Foreign Affairs on January 1–31, 2007

Republic of Moldova — Council of Europe

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has sentenced the Republic of Moldova in 4 cases in the period concerned. The ECHR obliged Moldova to pay 8,000 euros as a pecuniary damage and 1,500 euros in costs and expenses in the case Kommersant Moldovy vs Moldova. The newspaper had claimed the violation of the freedom of expression after it was closed for publishing some articles in June-September 2001, in which it criticised the actions of Moldovan authorities in the “Transnistrian case”.

The Court has obliged Chisinau in the second case, Mihalachi vs Moldova, to pay 3,080 euros in pecuniary damage and 1,800 euros in non-pecuniary damage. The applicant had claimed damages for annulment of a final judgment by the Supreme Court of Justice, in which the law court awarded victory to him.

The Strasbourg-based Court has obliged Moldova’s authorities to pay 8,000 euros in non-pecuniary damage and 1,400 euros in costs and expenses in the case Pruteanu vs Moldova. The applicant has complained to the ECHR that he had faced a degrading and inhuman treatment of police, while national authorities did not investigate this case.

Moldova will have to pay 2,000 euros in non-pecuniary damage and 1,250 euros in pecuniary damage in the forth case. Applicant Artur Bujnita has complained to the ECHR of the lack of a fairy trial.

Moldova will have to pay damages in the amount of 27,030 euros overall in the four cases. The ECHR has sentenced Moldova in 44 cases until now.

On January 23, 2007, the Forth Chamber of ECHR, examining the Guja vs Moldova case, decided to forward the case to the Great Chamber of the Court. According to the Organisation “Lawyers for Human Rights”, the Chamber takes this action very rarely and the Ilascu case is the only examined Moldovan case to get through this procedure. The applicant, Iacob Guja, former employer of the PR Department within the Prosecutor General’s Office, claims the violation of his freedom of expression right, by being dismissed for realising to mass media two letters received by this institution. One of the letters was signed by the Parliament Deputy Speaker Vadim Misin, who was expressing his disapproval concerning the penal legal actions brought against some Ministry of Interior Affairs employees and was asking the Prosecutor General to intervene so that to solve this case “in tight conformity with the law”. Afterwards, the penal case was stopped.

Republic of Moldova — European Union

The January 19 meeting of the National Commission for European Integration (NCEI) was one of the main events in early 2007 in the context of Moldova’s European integration efforts. The NCEI made the totals of the actions that the Government took in 2006 to implement the E.U.-Moldova Action Plan and outlined tasks for 2007. Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev and NCEI chairman told the sitting that it is important for Moldova to improve its relations with the E.U. and to implement entirely E.U.-Moldova Action Plan in 2007. In the context, the premier named the opening of the single E.U. visa issuance centre for Moldovan citizens in Chisinau, the awarding of the Autonomous Trade Preferences and the E.U. Association Agreement among basic goals in Moldova’s relations with the E.U. in 2007. According to Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Stratan, the single visa issuance centre will open in April 2007 and it will be based in the Hungarian Embassy in Chisinau, while visas will be processed by consular officers of Austria and Slovenia. The opening of the centre is complementary to the dialogue on facilitation of visa regime with E.U., with the first round of negotiations in this respect being scheduled for February 9.

However, the accomplishment of the last goal named by premier is unrealistic. The E.U.-Moldova Action Plan, Communications by the European Commission released in late 2006 in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), the joint programme of German, Portuguese and Slovenian presidencies of the Council till mid-2008, other documents by E.U. institutions, including the E.U. Enlargement Strategy approved in 2006, do not announce anything about the eventual association of Moldova. It is hard to believe now that Moldova would manage to persuade the E.U. to introduce in 2007 the problem of association of Chisinau in its very busy agenda.

Tarlev also told the NCEI sitting that reports on actions taken by governmental institutions to implement the Action Plan will be heard at Government’s sittings in 2007 and “a special code will be applied on all documents related to fulfilment of European integration tasks and they will be examined first of all.” The Ministry of Public Administration was instructed to draft special plans on mobilisation of local authorities to implement the E.U.-Moldova Action Plan, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MFAEI) was told to work out an efficient mechanism for participation of journalists in coverage of the implementation process.

