Series:Moldova’s Foreign Policy Statewatch

Poland’s Presidency - An Opportunity to gain Recognition of Moldova’s European Prospects

Author(s): Veaceslav Berbeca / Language(s): English

Since its signing in 1994 and its entering into force in 1998, the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, the legal framework of Moldova - European Union relations, has not changed even if, sub-sequently, in 2004, the EU launched the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) within which the EU-Moldova Action Plan and Eastern Partnership have been developed. Being a state with pro-Europe¬an aspirations, Moldova wants to amend its legal framework that would imply recognition of EU membership prospects. It is obvious that for this to occur, several conditions must be met. In addition to efforts to promote internal reforms, Moldova needs to have the support of European states in this process. The fact that Poland will hold the EU Council presi¬dency from 1 July 2011 could be a chance for Moldova in its effort to have its EU membership prospects acknowledged.

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Political Situation in Gagauzia: The Result of Internal Struggles or External Influence

Author(s): Veaceslav Berbeca / Language(s): English

Two referenda organized in Moldova’s autonomous region of Gagauzia on 2 February provoked heated debate in Moldovan society. At least two elements explain the attention of politicians and political commentators. First, the political elite from Gagauzia insisted, as a political affront to central authorities, on organizing these referendums even if the Court from Comrat declared them illegal. Secondly, the referendums aftermath delivered a severe blow to the Republic of Moldova’s image of the foreign policy course. These actions highlighted that there are contesters of the European integration idea. In this context, politicians and political commentators in Chisinau should answer two major questions: Who is guilty? And then, What has to be done? In this brief analysis we will try to identify the genuine reasons that politicians from the autonomous region held referendums and propose a range of recommendations to mitigate the implications of these events.

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Regionalization and European Integration in the Framework of Central European Free Trade Agreement

Author(s): Eduard Țugui / Language(s): English

Eastern Partnership and the dynamics of Moldovan-European negotiations have somewhat overshadowed Balkan chain of Moldova European Integration and therefore, South-East European multilateral agreements to which Moldova is a part. Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) is a document that aims to create a free trade area complied with the standards of European common market, connecting Republic of Moldova to Western Balkans region, yet the only one with clear prospects of EU accession. Along with the opening of new markets, CEFTA represents a framework for preparation of European Integration and may be a backup alternative for Moldova in the process of EU accession, in case European neighborhood project fails.

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Republic of Moldova - NATO Relations

Author(s): Veaceslav Berbeca / Language(s): English

The cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and NATO is an issue with a rather specific connotation for the political class in Chisinau and to society as a whole. The specificity of this attitude is explained by a number of both objective and subjective reasons shaping the relations between the two sides. The paradox of this situation is that, despite several hostile reactions to NATO by some segments of the Moldovan society or a quasi taboo expressed by virtually all political parties, in power ever, in relation to this topic, the relations between Chisinau and NATO have evolved, covering several areas of major importance for the Republic of Moldova. Obviously, in this context, it should be noted that the relations between both parties witnessed some oscillations that, however, did not undermine or adversely affect the cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and NATO.

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Republic of Moldova and Common Security and Defence Policy of the European Union: Prospects for Cooperation

Author(s): Eduard Țugui / Language(s): English

On 13th of December 2012, the Prime Minister of Moldova Vlad Filat, and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, signed in Brussels signed the Framework Agreement on the participation of the Republic of Moldova in the Europe¬an Union missions of crisis management. The agreement is part of the complex dialogue between the two sides and after its signing the Republic of Moldova will connect to foreign and security policy of the European Union, becoming an active par¬ticipant of the XXI century world and contributing to international security. The increasing role of the European Union in international security management, with the consolidation of security and de¬fense policy and conducting crisis management missions in dif¬ferent regions of the world, together with the Republic of Moldova participation in some of these missions, entitles us to expect the European Union participation in a new peacekeeping formula in the Security Zone in the east of the Republic of Moldova.

