One of the main expectations of Moldova at the 2021 Eastern Partnership Summit is to find ways to deepen integration into the EU market, but also to strengthen security dialogue, said Vladimir Cuc, state secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.
Speaking during the fifth event of the “#BeTheChange: Change begins with you!” Initiative, – organized by the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE) and dedicated to the expectations that young people have of the Partnership Summit Eastern – Vladimir Cuc said the political context in the EaP region, but also in the EU, is “quite complicated” now.
“We who have been working in this area for quite some time, have realistic expectations of the Summit, because we understand that probably now is not the best time for revolutionary political decisions and we understand that in these circumstances, some major decisions will perhaps be hard to push through. Therefore, the emphasis is not so much on the political side, but rather on real and practical cooperation as to how to bring the countries that want it closer to the EU”, the official said.
IPRE executive director Iulian Groza said that what is important now, when it comes to intensifying relations at government level, is that “we must learn to work together”. The status of EU candidate which Moldova seeks involves a lot of negotiation, compromises and decisions to achieve a greater convergence at European level. And this, the ability to work together, must also happen at the level of the three countries: Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, because all these three countries have very clear European aspirations.
Dionis Cenușa, researcher at the Giessen University, believes that Moldova should be a realistic player in relation to the EU. Even if Moldova is going through some extremely important political transformations, which create cohesion in society around the European vector, there are, besides the governing elite, state institutions, national and local public administration, non-governmental institutions. Thus, besides those who discuss with European partners, there are people who only follow what tangible results Moldova can achieve. That is probably why the tangible results would be the most important part, as they are always mentioned by the European partners. Dionis Cenușa also says that Euroscepticism arises due to the fact that Moldova somehow focuses on technical aspects rather than on the quality of implementation or of the outcomes.
Stanislav Secrieru, senior associate analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), noted that the Summit will take place in a different composition. For the first time, the United Kingdom will not be among the participants. The relationship with the United Kingdom was important in promoting the agenda within the EU. So, a major player will be missing and practically the EU will be made up of 26 states. A similar thing happens in the Eastern Partnership countries. For the first time, Belarus will not participate in this Summit because it has unilaterally suspended its EaP membership. Thus, it must be remembered that the Summit will be held in a 27 + 5 formula, and not 28 + 6, as it was the case in 2017.
Anastasia Eșanu, communications coordinator at Young European Ambassadors, said that the expectations of young people at the 2021 Eastern Partnership Summit are very ambitious. Young people would like to see the achievement of the five goals that the EU has already set for the Eastern Partnership after 2020. This is important, because if there is a resilient and sustainable economy, if there is respect for the rule of law and if we address climate issues, this will ensure a good enough future for young people to remain in the Eastern Partnership countries, including Moldova. At the same time, young people would like more elaborate goals in the future. She also says that many young specialists need work experience, so job shadowing programs are welcome in the long-term policy goals for the Eastern Partnership after 2020. Also a very important aspect is modernization and innovation at all levels of education.
The event is organized by trainees and young researchers participating in the programs #InternshipIPRE2021 and #YoungFellowsIPRE2021 as part of the IPRE project “Change begins with you! - #BetheChange: Youth for the Europeanization of the Republic of Moldova ”, implemented in cooperation with the Hanns Seidel Foundation and with the financial support of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany.
