17 Sep 2006
Sergiu Buscaneanu: The present paper aims to contribute to the debate on the extent to which the ENP is a substantial offer for Moldova or whether the ENP can be rather seen as a ‘Potemkin village’. For this purpose, the main part of the paper proceeds in three moves. In the first instance it provides brief overviews of the EU-Moldova PCA and Action Plan. Secondly, it provides a comparative display of the content of these two documents and thirdly, on the basis of this display, it makes an analysis of the new partnership perspectives envisaged by the EU-Moldova Action Plan. All these three moves and the comparative method employed envisage mainly the political dimension of these documents. Comparing the EU-Moldova PCA and Action Plan some could argue that the latter is a ‘Potemkin village’ for Moldova, as its final objectives do not consider the opening of a clear European perspective for Moldova. However, the ENP and EU-Moldova Action Plan reinforced the relations between the EU and Moldova, brought a new dynamics in their bilateral dialogue, and opened up new co-operation perspectives. For the time being a full exploitation of these perspectives stands crucial for the European destiny of Moldova. However, this is far to be enough. Moldova should go beyond the declared objectives of the Action Plan. It has to start on its own the gradual adoption of the acquis communautaire. Read full article
29 May 2006
Florent Parmentier: Le Sommet de la Francophonie de Bucarest de septembre 2006 consacre un pays dont les origines latines et des affinit�s historiques expliquent tr�s largement son attachement profond � la communaut� francophone. La Moldavie, qui partage l�attachement profond de sa voisine pour la langue fran�aise pour les m�mes raisons, n�en tire pour l�instant pas le m�me b�n�fice. La demande officielle de Chisinau pour accueillir le Sommet en 2012 n�est en aucun cas acquise d�avance. La Roumanie a d� patiemment attendre son tour, et n�a pu obtenir l�organisation qu�apr�s plusieurs propositions. Mais, en l�occurrence, pour difficile qu�elle soit, la bataille n�est pas encore perdue. Le choix de la ville retenue devrait s�op�rer en 2008 : le Sommet aura lieu au Canada cette m�me ann�e, puis probablement en Afrique en 2010. Cela laisserait toutes ses chances � une ville europ�enne de l�emporter. Ainsi, Chisinau a besoin d�une v�ritable � strat�gie francophone � qui aille dans le sens du d�veloppement d�mocratique, diplomatique et �conomique du pays, donnant une image positive de la Moldavie et fortifiant sa dimension europ�enne. En effet, cette strat�gie concerne non seulement la candidature au projet � Chisinau 2012 �, mais doit �galement s�inscrire dans le processus plus g�n�ral de rapprochement avec l�UE. Read full article
Valeriu Prohnitchi, Igor Botan, Alexandru Oprunenco, Iurie Gotisan: A report on the implementation of the EU-Moldova Action Plan in the 1st quarter of 2006 discussing Moldovan progress in such priority as: the functioning of democratic institutions, conflict settlement in Transnistria, justice, consolidation of administrative capacity, international trade, business climate, border control and migration management. Read full article
19 May 2006
George Dura, Centre for European Policy Studies, Brussels: Moldova, in its present relationship with the European Union (EU), has been offered no perspective of EU membership. The EU is categorical: Moldova has not been identified as a potential candidate country such as Serbia and Montenegro or Albania. Moldova falls under the EU’s European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) which is quite distinct from the EU’s enlargement policy. One often hears from the EU corner that Moldova should focus on essential reforms, notably in the framework of the ENP, instead of asking for EU membership. Yet, EU doctrine on enlargement foresees that any European country can in principle become a potential candidate for accession. It is widely accepted that the ENP, which holds no membership promise, can facilitate the road towards EU accession in the long run. Nevertheless, none of the European countries which currently fall under the ENP – Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan – are being considered as potential candidate states. However, Moldova’s position vis-à-vis the EU is not as clear cut as it seems, since Moldova also participates (in parallel to the ENP), to other integrative processes of South-East Europe (most notably the Stability Pact for South-East Europe), which includes both EU accession candidates and potential accession candidates. Therefore, as I will discuss below, Moldova has the opportunity to pursue complementary ways, in parallel to the ENP which could bring it closer to EU membership. Read full article
George Dura: The present paper brings to the fore and discusses the little known issue of the effects of Romania’s accession to the EU, planned for 1 January 2007, on the freedom of movement of Moldovan citizens. In view of its accession to the EU, border controls at the Romanian border have over the past few years been gradually tightened by Romanian authorities and Romania is currently negotiating the first-ever introduction of a visa regime with the Republic of Moldova. However, in order not to disrupt the various ties (social, economic, cultural) that link both countries, Romania is seeking to devise a visa regime ‘light’, but which is also capable of dispelling any EU concerns with regard to border controls and illegal migration. Three types of agreements for a flexible visa regime between Romania and Moldova will be discussed in the paper, i.e. the Polish and the Hungarian types of agreements and a third, mixed type that could be implemented after Romania becomes a fully-fledged Schengen state in 2010. Light will also be shed on certain problematic aspects pertaining to the introduction of a visa regime between Romania and Moldova. In the second part, the paper also addresses the issues of introducing a facilitated visa regime between the EU and Moldova, where it will be argued that it is mainly Moldova who has all the hard work and the convincing to do. The paper also argues that the present rigidity of the Schengen acquis which Romania has accepted as part of its accession obligations might actually encourage rather than discourage illegal migration from Moldova and this, exactly, is what the EU fears and seeks to address with its tight border controls and rigid visa regime. Therefore, the paper concludes that ways must be found, even outside the EU framework in order to render the Schengen acquis more flexible and adapted to the realities of the region. Read full article
24 Oct 2005
Iulian Chifu, Conflict Prevention and Early Warning Center, Bucharest: It is a common point to claim that the Republic of Moldova is vulnerable, and that it is generally an ‘unsafe and instable place’, jeopardized by multifarious and strenuous security risks. On the other hand, anybody who visits Chisinau, not mentioning smaller cities or the rural area, has the feeling of “stopped time”, of a space where nothing happens. Which is the real dimension of security risks and which are the insecurity challenges in the republic of Moldova today? I tried to briefly present the real situation of the security threats and to find out which might be the options of solving these problem in the nearest future and on medium term. Read full article
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