Moldova must cultivate sense of European belonging, study

A strategy for cultivating the European identity and the sense of belonging to the great Europe must be implemented in Moldova. The country also needs to promote an image of European state. These are two of the main conclusions of the 2012 National Human Development Report “European Aspirations and Human Development of the Republic of Moldova” that was made public in Chisinau on December 7, Info-Prim Neo reports. The authors plead for the promotion of development policies for strengthening the country’s human capital and creating conditions for the self-realization of this capital that is needed in the European integration process. They stress the necessity of drafting and implementing a communication strategy that will address the fears and expectations of the Moldovans as regards the European integration and will explain its benefits and opportunities. The facilitation of inter-religious communication, pleading against discourses that incite hatred and promotion of a comprehensive legal framework concerning antidiscrimination will also ease the integration process, according to the report authors. As to the preparations for managing the impact of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with the EU, the authors recommend adjusting the fruit and vegetable growing sector to the quality standards as it is one of the most important sectors from economic and social viewpoints. In the context of the talks on the liberalization of the visa regime with the EU, they recommend implementing reforms aimed at improving the management of control on the border between Moldova and Ukraine along the Transnistrian segment and ensuring the security of the civil status documents issued by the Transnistrian authorities. The 2012 National Human Development Report, commissioned by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Moldova, was developed by the Independent Analytical Center “Expert-Grup”.