The process of implementing reforms in Moldova has sowed down, while some of the reforms are open to question. Moreover, attempts are made to review important reforms that were essential for liberalizing the visa regime with the EU. At the same time, the lack of effort to fight corruption and reform the justice sector questions the will of the political class to follow the path of European integration, executive director of the Foreign Policy Association (APE) said in an APE press club meeting at IPN.
Victor Chirila stated that all these developments in Moldova and in other EaP states made the EU to initiate the revision of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) so as to make it more efficient and flexible. “I think that Moldova must adopt a clear and well-thought-out attitude towards this revision process. I’m sure that the Foreign Affairs Ministry made already known its proposals to the European Union. But the political class should also take a well-defined attitude in relation to the EU on the issue because the results of the process of reviewing the ENP will directly affect our chances of obtaining a clear European perspective in a predicable future,” he stated.
The APE director also said that the realities in our country and in other EaP states do not furnish plausible arguments to our supporters in the Europeans capitals, which would convince the European Union that the moment is now opportune for this perspective to be clearly formulated for the states that want to implement ambitious reforms so that they ultimately come closer to the EU. The countries that recently joined the EU should be more understanding towards Moldova because the problems we face are much more serious than those faced by these countries in the 1990s.
“We have a Russia that is now much more aggressive and has the instruments needed to stop the transformations in Moldova. We have oligarchy that didn’t exist in the Baltic states and in the Central European states, which practically captured all the governmental, state institutions. We have much more serious corruption than the given states. In such conditions, our society should be encouraged and have the instruments needed to exert social pressure on the political class that does not want real reforms,” stated Victor Chirila. According to him, the quality of reforms should be now reviewed and reduced emphasis should be placed on the quantitative aspect.
The press club meeting was staged by the Foreign Policy Association with support from the Think Tank Fund – Open Society Foundation.
