Foreign Affairs on November 15–30, 2010

European integration

Moldova receives additional EU assistance for development

The Republic of Moldova continues to benefit from the opening of the European Union. In the second half of November, Moldova became the beneficiary of several grant programs from the European Union:

Five funding agreements with the European Union for the infrastructure projects and energy projects, business support projects, administrative capacity development and regional development projects. The agreements amount to 79 million Euros and this money will be allocated as a grant.
Framework-Document on the Comprehensive Institutional Development Program for 2011–2013 worth 41.16 million Euros, signed within the Eastern Partnership. The assistance provided as a refundable grant will be used to develop the institutional capacity of Moldova to honour the commitments to be undertaken under the future Association Agreement. The document identifies the main issues concerning the implementation of reforms and the institutions benefiting from the program. The program covers the following areas: 1) public administration reform, 2) strengthening the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, 3) preparation of Moldova for the negotiation and implementation of Moldova’s commitments under the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. The institutions that will benefit from program activities shall be as follows: State Chancellery, Ministry of Finance, Public Procurement Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Prosecutor General Office, Centre for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Agriculture, National Agency for Competition Protection, State Agency for Intellectual Property, General Inspectorate for Phytosanitary Surveillance and Seed Control, Sanitary Veterinary Agency for Safety of Products of Animal Origin, National Centre for Public Health within the Ministry of Health. The funds will be allocated for implementing twinning programs, technical assistance projects, administrative internships and specialized training, procurement of equipment.
ENPI Inter-regional Action Programme (European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument) for 2011 worth 52 million Euros, having as beneficiaries the EU neighbouring countries, including the Republic of Moldova. The money will be allocated for implementing three programs: 1) the mobility of students and teachers (through the Erasmus Mundus Programme); 2) harmonization of the partner countries’ legislation with the acquis communautaire; 3) supporting governance reforms in partner countries (through SIGMA program).

At the same time, the European Parliament gave its consent for Moldova’s participation in several EU programs and agencies in the field of transport, food safety, aviation security and customs area in order to support the country’s efforts to reform and modernize these areas. To participate in these agencies, Moldova will be able to use assistance from the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument.

The Second Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (FSC PE)

On November 18–19, the Second Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum was held in Berlin, attended by over 200 representatives of the civil society from the six member states of the Eastern Partnership and the European Union member states.

The Forum works developed in four working groups:

Democracy, good governance, stability and border management;
Economic integration and convergence with EU policies;
Energy security, climate change and environment;
Inter-human contacts.

During the Forum there were discussed the developments occurred in the last year in the functioning of democratic institutions, respect for human rights and rule of law, economic development and regional cooperation of the Eastern Partnership member states. Participants came up with proposals and recommendations to the EU institutions to streamline forum’s activity, to increase the participation of civil society in the democratization and modernization of the countries where they operate and to enlarge civil society levers in order to influence Eastern Partnership instruments so that they meet the needs of Eastern Partnership member states.

Forum’s recommendations will be presented to the foreign affairs ministers of the Eastern Partnership partner countries which will meet in Brussels on December 13, 2009.

European Commission on parliamentary elections in Moldova

On November 30 Catherine Ashton, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Štefan Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, sent a message encouraging the continuation of internal reforms and the further rapprochement to the EU, urging political forces to form a new government and to elect the head of state. The high European officials welcomed the fact that the elections met most international standards for democratic elections and confirmed the European Union commitment to deepen relations with Moldova.

Bilateral cooperation

Republic of Moldova — Russia

Dialogue between Moldova and Russia remains at standstill and is reduced to official meetings and statements. Russian Federation wants to imply that the reason behind this situation is the lack of functional political governance in Chisinau due to domestic political instability and the prolonged electoral period Moldova is going through. The letter of the Acting Moldovan president, Mihai Ghimpu to the NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, by which is requested the NATO assistance for the withdrawal of Russian military troops from Transnistrian region, only fuelled the sceptical attitude of Russia towards the Moldovan executive. The Russian ministry of foreign affairs had a reserved reaction to the action of Mihai GhimpuRU, qualifying it as an electoral propaganda. The Russian Ambassador to Moldova Valeri Kuzimin was more clear-cut in his statementsRU, saying that the action of the Acting Moldovan president is “removed from reality”, and “Russia is watching with pain the political and economic chaos that dominates Moldova”.

Republic of Moldova — Ukraine

Moldova-Ukraine relations were marked by an incident on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. This incident may strain relations between the two countries, already at standstill. On November 15, 2010, the Ukrainian authorities had removed unilaterally the border signs nearby Palanca village. According to the Ukrainian minister of foreign affairsRU, Ukrainian authorities had taken such action to retrieve the error made earlier during the Moldovan-Ukrainian border delimitation process nearby Palanca village. Recognizing that Ukraine has acted unilaterally, the Ukrainian minister of foreign affairs claimed that his ministry had repeatedly informed the Moldovan ministry of foreign affairs about the need to solve this problem, but because of its “non-constructive position”, the Ukrainian authorities decided to fix the border delimitation error unilaterally.

e-democracy.md