“The Venice Commission has stated its opinion at the request of the Moldovan authorities and its recommendations should be followed to the letter. I share the Venice Commission’s opinion that the introduction of the mixed-member electoral system is a fundamental change that would pose serious risks to democracy and the rule of law in the current political context in Moldova,” Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said in a news conference held jointly with Prime Minister Pavel Filip, IPN reports.
The European official referred also to the macro-financial assistance for the Republic of Moldova, noting the EU will continue to assess the state of democracy and the rule of law as a precondition for disbursing funds, if this operation is approved by all the EU institutions. “I don’t think it is a secret that the discussion of the electoral system is a key element in our assessment. We hope a solution will be found based on the result and the opinion of the Venice Commission. I think the statement of the Venice Commission was very and very clear – that this change is inappropriate in the current circumstances,” stated Johannes Hahn.
According to the EU Commissioner, the Moldovan authorities do not have reasons to hurry and it is now opportune to open negotiations with the other political forces of the county, interested players and civil society organizations. And only afterward will the EU assess the results of these negotiations and these will influence the decision on the continuation of financing.
For his part, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said the government is the one that asked the Venice Commission to appraise the draft law. “If we hadn’t intended to take the Commission’s recommendations into account, we could have simply adopted the bill. That’s why I want to assure you that all the recommendations will be thoroughly examined and the absolute majority of them will be taken into account so that the draft law is of a high quality when it is proposed for adoption and respects the democratic norms and does not leave room for abuses in election campaigns,” stated the Premier. He noted that broad discussions with parties and civil society will be held at the next stage so that the law is ultimately of a high quality.
As to the financial support from the EU, Pavel Filip said the political matters and the provision of assistance should be treated separately because it is not favorable for long-term development for the disputes existing in Chisinau to be exported to Brussels. “We must separate conditionality from the political reforms,” he stated.
The Prime Minister is paying a working visit to Brussels during June 20-21.
