Expert Igor Boțan considers the draft laws needed to unblock the second tranche of the macro-financial assistance will be adopted. According to him, the Democratic MPs will most probably not give up voting for them as the signatories of the memorandum on the provision of EU assistance included representatives of the Democratic Party. On the other hand, there is the Government that has a say and Prime Minister Ion Chicu shows flexibility. The Party of Socialists’ position will be seen, but there are no apparent problems that could prevent the Socialist MPs from voting as the party’s leader Zinaida Grechanyi and the informal leader Igor Dodon not only once said that Moldova’s European course is irrevocable. The expert developed the issue in a public debate entitled “Voting of EU conditions: parliamentary majority’s twist” that was staged by IPN News Agency.
The standing expert of IPN’s project said there are a number of strange things that the people should know. For example, the leader of the PSRM Zinaida Grechanyi signed two government programs and she said that Moldova’s European course is irrevocable. The former prime minister in 2008 invited civil society to take part in the drafting of Moldova’s national development program. The program was worked out and everyone was happy. President Igor Dodon also insisted on the irreversibility of the European integration. Even if the two politicians became pro-Eurasian in 2018, President Dodon addressed the world leaders, saying they were working on the strategy for joining the EU. It’s not clear what changed now and where they see dangers coming from civil society and outside.
Igor Boțan said it should be clear that it does not go to conditionality elements needed by the European Union. It goes to the commitments that the Republic of Moldova undertook based on the basic document – the Association Agreement with the EU. It’s clear that the Republic of Moldova undertook those commitments based on the European values that it shares, the goal being to come closer to the EU.
As to the Law on NGOs, the expert said those who read it attentively realize that it is aimed at making the sector more transparent. Its provisions oblige all the NGOs to publish a report on the work done last year, including as regards financing, in the first half of the year and there is nothing bad here. “If there are objections, these should be indicated. The problem derives from 2014, when the so-called charity foundations appeared at the forefront. It was noted that the charity foundations should do their job and should not be affiliated to political activities. What danger can appear if these foundations are obliged to declare where the money comes from and on what it is spent?” he wondered.
As to an eventual amendment by which the NGOs will be banned from making political comments, the expert said this is nonsense as when he personally says that the Association Agreement with the EU is the most important document signed by Moldova, his statement can be classed as lobbying for pro-European parties.
According to him, those who oppose this law see a problem rather in associations like the one that he represents – the Association for Participatory Democracy “ADEPT”. Being an organization that monitors election campaigns and the activity of parties since 1994, the association aims to raise questions as to the views of parties and politicians, which often change radically. It is illogical to ban the NGOs from addressing political problems. The NGOs do not aim to take part in elections. Moreover, the parties are those ‘vehicles’ that bring people from civil society to politics.
Igor Boțan also said it is regrettable that some of the figures, including President Dodon, mislead the people when they say that there are tens of thousands of NGOs in Moldova and these receive hundreds of thousands of euros. “Studies, including those commissioned by the EU, show that over 10,000 nongovernmental organizations were founded since the declaring of Independence, but only several hundreds are active at present. The others are simply not active. It is not fair to make statements in order to mislead,” he noted.
The debate “Voting of EU conditions: parliamentary majority’s twist” was the 138th installment of the series of debates “Developing political culture through public debates” that are supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany.
