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Foreign Affairs on March 17–31, 2009

European Integration

European Council approves statement on Eastern Partnership

On March 20, 2009 the Brussels European Council adopted a statement concerning the Eastern Partnership, which is part of the Presidency Conclusions of the Brussels European CouncilRO. The statement reveals the following:

  1. The EU has a strong interest in developing an increasingly close relationship with its eastern partners, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, by granting the prospect of political association and economic integration into the EU;
  2. The Eastern Partnership will be governed by the principles of joint ownership, differentiation and conditionality. Shared values including democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights will be at its core, as well as the principles of market economy, sustainable development and good governance;
  3. The Partnership will provide a 600-million-euro financial support for the period to 2013; increased financial support will respect the resources available under the multiannual Financial Framework, including adequate margins;
  4. New association agreements with the EU, which would include consolidated and global free exchange agreements will be signed with those partners who have made sufficient progress towards the principles of market economy and democratic values and who are willing and able to comply with the resulting commitments;
  5. The Eastern Partnership will promote mobility of citizens of partner countries and will take gradual steps towards full visa facilitation as a long term goal for individual partner countries and on a case by case basis provided that conditions for well-managed and secure mobility are in place.
  6. The Eastern Partnership aims to strengthen the energy security cooperation of all participants with regard to long-term energy supply and transit including through better regulation and energy efficiency.

The statement does not say anything about granting of a clear European perspective to participating states.

The Eastern Partnership will be launched on May 7, 2009 within a summit which will be organized for this purpose.

EUBAM releases its annual report 2008

The European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) released its annual report 2008 on March 26, 2009. According to the report, the European Court of Auditors, examining the effectiveness of EU support in the area of freedom, security and justice in Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus stated that the EUBAM had contributed greatly to building capacity in the Moldovan and Ukrainian border guard and customs services.

EU-Moldova COEST Troika Meeting (Working group of the EU Council for Relations with Eastern Europe and Central Asia)

On March 25, 2009 in Brussels a Moldovan delegation headed by Valeriu Ostalep, deputy minister of foreign affairs and European integration, attended the EU-Moldova COEST Troika Meeting. The meeting tackled issues related to the electoral campaign for the parliamentary elections in Moldova; latest developments in the Transnistrian settlement process; future of EU-Moldova relations and negotiation of a new Moldova-EU agreement.

While on visit, the Moldovan delegation has met Hugues Mingarelli, deputy director of DG RELEX, European Commission, and political scientists, Michael Emerson, senior researcher of the Centre for European Policy Studies, and Antonio Missiroli, study director of the European Policy Centre. (According to a MFAEI press release)

MFAEI releases the Newsletter on Moldova-EU Mobility Partnership

On March 27, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration released the first online issue of Newsletter on the Mobility PartnershipRO Republic of Moldova — European Union.

The newsletter tells in brief the negotiations on the Moldova-EU Mobility Plan, the mechanism for monitoring the implementation, evolutions in implementing the Mobility Partnership and events scheduled for the near future.

The next issues will provide information about implementation of projects within the Action Partnership aimed:

  1. To strengthen relations with the Moldovan Diaspora;
  2. To encourage the comeback and reintegration of Moldovan migrants;
  3. To consolidate the institutional capacity in the area of migration management;
  4. To invest remittances;
  5. To ensure border management and security of documents;
  6. To ensure social protection;
  7. To cooperate against illegal migration and trafficking in human beings.

(According to a MFAEI press release)

Bilateral cooperation

Republic of Moldova — Romania

After Romania has tried in the second half of January to restore good relations with the Republic of Moldova the Moldovan-Romanian ties strained again by the end of March. This situation comes after many Romanian citizens were denied access to the Republic of Moldova without clear reasons. According to data by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, approximately 300 Romanian and Moldovan citizens were denied access to the Republic of Moldova during March 27–29, 2009. The situation raised both the discontentment of Romanian authorities and concern of the European Commission. In particular, Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu has told a press conference that “the restricted circulation of citizens in the European area reveals the lack of a real commitment (by the Republic of Moldova) in the European course supported energetically by Romania in Brussels,”[1] while a press release by the Romanian Foreign Ministry stressed that the “treatment applied on Romanian citizens is unacceptable and contrary to their status of European citizens, EU norms which the Republic of Moldova wants to join and fundamental human rights…”[2]

At a pres conference on March 31, 2009, Moldovan Prime Minister Zinaida Grecianii denied any abuse by Moldovan authorities, saying that the actions by Moldovan border guard and customs services were perfectly legal[3]. At the same time, the prime minister said that the holding aimed to prevent alleged destabilizing actions organized by groups of Romanian citizens on the eve of parliamentary elections in Moldova.

It is worth mentioning that the MFAEI convoked the Romanian Ambassador in Chisinau, Filip Teodorescu, on March 20, 2009 to inform him in connection with possible public electoral actions that groups of Romanian citizens would have been expected to hold in Chisinau during March 27–28. The ministry told the Romanian diplomat that the Moldovan authorities “will take all necessary measures with the view to prevent such a situation, which would jeopardize the good relations between the Republic of Moldova and Romania.”[4]

Republic of Moldova — Russia

Two events marked the Moldova-Russia relations in the second half of March. The No.1 event was the visit of Moldova’s President Vladimir Voronin to Moscow to meet there Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and sign a joint declaration with his Russian counterpart and Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov. The second, less important event was the visit of Russian Minister of Economy Elvira Nabiullina to Chisinau. While on visit, the Russian minister has met Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin and officials of the Ministry of Economy and Trade (MET). The sides discussed issues relating to commercial-economic relations between Moldova and Russia and opportunities to develop and extend them. In particular, Vladimir Voronin stressed the possibility to supply Moldovan agro-food products to the Russian market, inclusively via the Giurgiulesti International Port. In her turn, Nabiullina said that Russian economic agents will keep investing and implementing new investment projects in Moldova, especially in the energy and telecommunication sectors, despite the world economic crisis. (According to MET press release)

Note by ADEPT: Some analysts consider that the visit of the Russian minister of economy was part of the “electoral” visits of foreign officials in favor of the PCRM. However, cannot be ignored the version that this visit could aim to find investment opportunities in domestic energy and telecommunication sectors and/or establish conditions for providing a Russian financial assistance to Moldova when Chisinau will experience repercussions of the world financial and economic crisis.

Multilateral cooperation

Republic of Moldova — Council of Europe
ECHR decisions

On March 31, 2009, the European Court of Human Rights pronounced decisions on the cases Hyde Park and others vs. Moldova (no. 1), (no.2), and (no.3). It indicated the violation of freedom of meetings and association in all three cases and granted 9,000 Euros to applicants for all cases in non-pecuniary damages and 3,000 Euros in costs and expenses. (Source: www.echr.coe.int, www.lhr.md)

  1. ↑ www.mae.ro, 29.03.2009
  2. ↑ www.mae.ro, 27.03.2009
  3. ↑ Info-Prim Neo
  4. ↑ www.mfa.md, 20.03.2009
March 2–16, 2009 April 1–15, 2009