Twelfth meeting of the Civil Society Platform European Union – Republic of Moldova: progress, commitments, recommendations for launching EU accession negotiations by the end of the year
On September 1, 2023, the twelfth meeting of the Civil Society Platform European Union – Republic of Moldova was held in Chișinău. During the Platform’s meeting was discussed and evaluated the progress Moldova made in fulfilling the 9 recommendations of the European Commission for opening the accession negotiations to the EU. The importance of joint efforts of all stakeholders was reiterated in order to fulfil the commitments undertaken in the field of justice and the fight against corruption, as well as to advance the implementation of all chapters of the Association Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova.
Platform members welcomed and appreciated the joint statement of EU and Moldovan mobile operators to reduce roaming tariffs as of 1 January 2024. They also welcomed the announcement of the EU enhanced support package for the Republic of Moldova, which includes support for security and resilience, as well as for strengthening administrative capacity to move Moldova forward on the European path.
The members of the platform welcomed the invitation addressed to the Republic of Moldova to join the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, aimed at strengthening disaster prevention, preparedness, and response in Moldova. They also appreciated the association of the Republic of Moldova with the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) which will attract more EU funding for both Moldovan authorities and companies working in the field of infrastructure, energy and digitalisation. During the discussions, it was mentioned that in the current challenging context, generated by the war in the neighbouring country, the decision to renew and expand the temporary suspension of all outstanding tariffs and the entry-price system that are still applicable to seven agricultural products for another year, until 24 July 2024, is a real support for the Moldovan economy.
As a result of the debates, the members of the Civil Society Platform European Union – Republic of Moldova adopted a joint statement welcoming the progress of reforms by the authorities, and cooperation with EU institutions, but at the same time, reiterated the call on the Moldovan Government to invite civil society representatives to be part of the 35 working groups responsible for negotiating EU accession chapters and to intensify cooperation with civil society in advancing the country on the European path. The declaration also includes recommendations to speed up the implementation process of the Association Agreement, one of the key recommendations being to accelerate the harmonisation of legislation with the EU acquis. The joint statement also calls on the Moldovan authorities to ensure a fair, equitable, and inclusive electoral process for the forthcoming local elections scheduled for November 2023 and encourages the Republic of Moldova to pursue with determination its reform agenda aimed at strengthening democracy and the rule of law.
The event was attended by parliamentarians, European officials, representatives of the Moldovan Government, diplomats, and representatives of Moldovan civil society.
Jānis Mažeiks, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, said “The cooperation with civil society is one of the key values of the European Union. The Republic of Moldova is fortunate to have a vibrant civil society, which is eager to contribute to reforms. More developments are expected, as Moldova is implementing its deep reform programme. Moving swiftly with reforms is of key importance and needs to be balanced with ensuring the effectiveness, thoroughness and transparency of the reforms. The importance of the role of civil society is also highlighted among the nine steps set out by the European Commission in its opinion on Moldova’s candidate status. I would like to commend the Moldovan authorities for their work on enhancing the involvement of civil society in decision-making processes.”
“Moldova has continued to advance in carrying out reforms, changing legislation, and attaining results as per its commitments to address the 9 recommendations of the European Commission in the context of granting to Moldova the status of a candidate country for accession to the European Union. The European Commission’s verbal interim update on enlargement, presented to member states at the end of June 2023, has recognized the progress Moldova made and deemed that it has fully implemented three out of nine conditions, while most of the work now needs to be concentrated around fighting corruption and organized crime as well as on public administration reforms”, mentioned Stela Leucă, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova.
“The decisions and actions that the Republic of Moldova is taking today to advance on the European path are a prerequisite for a secure, prosperous and democratic future for its citizens. Integration into the EU means, first and foremost for us citizens of Moldova – a state based on the rule of law, more prosperity, and more opportunities for each individual. For this reason, civil society organisations in Moldova will continue to monitor the process of fulfilling commitments undertaken by Moldova with respect to the EU, and to offer all their expertise and capacities to ensure that our European course is irreversible”, stated Liliana Palihovici, Co-President of the Civil Society Platform European Union – Republic of Moldova, President of the AO “Institutum Virtutes Civilis”.
Dumitru Fornea, Co-President, Civil Society Platform European Union – Republic of Moldova, General Secretary of the National Confederation of Trade Unions of Romania, said “The civil society of the European Union supports and welcomes the determined actions of the Republic of Moldova focused on achieving the objectives assumed for a fast as possible European integration, for the modernization of the country, both by developing the infrastructure and by creating new economic, commercial and social opportunities, but especially by creating the necessary conditions to improve the quality of life for all citizens of the Republic of Moldova.”
The meetings of the Civil Society Platform European Union – Republic of Moldova represent an open dialogue and constructive interaction between representatives of civil society, authorities and European officials. The topics discussed during the twelfth meeting focused on progress and challenges in reforming the justice sector, implementing commitments on the human rights dimension, strengthening gender equality and combating violence against women, as well as assessing the progress made by the Republic of Moldova in implementing the Association Agreement and the European Commission’s recommendations on Moldova’s accession to the European Union.
European officials expressed the European Union’s continued strong support for Moldova’s efforts to meet all the European Commission’s recommendations. The exchange of views and experiences will help to identify best practices and directions for action to accelerate the opening of negotiations on Moldova’s accession to the European Union.
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The European Union-Republic of Moldova Civil Society Platform was created on the basis of Article 442 of the Association Agreement and is made up of EU civil society representatives, including members of the European Economic and Social Committee and representatives of civil society from the Republic of Moldova, and provides a forum for meeting and exchanging views on issues related to the implementation of the Association Agreement and the development challenges of the Republic of Moldova. The twelfth meeting of the Civil Society Platform European Union – Republic of Moldova was organised in the framework of the project “Civil Society for European Integration” funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, which is implemented by the Independent Think Tank Expert-Grup, as lead partner, in partnership with the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE), AO Institutum Virtutes Civilis (IVC) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Moldova.
The full statement presented at the event will be available shortly on the web pages of the organizers and euromonitor.md
