The commitments assumed by Moldova before the EU exceed not only the real momentary capacities of the country, but also the readiness of the political elite to absorb and digest the necessary reforms till the end, expert in political sciences Dionis Cenusa says in an opinion article for IPN News Agency.
The politologist reminds that through the Association Agreement, Moldova forms part of the group of states with the most advanced relations with the EU in the Eastern neighborhood. This framework offers practically all the instruments needed for the country to integrate into the European market and to align itself to the political decisions adopted in the EU member states.
Even if conditionality elements are imposed, the implementation of reforms cannot be facilitated if there is a vacuum of political will. Without the latter, the country’s Europeanization remains on paper only, while the changes can be neither sustainable nor profound.
The involvement of the governments in a vicious circle of reforms envisions liberty and a system of limitations and balances in the functioning of institutions, but most of all predictability of the democratic processes.
The modification of the electoral legislation in the summer of 2017, in the absence of a common political and public consensus, showed that democracy is not at all predictable and is rather dirigible.
In the conditions of such a democracy, any reform included in the agenda has a limited impact and this impact is also proportional to the interest of the ruling political forces, explained Dionis Cenusa.
According to him, the government’s dependence on European financial assistance is practically the only leverage by which reforms can be yet stimulated. However, for this to be different from international development projects, Brussels should tie the financing conditionality to the establishment of such European values as the rule of law, good governance and human rights.
By such logic, the EU should at least delay the allocation of the first tranche from the macro-financial assistance of €100 million. Or the EU will transmit a wrong message to the government, encouraging it to continue to mimic reforms and to spoil the European values.
Moreover, the EU will miss the opportunity to strengthen its image in the eyes of the public opinion, which, being unable to penalize the government, expects measures comparable with penalty from the EU and other foreign partners, concluded the expert.
