How Far Is the European Neighbourhood Policy a Substantial Offer For Moldova?
How Far Is the European Neighbourhood Policy a Substantial Offer For Moldova?

Summary/Abstract: 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.

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