MEP Titus Corlatean: Moldova should choose between Western and Russian economic models

“Moldova shall go toward European-type prosperity, toward democracy, toward the Western model, including the Romanian one, or toward the Russian model. There is no third way,” Romanian member of European Parliament Titus Corlatean has told a news conference hosted by Info-Prim Neo Agency. “So far, the social, economic situation in Moldova has been bad for most of its citizens for years. You are the poorest country in the European space,” secretary general of the Social-Democratic Party (PSD) from Romania stated on Wednesday, November 19. Titus Corlatean held the news conference jointly with Tudor Pantiru, nominated by PSD to run for a deputy seat in the Romanian parliament from the constituency comprising Moldova for the first time. Arguing the selection of Pantiru by the PSD-Conservative Party Alliance, the first deputy chairman of the legal committee of the European Parliament said a mature solution is needed to promote Moldova to Europe. The situation is by no means favorable, the deputy believes, since the Europeans are tired with the expansion and because of the global economic crisis. “The migrant workers in the European countries will be the be first to be hit. Many Romanians from Spain, Italy return home. The same is valid for even more Moldovan migrants,” Titus Corlatean thinks. This means the foreign earnings to families in Moldova which support the Moldovan budget will dramatically fall. “40 % of the Moldovan budget is made of remittances,” the Europarliamentarian said. The European Union can do a lot in terms of economy. “It's not by chance that Brussels had this idea of a free trade accord with Moldova. The investments of Romanian and European companies can generate benefits and enhance the living standard in Moldova,” Titus Corlatean considers. “But there is a need for political will in the top, otherwise the things will remain in the gray area, as it is now.” The politician blamed the Moldovan authorities “for hampering big Romanian companies to enter the Moldovan market where they wanted to participate in important privatizations.” In another context, referring to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) of November 18, which found the Moldovan law banning dual citizenship holders to become parliamentarians was discriminatory and anti-European, Titus Corlatean said: “It's not a recommendation, it's a compulsory decision which needs to be respected and implemented by the Communist Government and Parliament.” “The law must be modified very rapidly. The sanction for not observing the ECHR's decisions is expelling the states from the Council of Europe,” the MEP said.