The abolition of visas for travelling in the European area for the Moldovan citizens was the first step towards leaving the periphery and the six years that passed since that event were six years of freedom, and six years ago we stopped being secondhand citizens, ex-Premier Vlad Filat posted on Facebook, being quoted by IPN.
“Born from the ruins of an empire, with a divided history and an indefinite identity, the Republic of Moldova left the periphery of the USSR to enter the periphery of the Euro-Atlantic world. The indecision in defining a clear foreign policy option, fueled by a particular auto-sufficiency, generated by the lack of understanding of the international environment, took us towards isolation with long-term effects. It has been six years of the abolition of visa requirements, during which our citizens could travel freely in the European Union – six years of freedom and six years during which we haven’t been secondhand citizens,” stated Vlad Filat.
The impossibility of travelling in the EU gave birth to real dramas! He describes the forlorn and hopeless picture of Moldovan society, an image of a failed country between two worlds, before the liberalization of the visa regime.
“Even in the opposition period, both I and my colleagues realized that the annulment of the visa regime was not only a political necessity, but also a humanitarian one and the elimination of visas was therefore the key priority of the government I led. When we asked the partners from the European Union to eliminate the visas for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, I was regarded with skepticism and indulgent smiles. Nevertheless, on June 14, 2010, in Luxemburg, within the EU-Republic of Moldova Cooperation Council and at the meeting of the Informal Support Group for the Republic of Moldova’s European Action led by my friend Teodor Baconschi, minister of foreign affairs of Romania, in the presence of the largest part of the EU foreign affairs ministers, we presented the Republic of Moldova’s aspirations and determination to integrate into and to later join the European Union. The next day, on June 15, 2010, in the same Luxemburg, in the presence of European high-ranking officials, we launched the dialogue on the liberalization of the visa regime. We set off on a four-year-path that was covered and our citizens thus obtained the right to travel visa-free,” said the ex-Premier.
According to him, the abolition of visa requirements was a collective, domestic and foreign effort. “Romania played an important role in the visa liberalization and the signing of the Association Agreement. This, alongside France, created the Informal Support Group for the Republic of Moldova’s European Action. This group was the perfect framework within which we could explain and seek support for Moldova’s aspirations. During these six years since the visa liberalization, over 2.3 million Moldovans crossed the border to the EU, with over 8.5 million crossings being recorded.”
As of April 28, 2014, the Moldovan citizens with biometric passports can travel freely in the EU for a 90-day period during six months.
