The EU uses the tactics of general openness towards reforms, offering substantial political credit and financial assistance, writes political researcher Dionis Cenuşa in an analytical article for the IPN Agency.
In fact, the political scientist believes that the European side could show more caution and critical evaluation already at this early stage.
The behavior of Europeans denotes indulgence or pragmatism, says Dionis Cenuşa.
The indulgence towards the Moldovan governors would not be for the benefit of the democratic institutions, because in the medium term it can repeat the degradation of the quality of the government, as in the years 2010-2013, argues the political researcher.
If the EU nevertheless shows pragmatism, he comments, then the appreciation of the "authentic political will" of Prime Minister Sandu requires a balance by injecting constructive criticism regarding the imperfections of the reforms.
Dionis Cenușa acknowledges that the attitude of Brussels towards the current government in Chisinau gives confidence and hope. Risk areas, previously highlighted by Europeans, are on the list of government priorities. Energizing the justice reform, with the modification of the prosecutor's law, setting up a mechanism for coordinating anti-corruption efforts under the cabinet of Prime Minister Sandu, lifting the immunities of the deputies targeted in banking fraud and returning to the proportional vote, are just some of the actions appreciated in the EU, the political researcher notes.
The shortcomings of some reforms are set aside, and the multiple risks are ignored, the political scientist observes.
He warns that the reformers of the current government are ignoring the endemic corrupt character of the Moldovan political class. It also does not take into account the cyclical character of the governing coalitions, but also the volatility of the regime in the case of unstable democracies, such as the Moldovan one. In such circumstances, even if involuntarily, the ACUM bloc favors a future consolidation of the Socialists’ positions, Dionis Cenușa considers.
In his view, although the EU refrains from any interference in the country's internal policy, the risks related to the re-politicization of institutions with PSRM exponents should be included in public speeches and in European evaluation reports. This is still missing from the EU approach. The statements made by the head of European diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, and the Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, sent from Brussels, prefer to give positive notes to the reforms already achieved, rather than criticizing their shortcomings, the political researcher points out.
He refers to the 2019 report on the implementation of the Association Agreement, which would include hyper-optimistic views on the political processes initiated by the PSRM-ACUM coalition, which differs from the objective evaluation, from the same document, of the actions taken by Plahotniuc's regime.
Future EU reports will have to include the essence of the reforms, presenting the risk areas, in order to encourage the self-correction of the Moldovan government, Dionis Cenușa believes.
The excessive idealization of government by EU or the US, the natural partners of the democratic reforms in Moldova, is detrimental to ACUM bloc. As a result, the level of self-awareness with respect to own mistakes of the ACUM decreases, and with this he weakens his vigilance towards his coalition partners - the Socialists, the political scientist concludes.
