On March 11, European Commission released a document “Wider Europe — Neighborhood: A New Framework for Relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbors” referring to future relationships between European Union and Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. According to the document the aforesaid countries would benefit of greater aid from EU, due to their new status. Also the documents provides for larger access of Moldovan and Ukrainian products to the EU market, possibility of abolishing visa regime for the citizens of the said countries upon signing the Free Trade Agreements. The document does not rule out the possibility of Moldova, Russia and Ukraine joining the EU, albeit recently several European officials, including Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission pointed that “politically, Europe should end at the borders of Russian Federation, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine”. According to
Le Figaro, one of the first to challenge the EU borders was President of the European Convention, Valery Giscard D’Estaing, who opted for stopping EU extension and establishing partnership relations with “the new neighbors”. Noteworthy, it was Jack Straw Head of the UK Foreign Affairs who came up with the initiative to establish new relationships with Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. During their reunion in Luxembourg in 2002, Foreign Ministers of the EU countries backed up the Straw’s initiative and decided the “special neighborhood status” to be worked out throughout July — December 2002. The special status envisaged trade liberalization, closer cooperation in the field of justice, internal affairs, security and defense.
On March 18, Mihail Camerzan, Deputy Chair of the Moldovan Parliament and Chair of the Parliament Commission on European Integration attended the public hearings on the new EU strategy for South-Eastern Europe.
The same day, at the fifth reunion of the Republic of Moldova — EU Cooperation Council at issue was the current state of relationships between the parties, Transdnistrian conflict, European Commission initiative “Enlarged Europe”, etc. Vasile Tarlev, Co-chair of the Cooperation Council asked for a preferential treatment of Moldova in relations with EU as compared to Belarus, Russia and Ukraine and called for an individual Action Plan for Moldova. On March 19, the Republic of Moldova — EU Parliamentary Cooperation Committee convened on a session. Moldovan delegation was represented by leaders of parliament factions, who while in Brussels also met with members of the European Parliament delegation for liaison with Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.
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e-journal #3 |
