The authorities in the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia should assume responsibility for the implementation of reforms and should fulfill the relevant obligations they undertook. The authorities in the three states should adopt a much more responsible attitude to the European integration, implementation of the European agenda and reforms and should understand that these are to the benefit of the state and the citizens, Natalia Stercul, programs coordinator at the Foreign Policy Association, said in IPN’s public debate “EU’s calculations in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova – navigating between political crisis, reforms and influence of Russia”.
Natalia Stercul believes the visit paid by the President of the European Council Charles Michel to Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova was an important signal as regards the readiness to ensure progress in the political association, economic integration and close rapprochement between the three Eastern Partnership countries (Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia). “At the same time, it should be noted that the EU has a differentiated approach to Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova compared with the other three countries of the Eastern Partnership, where the EU’s agenda is not very successful. If it manages to consolidate the idea of this “trio”, especially as regards the implementation of reforms, the European integration could become more attractive also to Belarus, Armenia, and Azerbaijan,” stated the expert.
Natalia Stercul noted the new President Maia Sandu is a supporter of the pro-European reforms and is known for her reformist inclinations, including the fight against corruption, the cleaning of state institutions, etc. There are also other political representatives who promote contradictory values rather ostentatiously and destabilize the situation. That’s why the EU will bank exclusively on those whom it trusts so as to avoid the discrediting of the relations with Moldova and disappointments, as earlier.
The expert noted the expectations of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine of the EU seem not to be truly fair as no other institutions did more for Moldova, for example, than the European institutions did. This is true about all the three states, but the politicians are primarily irresponsible as, given the EU projects, financial support, macro-financial assistance, it is strange to have bigger expectations of the EU.
The public debate “EU’s calculations in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova – navigating between political crisis, reforms and influence of Russia” is the 177th installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
