It seems that the European Union decided at internal level to postpone the discussions on its enlargement. Therefore, it’s not known if Moldova will submit its application for accession to the EU, while the authorities should lay emphasis on domestic changes, including by implementing the Association Agreement with the EU in the Transnistrian region as well. Such statements were made by the executive director of the Foreign Policy Association (APE) Victor Chirila in a press club meeting that was held at IPN.
Victor Chirila noted that he recently heard the foreign minister of Latvia (which is holding the presidency of the EU) saying that the community’s agenda does not include the enlargement. A government must be formed in Moldova as soon as possible, which would ensure the implementation of the Association Agreement.
The APE commissioned to expert Corneliu Ciurea an analysis of the development of the Eastern Partnership, which is a neighborhood policy instrument of the EU that includes Moldova. The expert said that the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU makes Moldova to implement it, while the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area should cover Transnistria too. But the discussions between Chisinau and Tiraspol stagnate both because the government wasn’t formed in Moldova and because Tiraspol is not very cooperative.
The expert believes that Brussels does not have a solution for Tiraspol and could accept the creation of a Free Trade Area in the Transnistrian region in stages. But such a decision requires broad negotiations in trilateral format.
Corneliu Ciurea underlined that the implementation of the Association Agreement with the EU is strictly dependent on the formation of a government coalition and the problems encountered by the politicians affect the relations with the EU, which in the future may refuse to allow Moldova to have and implement a European integration agenda and would insist on political discussions and negotiations.
The press club meeting was staged by the APE with the support of East Europe Foundation, with the resources provided by the Government of Sweden through the Swish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark/DANIDA.
