IPN published on December 18 an Op-Ed from Dionis Cenușa on the apparent increase in the pro-European sentiment and attempt to “constitutionalize” the European integration course. Even if the “constitutionalization” of Moldova’s European orientation can help the PDM increase its political capital before the 2018 elections, this initiative can also erode the already fissured sociopolitical cohesion, instead of strengthening it, says the political analyst. Further, no political surveys, even those that reveal an explosion of euro-optimism, should substitute the continuous positive transformations in the daily life of the ordinary people. More...
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In December 2017, there were published two polls whose results confirm the expanding support for the European course. But the proportions of these positive tendencies differed from poll to poll, writes Dionis Cenușa. More...
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Mobiasbanca-Groupe Societe Generale obtained an additional €20 million loan under the EU4Business-EBRD Credit Line. The bank said this will help to meet the growing demand from local businesses investing in improved quality of their products and services. More...
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Despite some progress, local public authorities warn about the less efficient dialogue with the central public authorities and the existence of shortcomings in implementing national strategies and international commitments in the field of local democracy. The subjects were discussed at a regional conference held in Chisinau. “We consider that the lack of a permanent and effective control mechanism between the state authorities and representatives of the local public administration is one of the causes for the instability and lack of continuity of reforms,” stated Tatiana Badan, president of the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova. More...
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Moldova has chances to strengthen its defense sector and to resolve the Transnistrian dispute if it develops the bilateral relations with the EU member states and with NATO, says ex-minister of defense Viorel Cibotaru. “This would enable us to realize that we also contribute to the national security and international defense of which we are responsible according to the documents to join the UN, other security and cooperation organizations of Europe and the Council of Europe that we signed,” stated the politician. More...
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As of December 19, joint Moldova-Ukraine border control operations have started at the checkpoint Palanca. The authorities say this “will help to ease transborder traffic and ensure greater transparency in the process of performing checks through the implementation of the one-stop shop principle”. The project is financed by the EU and co-financed by the Government and is implemented by UNDP Moldova. More...
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Some 7 kiloometers of water mains will be repaired by Chisinau’s water utility ACC under a tender-based contract and as part of a broader water supply and sewer rehabilitation program funded by the the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and EU’s Neighborhood Investment Facility. More...
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The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), European Union (EU) and the World Bank have provided a €270 million package to finance a permanent interconnection between the electrical networks of Moldova and Romania. The package includes EIB and EBRD loans of EUR 80m each, a EUR 70m loan from the World Bank and a EUR 40m investment grant from EU funds. Funding agreements to this effect were signed on December 20 in Chisinau. More...
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The ambassadors accredited in Chisinau have encouraged the reshuffled Government to remain focused on implementing the reform agenda and meeting all the assumed commitments. During a meeting with the ambassadors of the EU countries, of the US and Turkey, held on Tuesday, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said European integration and Moldova’s reintegration remained the top priorities for 2018. More...
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Political pundit Ion Tabirta thinks that the announced Cabinet shake-up is an attempt to mend the relationship with Europe, but suggests the shuffle will not really change the way decisions are made within the government.. More...
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An opinion piece summing up the series of IPN debates entitled “Starting position of parties and potential independent candidates before an electoral year” says that its conclusions are rather sad. “The political class begins the struggle as polarized and dismembered as earlier, if not more. In general, there is no bigger understanding of the strategic orientation of the country than earlier, if not less. Inside the groups of parties with close interest, there are fewer questions than it would be necessary for consolidating common messages, while the prospects of identifying a consensus between parties that can pass the election thresholds after elections are almost nonexistent”, writes IPN’s Valeriu Vasilica. More...
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The curt adoption of the mixed electoral system in 2017 torpedoed Moldova’s relations with its western partners, and in terms of gravity this can be compared to the toleration of the banking fraud that caused the 2015 disaster; consequently, the Moldova-EU dialogue has been discontinuous and lacked progress in 2017. This and other conclusions are found in IDIS Viitorul’s “Economic Outlook: 2018 – A Year of Reform or Stagnation?”, presented today. More...
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The Association of Independent Press (API) has presented its third monitoring report on the fulfillment of commitments in the area of mass media that Moldova undertook as part of the National Action Plan (PNA) for the Implementation of the EU-RM Association Agreement (AA). The API experts have highlighted that things have stagnated, with respect to quality and quantity, having scored only 7 and 6 points, respectively, under the methodology used to evaluate the monitoring results. This represents only 50% of the projected activities. More...
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The European Union announced it was offering €36.3 million in budget support to Moldova, specifically for job creation, growing exports to the EU, improved public administration, better police services and accelerated rural development. More...
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Moldova has improved governance and transparency rules in the banking sector, and this will allow to attract reputable foreign investors. This was stated by Dimitri Gvindadze, head of the EBRD’s office in Chisinau, during his end-of-term press conference on Thursday. He noted that EBRD’s annual investment in Moldova hit an all-time record in 2017 as the Bank provided €130 million of financing to support the private sector and develop infrastructure. More...
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Ensuring the supremacy of law and democracy, as well as fighting corruption, are key elements of Moldova’s European road. Without them, European integration is illusory. However, for Moldova these things are on the shelf of challenges and not that of achievements. The opinions have been shared during a forum organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) in Chisinau. More...
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Moldova today is not a priority in the so-called European club. A country that aspires to be part of the European Union in the future should work on its own as the doors remain open. This was stated by Eckart Stratenschulte, professor at the Free University of Berlin and board member of the National German Foundation, during a debate organized in Chisinau by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. More...
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The European Union is undoubtedly the success story of the 20th century and its creation lead to numerous achievements and benefits. The European body is currently facing several challenges – Brexit, the refugee crisis, a wave of populism, Catalonia – and all these problems create a situation inimical to the European project, professor Eckart Stratenschulte stated during the same event. More...
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A highlight of the latest Official Gazette issue is the publishing of the Law ratifying the Moldova-EU Agreement on the Security Procedures for Exchanging and Protecting Classified Information. More...
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A state that promotes a policy of transparency protects itself from manipulation and propaganda. In the case of Russian propaganda, it infiltrates states that have weak points. The Russian Federation uses corruption, influencing certain politicians, uses the divergences within a society, uses social networks or supports divisionism, etc. Hence, hybrid wars are born. The statement belongs to Lithuanian Ambassador for Special Missions Eitvydas Bajarūnas, an expert in hybrid wars. topping propaganda in state like Ukraine or the Republic of Moldova represents a possibility to keep the influence of the Russian Federation away from the borders of the European Union. More...
This news digest is published with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation and is free for republishing/redistribution on condition that the source is properly acknowledged.
