The EU officials consider the Vilnius Eastern Partnership Summit, where Moldova is to initial the Association Agreement with the EU, important and are concerned about the steps that the Moldovans will take after the initialing, Democratic MP Oleg Tulea said in the public debate “Stake of the Vilnius Summit as perceived by the Moldovan political class and society” that was staged by IPN on October 1.
“The European integration is a commitment made by the government coalitions after 2009. For us it would be convenient to go towards the Vilnius Summit with a general consensus. But, on the one hand, the government says it is good, while on the other hand, the opposition says it is bad,” stated the lawmaker.
According to Oleg Tulea, the Vilnius Summit is an important step that will give answers to a number of questions coming from inside and outside. “We recently returned from a meeting of Socialists from all over the world. Our delegation had meetings with 19 ministers. We got the impression that the European leaders attach importance to this summit and think about the events that will take place after it. For us, it is important that all the commitments be fulfilled,” he said.
“Parliament has a tight schedule until the Vilnius Summit and will have another schedule after it. We are concerned because these processes happen amid pressure exerted from inside and outside with the aim of preventing the Summit from being successful. I recently head that Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule announced a one-year term by which Moldova must sign the Association Agreement. I think it is good for us too to have the agreement signed by the end of 2014.”
Oleg Tulea stated that from his viewpoint, the advantages of coming closer to the EU are much greater than the disadvantages. “We shouldn’t be scared by the fact that we must adopt 300 European directives. These are quality standards which we must meet. For us, Vilnius is not a destination, but a stage,” he added.
The public debate “Stake of the Vilnius Summit as perceived by the Moldovan political class and society” is the 22nd of the series of debates “Development of political culture by public debates” that are organized with the support of the German Foundation “Hanns Seidel”.
