Some voices inside civil society and media outlets often treat the EU-Moldova relationship in a simplistic way, strictly through the angle of dilemmas. Thus, the EU is urged to choose between reacting to different anti-reform deviations of the government and reacting to the anti-EU actions of President Igor Dodon, politologist Dionis Cenusa says in an analysis article for IPN News Agency.
At the same time, the same voices reproach the Europeans for allowing to be manipulated by the Euro-skeptical rhetoric of President Dodon, which is considered a false subject, instead of concentrating on real deficiencies, related to the quality of the current government, noted the politologist.
According to Cenusa, Brussels has not to only oscillate between parallel dialogues, which are also contradictory, with Chisinau, but to also remain neutral and equally committed in relation to the government and the President of Moldova and to other anti-European forces.
The politologist, who specializes in the analysis of the EU-Moldova relations, said fighting the anti-EU misinformation is as important as the criticism of the deficiencies of reforms and corrupt manifestations of the government, which declares itself pro-European. This thing is imperative for at least three reasons.
Firstly, the EU’s image is at stake as this is affected not only because of the corrupt pro-European forces, but also because of the anti-EU propaganda. Taking care of the own image, by dissipating the myths, the EU actually invests in its legitimacy and this enables it to effectively exert pressure on the government.
Secondly, the anti-EU propaganda used by Igor Dodon became a part of the internal political game. That’s why the EU has to focus on its own capacity, even if it is interested in positively influencing things in Moldova.
Least but not last, the subject of the anti-European propaganda forms part of the information war waged by Russia in the region, in which Igor Dodon takes the Russians’ side by spreading and inventing new anti-EU myths, wrote Cenusa.
He anticipated that the overlooking of the anti-EU misinformation that is broadly employed by President Dodon at this stage, under the excuse that it is secondary or artificial, can have negative consequences in the medium and long term – the 2018 elections.
These fuel Euro-skeptical populism that is now associated with extremist nationalism in Europe, while in Moldova with aggressive Moldovenism and, respectively, with Romanophobia.
In conclusion, the politologist said the EU should be watchful to the pro-Europeans in Chisinau, but also to the pro-Russians to the same extent.
