The Republic of Moldova made particular quantitative progress in the European integration process, but didn’t make much headway in terms of quality, while civil society does not yet have a lot of experience as regards particular European integration aspects. The President of the European Council Charles Michel, who made visits to Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia during February 28 – March 3, said the EU is closely examining the political crisis in the Republic of Moldova, but more intense preventive action on the part of the EU is needed to prevent crises, Dionis Cenușa, a political scientist, researcher at the Institute of Political Sciences of Liebig-Justus University in Giessen, Germany, stated in IPN’s public debate “EU’s calculations in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova – navigating between political crisis, reforms and influence of Russia”.
According to Dionis Cenușă, greater transparency in the implementation of EU projects should exist in Moldova so as to assess the impact of the funds coming from the European Union. To accelerate Moldova’s integration into the EU, the provisions of the EU – Moldova Association Agreement should be implemented precisely.
The expert said the three countries have systemic problems related to corruption and the state institutions’ capacity to resist the pressure exerted by oligarchic clans. “These oligarchic groups didn’t disappear. They regrouped, reformed themselves and found ways to remain in politics and this situation is a reason for concern. There is also Russia’s imprint as regards the territorial integrity of these three states. Russia tries to discredit the West and can distort the political realities in Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova,” stated Donis Cenușă.
He noted there is yet a common position of the EU on the three states - that European integration is not possible without reforms. “Ukraine could lose the visa-free regime with the EU if it does not fight corruption and does not do the justice sector reform. Georgia will have to respond how it resolved the political crisis. The Republic of Moldova is also under the EU’s scrutiny as regards public procurement, the implementation of the justice sector reform, the fight against corruption. Russia’s shadow is felt in the three states. It goes to Russia’s role in resolving separatist conflicts in these states,” said the research.
“In Georgia and the Republic of Moldova, the population has declined at an accelerated pace, while in Ukraine the intensity of this process is lower. The brain exodus slows down the transformation process, including in the Republic of Moldova. We have a society in which there is political frustration. The people choose to leave. The old parties leave, new parties come and there are differences between values – traditional family or nontraditional family, equal rights for all or not. The EU should understand that it contributes to the reforms in the three states by action or inaction.”
The researcher noted Georgia is the least affected by corruption among the three states visited by Charles Michel. “The EU follows how the justice sector reform is done in Georgia and how the political crisis that started there in October 2020 is being overcome. Also, the EU follows the rivalry between two parties – one in power and one in the opposition, with the opposition one being managed by Mikhail Saakashvili from a distance.”
The public debate “EU’s calculations in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova – navigating between political crisis, reforms and influence of Russia” is the 177th installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
