French expert states that Latin and francophone countries from EU could aid Moldova in its European intentions

The main goal of Moldova for the moment should promote democratic and economic reforms, but also to turn the public opinion of the member countries in our favor. At the moment, the Republic of Moldova doesn’t have a solid image in the EU, and this fact doesn’t increase integration chances, Florent Parmentier, co-director of the L’Alliance Française from Moldova wrote in an article. Parmentier claims that in the current situation, Romania could use its influence from the francophone alliance and the Latin countries to increase the chances of Moldova to join the EU. France, Belgium and Luxembourg, three founding members of the EU, are francophone countries. The picture is completed with Latin member countries like Italy, Spain and Portugal. Keeping this in mind, hosting this year’s Francophone Summit in Bucharest is undoubtedly a great success for Romania. If the Francophone Summit from 2012 would be hosted in Chisinau and if it would open new perspectives for evolution of the francophone society in the region, this would be a considerable progress for the European integration of Moldova, the author states. The Republic of Moldova has all the chances to succeed in this issue, and Romania, especially taking into consideration the bond of civil societies of the neighbors, should favor the communication between francophone countries and Moldova. The integration process is long-lasting, and it should start as soon as possible, Parmentier believes. According to him, although the current debates from the EU regarding future growth revolve around terms like “expansion exhaustion” and problems of “absorption capacity” of the EU, these arguments, undoubtedly will not last for long. Florent Parmentier, PhD of the Paris based Institute of Politics, is also co-director of the L’Alliance Française from Moldova. He is also the author of the book "Moldavie a la croisee des chemins" ("Moldova at a crossroad"), edited in France in 2003.