The European Union does not offer money for Moldova to offer something instead. The imposed conditions, even if they are aimed against someone or somebody and target the bureaucratic system or the less efficient political class, they are for the people’s benefit. Veaceslav Ionita, expert of the Institute for Development and Social Initiative “Viitorul”, said in the public debate “Chances of fulfilling the 28 conditions for obtaining €100 million from the EU or How real is the government’s objective to make the European course irreversible until the parliamentary elections?” It was the 85th installment of the series of debates “Developing political culture by public debates” that are organized by IPN News Agency and Radio Moldova.
“All the conditions of the European Union are actually presents intended for our people and here they show that we can, by particular efforts and if we are intelligent and fulfill them, to enjoy much greater benefits than the €100 million,” stated the expert.
As regards the possibility of obtaining the macro-financial assistance, Veaceslav Ionita said there are two important aspects related to Moldova and the EU. Moldova witnesses the inertia of the system. There is resistance, including political, to particular changes. The country needs this assistance as the budget construction for next year makes the state dependent on it. The state budget revenues collected this year are by about 3 billion lei larger than the projections and this sum offsets somehow the foreign relations handicap. Next year such a sum would not be collected and the void could not be filled without the assistance of the foreign partners.
According to him, the situation is now more difficult as, until recently, the EU focused on technical, quantitative issues, but now centers on a qualitative assessment. The EU will refer to concrete reforms, such as the Government reform, and to the achieved results. The assessment will also be based on the dialogue with the opposition parties that will have a rather important weight in the EU’s final conclusions. When formulating its conclusions, the EU will take into account about 10% of the government’s statements and primarily the position of the extraparliamentary parties, experts and civil society and the financing from the EU could be influenced by what those from outside the government say.
The expert of “Viitorul” concluded that the EU’s wish to help Moldova is enormous and the macro-financial assistance will bring enormous benefits to Moldovan society. Apparently, the government is willing to meet the conditions imposed by the EU, but it should also build dialogue bridges with all those from the opposition and civil society because it is very hard to meet the respective economic conditions imposed by the EU in the absence of communication capacities that are the government’s responsibility.
The public debate “Chances of fulfilling the 28 conditions for obtaining €100 million from the EU or How real is the government’s objective to make the European course irreversible until the parliamentary elections?” was the 85th installment of the series of debates “Developing political culture by public debates” that are organized with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany.
