Iurie Leanca: It's a big difference between reaching Europe and becoming part of Europe

{Info-Prim Neo interview with Iurie Leanca, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration} [ - Recently Commissioner Štefan Füle threw his support behind the idea of offering a clear EU membership perspective to Moldova in recognition of its solid pace of reforms. Some politicians and political pundits labeled it a “historic statement”. Is it really so, or should we rather temper our expectations?] - Undoubtedly, the emphasis put on Article 49 of the EU Treaty by Commissioner Füle in his speech at the EU-Moldova Forum in Berlin as an indicator for the course to be followed in the advancement of relations between Moldova and the UE will represent an important landmark for the Moldovan diplomatic efforts to secure a formal recognition by the EU of European prospects for our country. Further, I would like to remark that the European Parliament's Resolution on Moldova of September 2011 also made mention of Art. 49 in the context of Moldova's EU integration aspirations. Of course, expectations should be managed in a realistic manner which gives consideration to the sensibilities existing today in Europe, but at the same time in an ambitious manner, too, building on the motivation and determination existing at national level to pursue the European integration objective. [ - Let us first see what this statement means for the ordinary Moldovan, a Moldovan who is neither a politician nor a government official. How is this statement of Štefan Füle and the European perspective he mentioned supposed to make the ordinary Moldovan feel?] - The European perspective means a formal recognition by the EU of our eligibility to become a fully-fledged member of the Community. Hence, the earlier we obtain this recognition, including as a result of reforms and modernization of our country, the more we will get closer to the EU membership objective. Needless to remind you, the EU membership implies all the benefits of being affiliated with a space of stability and prosperity which the EU constitutes at present and which it will certainly consolidate and develop even more in the future. [ - There is the impression that Moldova's European integration is perceived differently by the authorities and politicians, on one hand, and by society, the ordinary people, on the other. Some say there are two parallel visions, with criteria that almost don't coincide. This is why we'd ask you to further follow the perspective of the ordinary citizen and try to see how proud he should feel when Moldova is described as a “success story” of the Eastern Partnership, for example? Why doesn't the ordinary Moldovan feel a leader in relation to ordinary Ukrainians, ordinary Georgians, ordinary Armenians, and so on?] - It is true that evolutions are seen better when looked at in comparison. So, compared to other countries included by the EU in the Eastern Partnership, Moldova, due to the progress made in reforms adjusted to European standards, is considered by the EU a leader of the Partnership. Precisely for this reason the member states decided to supplement the assistance offered to our country this year by €28 million, which will be channeled into rural development, health and justice. This sort of acknowledgment is most certainly a reason for satisfaction, not just for the authorities and the political class, but also for civil society and the general public. While, in the medium term, these successes are not very visible in the everyday life, the on-going reforms will eventually, without doubt, translate into concrete benefits for our citizens. [ - The authorities are taking pride in the fact that Moldova has reached a certain stage, advanced, if we are to believe them, in the negotiations with the EU on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area and on the Association Agreement. As concretely as possible, please: what's in it for the citizens, what benefits will the they get and when? I mean, many Moldovans have already reached Europe, literally, through their own elbow grease, working there or being engaged in trade. Why should they care if Moldova gets formally into the EU or not?] - It is a big difference between making it to Europe and becoming integral part of Europe, enjoying, on equal footing with other member states, all the opportunities of increasing living standards that a united Europe are offering. For example, trade will not be any longer with a foreign market, but with the internal market of the EU, whose part Moldova will be as well, and this will automatically exclude all cross-border issues, duties, customs, and so on. Accession to the Schengen Area, plenary participation in all the EU policies on cohesion and regional development, rural development, investment promotion, support to small and mid-sized enterprises, a common energy market, are further examples of the indisputable advantages of the EU membership. Further, benefits of political nature are more than obvious. However, all these can only be achieved through plenary accession, if I may say so, to the EU. [ - How do you explain the euroscepticism among Moldovans, which has become an increasingly pronounced trend, as polls suggest? This is despite optimistic reports from the Moldovan authorities about accomplishments in the European integration process and praise from European partners. One example is the aforementioned Commissioner Füle's statement, but there is more. What doesn't the ordinary citizen know or maybe feel of what the Moldovan authorities and European officials know?] - The assessment given to the results of polls by political analysts and sociologists rather indicate a causality between the drop in the percentage of EU accession supporters and the economic crisis experienced today by the EU, or more precisely the entire Europe, and not only. In fact, similar trends are being recorded within the EU itself as well, as the member countries' populations have been affected by the crisis. What we feel and see today, we certainly cannot ignore, but perhaps what is more important is the prospect of the economic situation getting eventually better in Europe, with direct implications for the living standards in Moldova. The fact that the EU is investing in the modernization of our roads, and you can see it by yourselves by taking a trip across the country, in our power grid and gas connections, in the development of agriculture and wine industry, should most certainly make us confident and optimistic about Moldova's European future. [ - Maybe our euroscepticism can be partly explained on what experts call “a lack of a government communication strategy for the general public”? Pundits also say that some countries in Moldova's situation even employed “aggressive” Euro-communication strategies for the often reluctant population. What kind of strategies are these, why doesn't our government have one, is there a need to have one at all?] - It is true that the government, while being so plenary immersed in efforts to reform socioeconomic areas, has paid less attention to communicating with the general public to explain them the essence of the on-going modernization processes and their effects. It is crucial to engage in communication in a structured and systemic manner with the population to explain the benefits that we will obtain in the short and medium run following meetings with European officials. [ - Please explain an apparent paradox to us: the negotiations with the EU are going swell, yet reforms are progressing not so well; there is little connection between the European orientation and the standards of living, to a degree so that it is felt by the ordinary citizen; polls show levels of euroscepticism within society are high and going up. Still, Foreign Minister Iurie Leanca has continued to be one of the top popular politicians. And this is despite the fact that Iurie Leanca the politician is little visible in the internal political life.] - It's the experts who rate us, not we. Our priority is to be active on the foreign policy front. People rate us according to the achievements that we have accomplished in our activity abroad. [ - So far we've tried to see what benefits are for the ordinary Moldovan in the European integration. Do you think our ordinary citizen is aware of what is there to lose if at some point this process is reversed and replaced with another vector?] - The European integration policy promoted by the government has been legitimated by the popular vote expressed in the November 2010 parliamentary elections. A simple comparison of Moldova's situation in 2009 with what we have today, I think, is more than enough in order to demonstrate the advantages associated with the European integration. [Valeriu Vasilică, Info-Prim Neo]