Today’s summit of the Eastern Partnership in Warsaw is an important date for EU’s relations with its Eastern neighbours. This initiative was first launched in May 2009 in Prague during the Czech Presidency, marking not just an EU which is more ambitious in its neighbourhood, but also the growing role of the new EU member states inside the Union. The Czech Republic, together with Poland have been the key champions of the partnership since its inception.
Despite its successes, the Eastern Partnership is not without its critics, not least because it does not offer an accession perspective to the EU. But what I personally believe in –is that if we do not see the light at the end of the tunnel, we should just walk faster. The faster we will walk, the sooner we will see it. And the Eastern partnership is both a compass and a map that will bring us closer to EU integration. This is what guides Moldova’s approach to the Eastern Partnership and the effects are clearly visible.
Since the launch of the Eastern Partnership Moldova has managed to become the most rapidly consolidating success story when it comes to democratisation and economic growth. In 2010 Moldova was one of the top three fastest growing economies in Europe. Unfortunately, Moldova’s parliament has not been able yet to elect a president for more than 2 years, and I hope we will overcome this problem soon. But the reforms continue, the country works and its European course is unshakeable. Moldova is now a pluralistic democracy with a vibrant media, where all political competition takes part through political, legal, and democratic means. This is no mean achievement.
In June 2010 Moldova also started a dialogue on a visa-free regime and later received an action plan of measures which will allow Moldovan citizens to travel to the EU without visa for short term visits. My firm belief is that Europe will not be united unless its citizens are united. And this is still an unfinished job. EU’s current visa regime is a huge obstacle for people to people contacts, business, trade and ultimately the economic and societal development not just of EU’s neighbours, but also of the EU as a whole. It also undermines EU soft power.
There have been a lot of concerns in the EU about the failure of multiculturalism and the challenges of migration. In this context, Moldova is not a challenge for the EU but a partner in managing migration. Our approach to the visa dialogue is not to request bluntly concessions from the EU, but to work together with the EU address our common concerns. That is why Moldova and the EU are working now together to implement better instruments which will allow us together to address the issues of migration. Moldova is creating an integrated border management system, reforming the Ministry of Interior and modeling our border control practices and standards on those of the EU. All these reforms are implemented with the direct contribution and involvement of the EU.
Moldova has also made substantial progress towards launching talks on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. In order to develop further Moldova needs more trade, not just aid. Freer trade creates jobs, boosts prosperity and makes modernisation sustainable. This is why the offer of Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade with the EU is so central to the Eastern Partnership. With 50% of external trade balance, the EU is already Moldova’s biggest trade partner, making us a small but inseparable part of the European economy. But we need freer trade to drastically increase the trade turnover and our hope is to start negotiations with the EU on a DCFTA as soon as possible.
Another project, smaller in scope, but nevertheless of huge importance is the creation of a Common Aviation Area between the EU and Moldova. We have started talks on such an area in July 2011 and hope to complete them soon. This would allow for Moldovan safety standards to increase, and flights between the EU and Moldova to intensify, reducing costs, and benefiting citizens.
It is important to take stock of what has been achieved, but more importantly we need to design an outlook for the future of the EaP. The Partnership has been a success so far, but its success is mainly in launching extremely important initiatives. The hard job of delivering on them is still ahead. I believe that the future success of the Eastern Partnership will depend on several factors. These include a continuous high-level commitment from the EU and the neighbouring states, as well as differentiation between the partners.
But speed is also of extreme importance. Moldova does not have another decade to modernize. It only has a few years to make a radical and irreversible break with the past. That is why we are in a hurry to move as fast as possible in relations with the EU and we cannot afford to discuss issues for years and years without rapid advancement. That is why the implementation of the stated objectives of the Eastern Partnership should be drastically accelerated, especially on freer trade and freer circulation of citizens.
It is also, perhaps, time to reflect how we can build on the initial successes of the EaP to develop it further. So far the EaP has two high-level fora: annual summits and meetings of the foreign ministers. Such meetings are good, but they should only be the top of the pyramid. Beneath them we need to develop a much thicker web of contacts between officials, businesses and societies. I believe, it is important for the EU and its neighbours to launch regular sectoral ministerial meetings – where EaP ministers of interior, energy or economy join their EU colleagues for substantial discussions. Such increased dialogue could allow the fulfillment of the potential of the Eastern Partnership in a way that will help strengthen Europe prosperity, security and power in an increasingly multi-polar world.
Author is the Prime Minister of Moldova.