On January 24, the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament (EP) decided to give green light to an initiative by the European Commission and Council to allocate a financial assistance worth 45 million euros to Moldova. This aid aims to support the trade balance and the balance of payments of Moldova. The EP Committee made this decision but imposed certain conditions to Moldova: transparency of public finances; implementation of macroeconomic and budgetary priorities demanded by IMF and respect for human rights, including those of national minorities.

President Vladimir Voronin reconfirmed on January 26, while addressing representatives of the diplomatic corps to Moldova, the great interest of Chisinau authorities for European integration. In this context, the chief of state acknowledged the need of advancing more decisively and exigently in this direction, highlighted the importance of obtaining the four freedoms guaranteed in the E.U. area and reiterated that Moldova is not completely satisfied with the E.U. offers given within the ENP.

Republic of Moldova — Romania

Romanian President Traian Basescu paid an official visit to Moldova on January 16 in connection with difficulties faced by Moldovan citizens to obtain Romanian visas after the neighbouring country has joined the E.U. His visit agenda included a meeting with his Moldovan counterpart Vladimir Voronin and visits to the Romanian Embassy and its consular section.

The visit of the Romanian president was anticipated by certain comments on Moldova-Romania relations made by Romanian Foreign Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, member of one of the Romanian ruling political parties, the National Liberal Party (NLP). MEDIAFAX quoted Ungureanu as saying at the January 12 Extraordinary Congress of NLP that Moldova is a priority for NLP and Romanian Liberals are interested to help “Moldova not to tremble in front of the political wind, especially when the wind comes from the east.” According to Ungureanu, “the Republic of Moldova needs a chance and it could come from its electorate that should separate the totalitarianism from Moldova’s European destiny.”

Foreign Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu delivered important statements in the context of Moldovan-Romanian bilateral relations in an interview with the Moldovan radio channel Vocea Basarabiei on January 13. Ungureanu said that Romania is “not only an ally [of Moldova], but a big European partner […], whose word, good faith are reliable.” The Romanian foreign minister emphasised that Moldova is present in all regional cooperation frameworks in South East Europe thanks to Romania and Bucharest will be cogent in seeking Moldova’s inclusion in the package of the Western Balkans, so that to open “the windows toward an European horizon.” Also, Ungureanu recalled that Romania is the No.2 donor for Moldova after the United States and he was puzzled that the Chisinau City Hall is not answering to a request seeking more room for the consular section of the Romanian Embassy and central authorities keep silence in connection with the opening of two general consulates of Romania in Balti and Cahul.

Speaking about the invitation that Romanian President Traian Basescu has reportedly made to his Moldovan counterpart to let Moldova join the E.U. together with Romania, Ungureanu said that this is “a metaphorical formulation of what the Republic of Moldova should do in order to persuade Brussels that it both deserves or can meet the European requirements and it is ready to become a good European, a country with a predictable foreign policy.” Finally, the Romanian foreign minister reconfirmed the financial, logistical assistance and support in expertise matters that Romania stands ready to give Moldova for free, in order to ease its route to the E.U.

The main result of President Basescu’s visit to Moldova is an agreement reached with President Voronin to open two offices of the Romanian consular section in Balti and Cahul within 10 days. Romania wants to open these offices to handle the big number of visa applications from Moldovans.

The two presidents have also discussed the political agreement between Moldova and Romania, with Voronin expressing conviction that it will be shortly signed; the border agreement; assimilation of finances offered by E.U. within ENP for implementation of transborder projects; the Transnistrian problem and the regaining of Romanian citizenship. In the context, President Basescu said that Romanian authorities hold now more than 530,000 applications seeking appointments for submission of the acts needed to gain the Romanian citizenship and promised that the law on citizenship will be shortly modified with the consent of Chisinau authorities, so that to make clear how the new law should treat this problem.

Meantime, the number of employees of the Romanian Consulate has been completed and new visa application processing terminals have been installed to enhance the capacity of the consular section to process visa applications of Moldovans.

