Foreign Affairs on July 1–16, 2007

European integration

NEIC sitting

A new sitting of the National European Integration Commission (NEIC) took place on July 10. According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MFAEI), the results of the June 19 Luxembourg 9th sitting of the European Union — Moldova Cooperation Council were presented at the sitting; public authorities reported how the action plans on implementation of the E.U.-Moldova Action Plan (EUMAP) were implemented in May-June 2007; the participants outlined new future tasks for implementation of EUMAP.

The ministerial press service noted that the NCEI sitting has discussed “a report by the European Commission on implementation of [EUMAP] from July 2006 to April 2007”. The report was not made public.

Portugal takes over the E.U. Council Presidency

MFAEI has released a communique to welcome the takeover of the E.U. Council Presidency by Portugal for July-December 2007. According to the communique, Moldova will have the following priorities in relations with E.U. throughout the Portuguese Presidency: to deepen the political dialogue with E.U., to finish the procedures aimed to obtain the Autonomous Trade Preferences (ATP), to extend the cooperation in energy sector by jointly implementing an energy strategy, to use new possibilities of cooperation with the European Investment Bank in order to develop the infrastructure, and to launch the procedures needed for Moldova’s participation in community programmes.

Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates has told European parliamentarians in his speech of presentation of the programme of the Portuguese Presidency the priorities of his country for chairing the E.U. Council till December 2007. They are: (1) the reform of treaties; (2) the modernisation of “European economies and societies”; and (3) the strengthening of the E.U. role in the world. In connection with the third priority, Portugal’s agenda includes: (a) the E.U.-Brazil summit; (b) the E.U.-Africa summit, and (c) the Euro-Mediterranean conferences (on migration, energy, foreign, economic, financial and commercial affairs).^[1]

Portugal’s priorities for foreign relations of E.U. confirm the hypothesis that the geography influences the emphases laid in this field by states chairing the E.U. Council. Unlike Germany’s special concerns with “Mitteleurope”, which Germany has left behind some priorities of the present when it chaired the E.U. Council, the Portuguese Presidency focuses on its strategic interests. This is why, ideas to create a longer-term E.U. Council Presidency and an office of E.U. foreign minister, in order to meet these changes of emphases, which sometimes affect the continuity of E.U. policies were intensely promoted. These ideas are part of the European Constitution, which the French and Dutch peoples turned down in 2005, and the June 21–22, 2007 European Council resumed the talks on these ideas, reaching a compromise of principle to include them in a new draft treaty aimed to reform the institutional bases of E.U. It will be negotiated after a July-scheduled Intergovernmental Conference, so that to be released as a draft next October.

CAC

Jean Asselborn, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and immigration of Luxembourg, has said while on an official visit to Moldova on July 11–12 that his country will join the Common Application Centre (CAC) starting January 1, 2008. We recall that the CAC opened in the Hungarian Embassy in Chisinau on April 25 and receives applications of Moldovan citizens for visas of Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, Latvia, Denmark and Iceland. CAC is the first centre of this kind opened by E.U.

Bilateral cooperation

Republic of Moldova — Romania

E.U. Special Representative Kalman Mizsei has restarted talks on Romanian citizenship. He told journalists in Bucharest that Romania should restrict the citizenship awarding procedure including for Moldovan applicants. Mizsei hinted that this is also the stance of Brussels, which is seriously concerned that many citizens outside of the E.U. could receive European citizenship.

This statement has raised controversies on both banks of the Proute River and there were speculations that Mizsei has rather voiced the opinion of Chisinau authorities who do not warm the high number of applications from Moldovans for Romanian citizenship.

Elsewhere, Mizsei recommended Romania not to arrogate its role of “elder brother” in relations with Moldova but to demonstrate more understanding and good faith toward this country.

Republic of Moldova — Russia

The series of mysterious meetings between President Vladimir Voronin and high-ranking officials from Moscow has continued in the period covered by this issue of the e-journal. President Voronin met again Yuri Zubakov, deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, in early July. As expected after many precedents, the Chisinau Presidency was very laconic in reporting the problems discussed at that meeting. Under these conditions, speculations on secret negotiation of a future for Transnistria have the right to live.

We note that President Voronin had four meetings with Russian officials in June: he has met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin three times: on June 10 (in Sankt-Petersburg), on June 22 (in Novo-Ogarevo) and on June 30 (in Rostov-pe-Don), and he met once Yuri Zubakov, on June 15. The content of these frequent meetings is probably more complex than reported to the public.

Republic of Moldova — Croatia

Croatian President Stjepan Mesic was on a formal meeting to Moldova in early July. He has met Moldovan dignitaries, including President Voronin, Speaker Marian Lupu and Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev. Following the meeting with President Voronin, the Centre for the Struggle Against Economic Crimes and Corruption of Moldova and the Office for the Struggle Against Money Laundering of the Croatian Ministry of Finance have signed an agreement on cooperation against money laundering.

The Croatian president said that his country is ready to support Moldova to join the European Union, and noted that Croatia wants to join the CAC and to intensify its relations with Chisinau on multiple plans.

Multilateral cooperation

Republic of Moldova — Council of Europe

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has sentenced Moldova in three cases in the period concerned.

The Strasbourg-based Court has indicated the violation of the right to freedom of expression in the case Flux (# 2) vs. Moldova. Moldova was told to pay 278 Euros to the applicant in pecuniary damages, 3,000 Euros in non-pecuniary damages and 1,800 Euros in representation expenses and other taxes.

The ECHR has noted in the second case, Bimer S.A. vs. Moldova, the violation of the right to protection of property. It obliged the Moldovan Government to pay 520,000 Euros to the applicant as pecuniary damages.

In the third case Paladi vs. Moldova, the ECHR has found the torture, the restriction of the rights to freedom and to appeal to the Court. It told Moldova to pay 2,080 Euros to the applicant in pecuniary damages, 15,000 Euros in non-pecuniary damages and 4,000 Euros in costs and expenses and any other taxes.

Republic of Moldova — NATO

Brussels hosted a meeting of the NATO North-Atlantic Council in “26 + Moldova” format on July 4. The meeting assessed the progresses achieved by Chisinau in implementing the Moldova-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan, evolution of reforms in Moldova, and considered possibilities of NATO to assist the implementation of the Plan. The progress in implementing the IPAP was assessed on basis of the March 2007 report by NATO Mission.

According to MFAEI, NATO officials have encouraged Moldova to complete the creation of a political-legal basis for reformation of the security and defence sector and launched recommendations on future of the process of implementation of the Plan.

↑ Presentation of the Programme of the Portuguese Presidency. Speech of Prime Minister Jose Socrates to the European Parliament, Strasbourg 11th July 2007, http://www.eu2007.pt

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