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Republic of Moldova — Council of Europe

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) sentenced Moldova on March 27 in the case Istrati and others v Moldova for violating the right to freedom and security, the right to private and family life, using inhuman and degrading treatments. Applicants Viorel Istrati, Alexandru Burcovschi and Roman Lutcan have invoked improper detention conditions, lack of medical assistance and violation of the right to communicate with their lawyers in private. The ECHR told Moldova to pay 6,000 euros, 4,000 euros and 5,000 euros in pecuniary damages and about 4,000 euros in costs and expenses to the applicants.

The Moldovan Parliament amended the law on publishing and enforcement of officials acts on March 29. Under amendments, ECHR decisions and judgments against Moldova will be published in brief in the official gazette Monitorul oficial.

Republic of Moldova — European Union

The Berlin Declaration

The European Union (E.U.) marked on March 25 the 50th anniversary of the signature of the treaties that created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EUROATOM). These documents are also known as the Treaties of Rome because they have been signed in the Italian capital. They have really given a new route to post-war Europe, toward peace, prosperity, democracy and the state based on the rule of law. Now they are part of the visiting card of the E.U. The signing in Berlin of a European solidarity declaration (the Berlin Declaration), which summarises the main accomplishments of the E.U., outlines major challenges on way of the E.U. and establishes the future goals of this community,^[1] was the main event linked to the 50th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome.

On occasion of this anniversary, President Vladimir Voronin has signed a letter saying that the Republic of Moldova welcomes the Berlin Declaration and subscribes to the E.U. principles, declaring its irreversible adhesion to the E.U. values. This symbolical gesture was very necessary since Moldova is bidding to join the E.U. in its way toward prosperity and democracy. But Moldova will have to demonstrate that it is a reliable long-route partner, in order to make this gesture of symbolical adhesion credible. The implementation of the whole Moldova-E.U. Action Plan (EUMAP) could be a cogent proof in this respect. However, regrettable actions taken by police on March 27 throw doubts on sincerity of Chisinau, which easily allows the defiance of some values of the Berlin Declaration, though it subscribes to this document.

Sitting of NCEI

Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Stratan presented a report on results of implementation of the EUMAP in the first quarter of 2007 and priorities for the next period, at a sitting of the National Commission for European Integration (NCEI) on March 27. Stratan noted that the signing of a visa facilitation agreement with the E.U. is a basic priority of Moldova in 2007. Elsewhere, Minister of Economy and Commerce Igor Dodon said in a report that Moldova is advancing in negotiations aimed to obtain the Autonomous Trade Preferences (ATP) and the Chisinau authorities have met all requirements of the European Commission in this respect. On the other hand, a group of experts of the European Commission who visited Chisinau in January-February to attend a meeting of the Moldova-E.U. Cooperation Subcommittee “Economy, Finance and Statistics” said that Moldova should do more to boost the credibility of the goods origin certification system, to improve the customs management and the auditing at exporting enterprises before gaining the ATP.

Joint visa issuance centre

Mihaly Bayer, Hungarian ambassador to Moldova, has recently said that the joint European visa issuance centre, which will formally open in the diplomatic representation of Hungary on April 25 to issue E.U. visas to Moldovan citizens, will accept visa applications starting April 12. This action aims to adapt the activity of the centre before the formal opening and to shortly remedy all deficiencies. We recall that this centre will issue Hungarian, Austrian and Slovenian visas at the beginning and Estonia, Latvia and Denmark will join the centre meantime. According to Bayer, Moldovans will have access to information on services of the centre round o’clock and the centre will finish and launch its website www.cac.md^[2]. The Hungarian ambassador noted that Moldovans apply for about 12,000 visas for Hungary, Austria and Slovenia a year, while the centre will be able to process about 50,000 visas a year. A communication by the European Commission Delegation in Chisinau has earlier said that the centre will be capable to issue at least 10,000 visas a year.

Opening of Pro Europe Centre in Balti

After the first centre Pro-Europe opened in Cahul on February 20, a second similar centre was inaugurated in Balti on March 30. Both centres opened with the support of the Representation of Eurasia Foundation in Moldova and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova. The centres aim to provide information on E.U., the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), implementation of the EUMAP and the process of European integration of Moldova. The centre opened after the conference on cooperation between local public authorities, civil society and mass media in the European integration process, at which the strategy on information and communication for European integration was launched for public debates. We will describe this document in a future issue.

Republic of Moldova — Romania

While the political relations between Moldova and Romania still are difficult, the economic ties seem to be different. The Ministry of Economy and Commerce has reported that commercial exchanges between Moldova and Romania rose about 1.9-fold in January-February 2007, compared with the similar period of 2006, up to 135.7 million dollars. Moldova exported goods worth 34.1 million dollars in the period concerned (1.7-fold more than in January-February 2006) to Romania and imported goods worth 101.6 million dollars (2.1-fold more than in January-February 2006). These figures deny previous estimates by experts who forecasted a decline of the trade between the two countries after Romania’s accession to the E.U. and cancelation of the free exchange regime. However, the significant rise of the deficit of trade balance with Romania up to 67.5 million dollars, compared with 29.4 million dollars in January-February 2007, should raise concern.

Republic of Moldova — Ukraine

Igor Colenov, director-general of the Border Guard Service of Moldova, and Nikolay Litvin, chairman of the State Guard Service of Ukraine, signed a plan on development of bilateral cooperation in 2007 at a March 22 meeting. The meeting also focussed on situation at the Moldova-Ukraine border and outlined the necessity of extending the information exchange between border guard services of the two states.

The State Administration of Civil Aviation has said in a press release that the exploitation of the Chisinau-Kiev flights by Moldovan and Ukrainian air operators is still uncertain. The sides met on March 23 and failed a compromise on number of weekly flights. The Moldovan side seeks six flights a week distributed equally, while Ukraine seeks ten flights a week. The existing dissensions between the two sides are expected to be settled at a new round of negotiations.

Republic of Moldova — Russian Federation

A parliamentary delegation of the Russian Federation headed by Aleksander Moskalets, deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on constitutional legislation and state building, visited Moldova on March 20–22. The Russian delegation visited Chisinau to attend a sitting of the Moldovan-Russian interparliamentary cooperation commission. That was the first meeting at this level after an agreement on parliamentary cooperation was signed in 2003. Also, Russian legislators met with President Vladimir Voronin and Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev.

The sides discussed many issues, including the Transnistrian problem, with the Moldovan side underlining that Moldova calls for a strategic partnership based on pragmatism and mutual understanding with the Russian Federation.

Moldovan and Russian legislators have adopted a statement at the sitting of the Moldovan-Russian interparliamentary cooperation commission. It stipulates that the sides will work out recommendations on settlement of existing problems in bilateral relations, including the Transnistrian conflict, at the next sitting set for September 2007. The recommendations will be raised to executive bodies of the two countries.

Republic of Moldova — Belarus

It was assured in the period concerned that Belarus will restart importing Moldovan wines soon and the Moldovan-Belarusian company Moldbelvin will be the only one in charge with deliveries of wines in bulk. The company was founded by AgroVin Bulboaca of Moldova and Belgospisheprom of Belarus. They own 80 percent and 20 percent of the statutory fund. According to Belgospisheprom director Leonid Senko, Moldbelvin will deliver wines in bulk to all consumers from Belarus.

Earlier, Iurie Mudrea, chief of the analysis and forecast service of Moldova-Vin Agency, has assured that “the [Moldovan-Belarusian] enterprise will not monopolise the exports of wines in bulk” to Belarus.

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