly will adopt resolutions and recommendations for the EU-Eastern Partnership summit, the ministerial institutions and conferences on the Eastern Partnership as well as reports and proposals as regards the functioning of the Partnership,” Corman said. During meetings with his counterparts, Igor Corman discussed a wide range of subjects concerning the relations between Moldova and the EU, including the holding of the meeting of the Moldova-EU Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in Chisinau between February 15 and 17, and agreed on the European officials' participation in the conferences on Moldova that will be organized in Brussels and Chisinau this year with support from Friedrich Ebert Foundation.