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Republic of Moldova and the Future of Eastern Partnership: Warsaw Summit Perspectives

Author(s): Eduard Țugui / Language(s): English

Between 29 and 30 September Poland will host the second summit of Eastern Partnership, which will bring together leaders of 27 EU member states and of EU Eastern neighbors, European Council President, European Commission President, European Parliament President, EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, representatives of civil society and business environment. Plenary session will conclude with the adoption of a Joint Declaration. Also, within the summit there will be a conference on civil society, which will be held in Warsaw, as well as the first Business Forum of Eastern Partnership, which will be held in Sopot. Two years after the launch of Eastern Partnership, these events represent an opportunity for rethinking European Union commitments in eastern neighborhood, in terms of efficiency of this new European project and reformulation of clearer European perspectives for the states included in the partnership.

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Republic of Moldova-Romania: Streamlining Strategic Partnership for European Integration

Author(s): Eduard Țugui / Language(s): English

After two decades of independence of the Republic of Moldova and development of Moldovan-Romanian diplomatic relations, the continental geopolitical dynamics requires a bilateral agenda rich in policies and projects targeting accommodation (from different positions) of both states to European architecture, and especially, European Integration of the Republic of Moldova. Signing the partnership for Moldova’s European Integration, which provides basic political framework of Moldovan-Romanian co-operation on European dimension, has raised the beginning of inter-governmental negotiations on signing an Action Plan that will detail this partnership. Far from comprising complexity of a Moldovan-Romanian co-operation, the study aims to highlight some sectoral projects, worth to be included in Action Plan and the accomplishment of which would move Moldo¬va closer to the EU.

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Russia and the Territorial Integrity in the Post-Soviet: New Reality, Old Paradigm

Author(s): Octavian Țîcu / Language(s): English

Discussioons concerning the revival of the neo-imperial ambitions in the Russian Federation are in stage since the end of “honeymoon” relations between Moscow and West in the mid 1990’s. Belief in an emerging neo-imperial policy is being legitimized by recent actions. A widely recognized stereotype in Russian political thinking, influenced by an awareness of contemporary Russia’s weakness and loss of global power, is “until Russia is leader in its region of the world, it cannot be expected to become a global power.” Thus, self-assertion in the “Near Abroad” has become a substitute for the superpower-status inherited from both the Soviet period and a remoter, pre-revolutionary era.

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Russia’s New Policy in the Post-Soviet Space

Author(s): Eduard Țugui / Language(s): English

The return of Vladimir Putin as President elected for six years was not necessarily a surprise for the Russians and the international community, but the absolutely specific way in which elections took place in the Russian Federation and the international context turbulence gave this event a special importance. While major western partners of Russia were reserved if not even dissatisfied, for the post-Soviet area this political castling may mean that some geopolitical projects and military architecture will be more dynamic and was treated with great interest. Often, within the public space of the former Soviet republics, Russia’s internal political process and investing of the most powerful politician in the last twelve years came to be understood sometimes as a prerequisite for a new destiny. The Republic of Moldova is quite receptive to all “geopolitical engineering” of Russia, while some Moldovan political parties and information sources support from within the realization of a geopolitical project that Vladimir Putin intends to achieve during the current presidential term.

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Russia’s Pressures and the European Course of the Republic of Moldova

Author(s): Eduard Ţugui / Language(s): English

The approach of the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius on 28-29 November 2013, where the ex-soviet states are expected to sign/initial the Association Agreement with the EU precipitates the geopolitics of the post-Soviet space. Russia employs all available tools to obstruct the European course assumed by these states, including the Republic of Moldova while the European Union provides unprecedented diplomatic assistance and economic support in order to make sustainable the European course and development of the states that will come to Vilnius with the Association Agreements. The Republic of Moldova is experiencing therefore one of the turning points of its history and despite ever more evident pressures of Russia, the firm European course assumed by the entire society accompanied by a model technical preparation ensures all premises for a sustainable development.

