Alegerile parlamentare din 2021 în Republica Moldova - alegeri.md
 Monitoring→Politics→Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs on October 26 – November 7, 2005

|print version|mail| e-journal #61 |

Moldova — E.U. joint actions

The European Union commissioner for external relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, has told the London conference of chairmen of committees for foreign affairs in E.U. member and candidate states that the E.U. assistance mission at the border between Moldova and Ukraine, which will start on December 1, will be a significant contribution to security of community bloc and an important step forward settlement of the frozen conflict in Moldova’s eastern breakaway enclave of Transnistria. This mission will contribute to prevention of trafficking in human beings and smuggling, will obstruct proliferation of weapons and customs frauds by seriously hitting the incomes of the Transnistrian separatist government. Ferrero-Waldner considers that the mission at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border is also a component of the enlarging interests of E.U. in the former Soviet Union.

Speaking about Moldova-E.U. relations, the United Kingdom ambassador in Chisinau admitted that the E.U. “has arrived in Moldova too late, but European leaders have pledged to provide an essential assistance to new neighbours.” The ambassador recommended the Moldovan authorities to implement a clear reform in mass media and press freedom sector, to charge illegal migration and to punish intermediaries of illegal visas.

The Moldovan Border Guard Service has recently received technical assistance worth more than 32 million lei as part of the Enhancing Border Control Management Programme financed by E.U. and UNDP-Moldova. The Enhancing Border Control Management Programme was launched in early 2005 to train border authorities, to reduce illegal migration and trafficking in drugs to E.U. member states.

Problems related to crossing of border with Romania

The conditions how Moldovan citizens will cross the border with Romania will be established by late 2005, as Romania will join the E.U. soon. It is presumed that the existing border-crossing regime will function until Romania’s entry in E.U., with explanation of conditions for entry of Moldovan citizens in the neighbouring country.

Once Romania joins the E.U., it could introduce an asymmetrical visa system for Moldova similar to the existing system with Poland: Moldovan nationals will travel with visas issued by diplomatic and consular offices of Romania free of any charge, which will organise their activity so that to meet all objective applications.

Valeriu Ostalep, deputy foreign and European integration minister, said that Moldovan and Romanian authorities have recently discussed problems related to crossing of border by Moldovan nationals, who are told to present evidence regarding maintenance in Romania or special invitations. The situation regarding border crossing has become complicated because Romanian authorities, pressed by community authorities, apply all the 2002 governmental ordinances, which explain entry conditions for citizens strange to the E.U. area.

A recent survey carried out in Romania shows that 42 percent of respondents opted for respect for an E.U. decision that obliges Romania to introduce visas for Moldovan citizens; 23 percent did not warm this measure, with the risk to jeopardize relations with E.U; while 16 percent said that Romania must introduce visas even if the E.U. would not impose this measure.

Problems in economic relations with the Russian Federation persist

The Moldova-Vin Agency has announced that the Russian customs service has stabilised the process of issuing of customs stamps for imports of wine production from Moldova, after this process was blocked up “from technical reasons” for almost one month. The Russian customs offices issued about 7 million stamps to Moldovan businesses on October 17–27, and supplies will continue under a normal regime this year.

On the other hand, Moscow said that Russia could introduce shares for importation of alcohol production from Moldova, and the Chisinau authorities describe this action as “a black PR against Moldovan wines.”

Nor the exports of agricultural production from Moldova to the Russian Federation were relieved until now, though Russian Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev has recently promised “to get involved in the problem of imports of agricultural production from Moldova starting November 7, after he completes his trips.” He promised to the Moldovan agriculture minister “to study this problem and to comment later.” The Russian Federation stopped the imports of agricultural production from Moldova last spring, and Russian officials had early said that the situation would be relieved by the mid-October.

Energy assistance from neighbouring countries

High-ranking officials from Romania and Ukraine have told the recent joint sitting of secretaries of the Supreme Security Councils and heads of Information and Security Services from GUAM, in Chisinau, that their countries could supply electricity to Moldova in case of need. A representative of Romania said that his country “would resist to blackmail of Moldova in this vital issue for state security.”

October 11–25, 2005 November 8–21, 2005