Civil society plays a significant role in the proper conduct of the European Political Community Summit in the Republic of Moldova. It can transmit key messages at national and international levels about the country’s European course, Andrei Curăraru, European integration, security and anticorruption policies expert of WatchDog Community, stated in a public debate hosted by IPN.

According to the expert, we should not have big illusions about the way in which we can influence the agenda of the event as this is coordinated at the highest level. “The analytical capacity of our civil society and the information that the authorities can provide are important. The dissemination of information is essential as the citizens must realize the advantages of the event and misinformation should be combated,” stated Andrei Curăraru.

Civil society presents shadow reports and opinion polls bout hot aspects of Moldovan politics. “This information refers to such issues as the refugee crisis, energy crisis, the economic impact of the Ukraine war on our country, etc. We transmitted particular messages about what civil society wants to be discussed there. On the other hand, we must realize that the agenda was set at a very high level and long time ago. We should not overestimate our capacity to influence the agenda of the summit,” stated Andrei Curăraru.

He considers the bilateral visits that will be made after the summit will contribute to solving particular internal problems of Moldova and the subsequent benefits depend on the seriousness and good intentions of the Moldovan authorities. “I think a pragmatic attitude on the part of our authorities, including on the bilateral visits that will be paid after the summit, is what we need to obtain particular support,” stated the expert.

Andrei Curăraru expressed his conviction that this summit does not intend to replace the European perspective for the EU accession countries, but aims to bring back the political dimension of the EU to a rather healthy parallel with the EU, in which the countries from the EU zone present their views about the developments related to the war in Ukraine and not only.

The expert also said that the EPC Summit can contribute to promoting tourism and Moldova’s general image on the international arena. “This event can also have particular effects on tourism. There will be hundreds of features about our country in the international press and the chosen location is appropriate. It is hard to estimate the advantages for tourism. However, if we can organize such events, it means we can welcome also private tourists,” noted Andrei Curăraru.

The public debate entitled “European Political Community Summit, responsibilities and opportunities for civil society” was the second installment of IPN’s project “Support for European Integration by stimulating discussion in the mass media about the European Political Community (EPC) Summit” that is supported by Soros Foundation Moldova.