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Russian`s Complaints against Third Energy Package and its Importance for Moldova

Author(s): Ion Muntean / Language(s): English

A year after signing the agreement to implement the third energy package, the Republic of Moldova, at the Energy Community Ministerial Council meeting in Montenegro on 18 October 2012, asks the European Union for derogation from Article 9 of Directive 2009/73/EC of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas. In fact Article 9 of the Directive which provides that “the same person or persons are entitled neither directly or indirectly to exercise control over an undertaking performing any of the functions of generation or supply, and directly or indirectly to exercise control or exercise any right over a transmission system operator or over a transmission system” and vice versa, is the basic article and delaying its implementation automatically involves delaying other important articles of the directive.

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Russian-German Relations Impact on the Republic of Moldova European future

Author(s): Ion Tăbârţă / Language(s): English

Until recently, Germany’s relations with Russia were based on a comfortable pragmatism. Russian-German pragmatic relations were determined by two strategic issues for both countries: energy interdependence and economic relations. During this period, Germany preferred to overlook human rights and the state of democracy in the Russian Federation. The year 2012 changed significantly the quality of Russian-German strategic partnership. The return of Vladimir Putin to the Kremlin ended the “partnership for modernization” initiated by Angela Merkel and Dmitry Medvedev in June 2010 in Meseberg. The deterioration of the relations between Moscow and Berlin will, undoubtedly, influence directly the architecture of interstate relations in Europe.

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Shedding Light on the ongoing EU-Moldova Trade Liberalisation

Author(s): Evghenia Sleptsova / Language(s): English

In the run up to the 2004 enlargement, the European Union launched a European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), in order to create a “zone of prosperity, stability and security” along its borders. While several new neighbours, such as Moldova and Ukraine, were strongly insisting on a membership perspective, the ENP, with its prospect of political association and deeper economic integration, was a ‘carrot’ that the EU was ready to offer to these countries while it was not in a position to offer a membership.In 2009, under the Swedish presidency, the EU decided to strengthen the Eastern dimension of the ENP by launching the Eastern Partnership initiative (EaP), which would cover six CIS economies – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Incentives offered to these countries in return for their progress in democratisation and reforms included trade liberalisation, increased mobility through visa facilitation agreements and joining the common EU aviation market, as well as participation in various EU programs. Since 2008 with Ukraine and since January 2010 with Moldova the EU has been negotiating the Association Agreements (AA), which will replace the existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreements. The deep and comprehensive free trade agreement (DCFTA) – which is already being negotiated with Ukraine and soon to be negotiated with Moldova and Georgia – will constitute a key component of the AAs.

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Strengthening bilateral relations between the Republic of Moldova and Turkey - towards a Free Trade Agreement and a Strategic Partnership

Author(s): Veaceslav Berbeca / Language(s): English

On 1-2 November, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Vlad Filat paid an official visit to Turkey aimed at strengthening the Moldovan-Turkish relations. Besides the official results of the event, the signing of several bilateral agreements and protocols between parties in different fields, two business forums were organized in Ankara and Istanbul, where there were discussed the prospects of applying the provisions of the Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and Turkey. Moreover, the Moldovan Prime Minister said that on the eve of the official visit of the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Chisinau in the spring of 2013, will be finalized the negotiations for signing the Free Trade Agreement and the Agreement on Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Moldova and Turkey.

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Successes of the National Economy Remodeling

Author(s): Alexandru Fală / Language(s): English

The current operating model of the Republic of Moldova economy is based on consumption, which is funded, on a large scale, by remittances. This paradigm is a challenge, despite the fact that it enables the country to develop without involving enhanced efforts to maintain it. With the absorption of migrants by host countries and the reunification with their families abroad it will be unlikely to maintain a massive influx of long-term remittances. In these circumstances it is necessary to change the operating model of the national economy. After the 2009 crisis, one of the basic tasks to ensure the quality development of the Republic of Moldova became “remodeling” the national economy. As a result of the country’s economic transformation process, investments and exports should become the “engines” of growth. This view is exposed in the main policy documents: the activity program of the Government for 2011-2014 “Freedom, Democracy, Welfare” and the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Moldova 2012-2020 “Moldova 2020”.