Republic of Moldova — Russian Federation

On January 26, 2007, Grigore Porcescu, ad-interim chief of the Moldovan veterinary medicine department, and Evgeni Nepoklonov, deputy chairman of the Russian service for phyto-sanitary and veterinary control Rosselhoznadzor, signed an agreement on resumption of Moldovan beef imports in Russia. Only three Moldovan enterprises selected after a December 2006 inspection, notably Tehnosel-Car based in Hincesti, Mistor-Bras in Calarasi and Nevelina in Chisinau, will be able to export beef. According to Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Anatolie Gorodenco, who has recently visited the Russian capital, an agreement on resumption of exports of pork and vegetal products from Moldova to the Russian Federation could be signed within one month.

Republic of Moldova — U.S.

A delegation from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) visited Chisinau in late January. The delegation led by John Hewko met President Vladimir Voronin, Speaker Marian Lupu, Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev, first Deputy Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii and civil society representatives.

The goal of the visit was to present the Compact Program of MCC aimed to contribute to poverty reduction in 25 countries through a sustained economic growth. Moldova was selected in this group of 25 countries among more than 80 countries with low income. MCC has evaluated the selected states, including Moldova, on the basis of 16 performance indicators in three fields of reference: (1) quality of governance; (2) investments in human capital and (3) economic freedom. In this context, it should be noted that Moldova is participating in the preliminary program of MCC and it will receive 24.7 million dollars to combat corruption.

Moldova will have to start an ample consultative process with the participation of diverse elements of Moldovan society in order to take part in the Compact Program of MCC. It will have to establish maximum 2–3 priorities after consultations, for which MCC could grant hundreds million dollars. According to Hewko, the establishing of priorities after the consultative process remains at Moldova’s latitude and they may envisage the education system, healthcare, infrastructure, etc. It is important for MCC that the resolution of the 2–3 problems identified by Moldova contribute to poverty reduction and cast sure economic growth trends. MCC has signed so far assistance agreements with 11 countries within the Compact Program: Madagascar (109.8 million dollars), Cape Verde (110 million dollars), Georgia (295.3 million dollars), Benin (307.3 million dollars), Honduras (215 million dollars), Nicaragua (175 million dollars), Vanuatu (65.69 million dollars), Armenia (235.65 million dollars), Ghana (547 million dollars), Mali (461 million dollars), El Salvador (460.94 million dollars).

Republic of Moldova — SPSEE

On January 30, Erhard Busek, Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe (SPSEE) paid an official visit to Chisinau. He had meetings with President Vladimir Voronin, Speaker Marian Lupu, Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev and with Moldovan Foreign Minister Andrei Stratan. Among the main subjects discussed are to be mentioned: Moldova’s participation to the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC); results of Moldova’s participation within the SPSEE activities; progress and problems of Moldova on the European integration itinerary.

In the context of the first mentioned subject, Erhard Busek has told that SPSEE is to conclude soon its activity and that it will transfer its competences to the RCC. The latter is to start its activity in 2008 and to harmonise political initiatives and processes in South Eastern Europe. The main activities of the RCC are to be developed in the field of economic and social development in South Eastern Europe, infrastructure, justice and home affairs, security cooperation, building human capital and parliamentary cooperation. Moldovan officials have shown interest in this new regional initiative and assured Erhard Busek that Moldova is ready to participate in RCC activities.

Republic of Moldova — Danube Commission

Moldova has handed over the annual chairmanship in the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) to Romania in Vienna. Taking part in the event organised jointly by Moldova’s Embassy to Austria and the ICPDR Secretariat were official representatives of 13 Danube states, important international organisations and interested media institutions.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Victor Postolachi, Vienna-based Moldova’s representative to international organisations, has presented the main results of the 2006 Moldovan ICPDR chairmanship at the event. The Moldovan diplomat noted among others that a meeting of the permanent working group of experts from the Danube region was organised in Chisinau in June 2006; the Danube Day was marked on June 29 and Chisinau hosted the forum of Danube NGOs in October.

ICPDR member states were invited for a tighter cooperation, with participants highlighting the need of respecting the framework directive of the E.U. on waters and promoting the interests of ICPDR within other European and international organisations.

Republic of Moldova — U.N.

The 2007–11 UNFPA Programme for Moldova was adopted at a joint session of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at the U.N. Headquarters in New York on January 24, 2007. The UNFPA Programme for Moldova is part of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). Activities of UNFPA in Moldova aimed mainly at improving the human health, especially the reproductive health until now.

e-democracy.md