“Both the European Union and Germany need a safe and thriving Eastern neighborhood,” Dorina Baltag, researcher in foreign policy and EU diplomacy at the Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance in London, stated in IPN’s public debate “Germany has a new government: Impact on situation in the Eastern Partnership and in Moldova”.
The expert said Germany expects that the Associated Trio will continue the reforms. “This subject is stipulated also in Germany’s documents with long-term objectives – strengthening of democracy, the rule of law. These states are expected to ensure the freedom of the media and the independence of the judiciary. I think Germany will be very attentive to how well we will do our homework. This is the main preoccupation of the German authorities.”
As regards the diversity of political colors in the current government of Germany, which is called “traffic light government”, the expert said in Moldova there is no culture of political parties based on ideologies, with ideological views. These exist on paper only.
Dorina Baltag spoke about her own perception of things in the Netherlands, where she has lived for many years and that is a German model with respective differences. Here, they invested in time in functional institutions, in committed civil society and in solid media. The replacement of government and coalitions does not matter there. Civil society realizes its role. There is a critical mass of NGOs and initiative groups – on climate, on human rights.
“I would like to give as example the experience of citizens who not long ago, during the pandemic, sued the state and won the case. It goes to the organizational capacity and to the capacity to make common cause for becoming involved in political processes – to lobby, to advocate and to monitor the implementation of public policies”.
The expert noted these practices of civil society can be borrowed by the Republic of Moldova as she considers civil society in Moldova is mature. “There are several independent media players that can become of a high quality, like the German journalists who are appreciated. We (civil society) can lay several stones at the foundation, but the state should also invest in functional institutions,” said Dorina Baltag.
In this connection, she spoke about the quality of the circulation of ideas, disapproving of the fact that in Moldova each second is an expert, an opinion leader. In Germany, these initiative groups promote projects and cooperate with the state, with decision makers. They all make effort for Germany to remain a developed state. “Even with differing views, the country grows.”
The public debate titled “Germany has a new government: Impact on situation in the Eastern Partnership and in Moldova” is the 218th installment of the series “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates”. IPN’s project is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