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The Competition of Offers in Gagauzia

Author(s): Veaceslav Berbeca / Language(s): English

The Moldovan central authorities’ relationship with the Gagauz local authorities has been rather tense throughout the last year. This situation has taken many forms: from Gagauz politicians’ requests to provide more funds for the region or adapt national legislation to the law on the special status of ATU Gagauzia, to ensure good functioning of autonomy to overt challenges such as the organization of referendums in the Gagauz region on 2 February 2014 on the foreign policy vector of the state and the right to external self-determination of the Gagauz autonomy if the Republic of Moldova loses its independence. The strained relations between Chisinau and Comrat were especially evident during the negotiation, initialing and signing of the Association Agreement and the Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union. Anti-European messages and actions by the Gagauz leaders evidence the presence of a foreign factor in the conflict between central and Gagauz autonomy authorities.

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The Consequences of the Disappearance of National Consensus on European Integration

Author(s): Corneliu Ciurea / Language(s): English

The Public Opinion Barometer in November this year contains several items of concern for the supporters of the Republic of Moldova accession to the European Union. In fact, we are witnessing the confirmation of a paradoxical trend noticed already in 2011 – the coming to power of the Alliance for European Integration led to increased skepticism among the population. In the short and medium term this state of things do not seriously jeopardize the reform process. There is a slight chance that people who do not approve of the strategic orientation of the Republic of Moldova will block the reforms. Nevertheless, the population Euro skepticism alienates elites from voters and forces them to promote European agenda in an increasingly narrow circle, turning the Euro integration into the business of only a small group. This fact can ultimately lead to compromising the European cause and reorientation of the Republic of Moldova to the east.

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The Immunity of the Republic of Moldova in the Context of EU Financial Crisis

Author(s): Alexandru Fală / Language(s): English

Against a background of economic uncertainty worsening worldwide, the European Union has to play a significant role by working hard to lessen the effects that are caused by escalating sovereign debt crisis of certain Member States. At the same time, the Republic of Moldova, for which the EU is the main economic partner, has experienced good economic relations with the European countries - contrasting evolution with the dynamics in the EU.

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The joint Meeting of the Republic of Moldova and Romania Governments - Evolution of Moldovan-Romanian relations depending on the Political Factor

Author(s): Ion Tăbârţă / Language(s): English

On March 3, 2012, in Iaşi took place the historic meeting of the governments of Romania and Moldova. In Iaşi, the two Prime Ministers, Vlad Filat and Mihai Razvan Ungureanu signed 8 cooperation agreements between the governments of Moldova and Romania. After the event in Iaşi, the officials of both countries already were quick to predict that the relations between Moldova and Romania have reached an unprecedented level of development in their history.Undoubtedly, the relations between Moldova and Romania have been controversial in comparison with the relationship they have had with other countries. The trajectory of the relationship between Chisinau and Bucharest, during the 21 years of existence of the two Romanian sovereign states, was a political zigzag - from an emotional boom to nearly breaking off relations. Most times, the Moldovan-Romanian zigzag was influenced by the political factor.

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The Lisbon Treaty Impact on Moldova

Author(s): Nicolai Afanas / Language(s): English

Republic of Moldova is a state with trends of European integration, this being a clearly visible fact emphasized also in surveys carried out in the past 5-7 years, where no less than 60% of respondents declared that when conducting a referendum on this subject, they would choose to join EU. Political elites have largely the same trend. In the electoral and political parties’ programs European integration has a priority status and the last four governance programs have approached EU accession process as a strategic goal. As a result, social and political processes within EU are directly affecting the Republic of Moldova due to geographical proximity, intensity of the Moldova-EU relations, but also due to obvious interests that EU has in the region and which are accomplished through European policies and programs. A final legal reform with profound institutional and political consequences was the signing of Lisbon Treaty that entered into force on December 1, 2009. It gives EU legal personality and strengthens its negotiation capacity and position of global player on international arena. Also, this treaty enhances activity in promoting democracy and stability, especially in areas of geographical proximity.

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