The preliminary data of the first stage of the pro-European information campaign conducted by the community of pro-European organizations show that over 21,000 people from 12 districts of the country were informed about the benefits of Moldova’s integration into the European Union. In a news conference at IPN, director of the Resource Center for Human Rights (CReDO) Sergiu Ostaf said the general impression is that 72% of those interviewed consider the EU contributes to the improvement of their lives.
“74% agree to subscribe to the European cause by signing a pro-European petition or by becoming involved in the process of disseminating information about the integration into the EU. According to the people, corruption is the biggest constraint (40%). 21% mentioned poverty, while 8% the political instability. Also, 72% of the respondents said the situation in the country is much worse than two years ago. 51% of the people interviewed within the information campaign said they have the greatest trust in the family. Only 2% said they trust the law enforcement agencies,” stated Sergiu Ostaf.
The information campaign included discussions with the people about the European investments in district and community infrastructure because such facts are known less. It was established that in the 12 districts where the information campaign was carried out, investments in social facilities on the part of the European Union during the last five years were larger than the district budgets for infrastructure. In some of the cases, these were even twice or thrice larger. For example, the general European support in Hancesti district was of 500 million lei or 100 million lei annually. The annual budget of the district is of about 200 million lei, while the budget for investments in infrastructure is of 40 million lei. The European investments in the social infrastructure of Balti municipality were another example. In the same period, investments came to 1.2 billion lei, while the municipal budget for social investments was of only 80 million lei.
Asked if the people are sufficiently informed about the investments made in communities with the support of the EU, Sergiu Ostaf said the people do not really understand the benefits offered by the EU. “Regrettably, we established that less than half of the people know that these investments were made owing to the support provided by the EU member states. That’s why we went and explained to the people. Sometimes, the local public authorities do not inform the people about these investments and it seems that they come from the general budgets,” stated the CReDO director.
The second stage of the information campaign will continue by collecting information at local level and by informing the people about the benefits and changes brought about with EU support.
The initiative was launched by the Resource Center for Human Rights, the National Council of Student Organizations of Moldova, the Association “Honor, Dignity and Homeland”, the Association of Ukrainians in Moldova, the National Roma Center, the European Center for Civic Initiatives “Stalker” and the Association “A Step Together”. The representatives of these organizations said the people must learn about the quality of studies in the EU, the respect for the human rights and for the national minorities and about the fact that their integration into the EU can be ensured by union with Romania, and these knowledge should help them build Europe at home.
