The opening of the European School for the Eastern Partnership in Tbilisi, Georgia, is the only action implemented of the “20 deliverables for 2020 for the Eastern Partnership”, which mean tangible results for the people. All the other actions and groups made modest progress or are in the process of being implemented according to schedule, shows a report produced by the Institute for European Policies and Reforms, IPN reports.
According to the Institute’s executive director Iulian Groza, in the document the European Commission centered on intersector subjects, economic development and market opportunities, consolidated institutions and good governance, connectivity, energy efficiency, environment and climate change and also on mobility and inter-human contracts. The document refers to all the six Eastern Partnership countries. In the case of Moldova, some of the objectives were achieved before the approval of the deliverables, such as the constitutional framework for equality between women and men, non-discrimination, liberalization of the visa regime, etc.
The actions planned for the intersector reforms are under implementation. Cooperation with civil society saw limited progress, while the communication of NGOs with state institutions was difficult, especially owing to the initiatives to restrict or control the activity of the representatives of civil society, including by legislative initiatives.
Moderate progress was made in implementing key judicial reforms and mechanisms for ensuring the rule of law and the fight against corruption. The process of appointing judges and prosecutors continues to be questioned in terms of correctness and meritocracy of candidates. The investigations featuring judges and prosecutors and those involved in the banking fraud haven’t been yet completed.
The extension of the essential Trans-European Transport Network TEN-T, supply of electricity, energy efficiency and environment were assessed as under implementation. Moldova transposed the largest part of the Third Energy Package of the European legislation and undertook to reduce CO2 emissions, approved the national legislation and strategic planning documents for promoting renewable energy and increasing the efficient use of energy resources.
Attending the presentation of the study, EU Ambassador to Moldova Peter Michalko said in 2019 it will be ten years of the establishment of the Eastern Partnership. The main accomplishments the past year, besides the launch of the European School for the Eastern Partnership, includes support for SMEs and augmentation of trade between the EU and EaP countries. The progress remains modest, especially in the areas of civil society, good governance and the rule of law.
Director of the Association of Independent Press Petru Macovei said the recent Civil Society Forum held in Tbilisi adopted several resolutions, including a special resolution on the situation in Moldova, which transmits maximum concerns from colleagues from all the states about the pre-electoral context, given the democratic backsliding witnessed in 2018. The resolution calls on the decision makers of the European Commission to follow the developments in Moldova in connection with the elections.
Natalia Corobca, program coordinator at the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS Moldova), said the partnership of the civil society with state institutions and international institutions helps bring Moldova closer to the European values and contributes to the faster implementation of reforms. “We hope that Moldova, succeeding this cooperation, will follow the path of European integration as soon as possible,” stated Natalia Corobca.
The report was compiled by the Institute for European Policies and Reforms for the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum as part of the project “Assessing Moldova’s Participation in the Eastern Partnership”, in cooperation and with support from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
