The Newsletter is based on the radio programme broadcast on April 16 th , 2016, produced by the Foreign Policy Association of Moldova in partnership with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES). The programme is broadcast on the Radio Moldova public channel and on the Vocea Basarabiei Radio. The programme is part of the FES/APE“Foreign Policy Dialogues” Project. The content can be reproduced by mentioning the source. NEWSLETTER MONTHLY BULLETIN APRIL 2016 NR.4(121) Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates The materials are realized by Lina Grau, foreign policy expert and programme coordinator with APE. TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. Alexander Kremer, Head of the World Bank Office in Moldova: Negative trend can be reversed in the space of one government if the will to do so is there 2. Polish expert Grzegorz Gromadzki: I don’t have positive expectations from the political elite in power as it is not able to change its way of doing politics. The last period was marked by several important events for Moldova. On April 13 th , the Parliament established a European Integration Parliamentary Council which will be monitoring the implementation of the Association Agreement with the EU. According to a parliament press release, the Council“will coordinate the issues related to the implementation of the European integration policies, will hold public hearings on the subject, and will exercise parliamentary control over the implementation of the Association Agreement and of the Free Trade Agreement with the EU.” The former Foreign Minister of Moldova, Natalia Gherman, participated on April 13 th in the hearings for the selection of the new Secretary General of the United Nations. Natalia Gherman is among the eight candidates running for this position. The second five­year term in office of the UN Secretary General, former Foreign Minister of South Korea Ban Ki-moon, is expiring at the end of the year. In a special session dedicated to the Republic of Moldova of the Global Forum for Security GLOBSEC 2016 held in Bratislava on 15-17 April, the Moldovan Foreign Minister, Andrei Galbur, reiterated the firm commitment of the Moldovan government to accelerate reforms under the Association Agreement. Talks have been held also on the Transnistrian conflict. The head of the Moldovan delegation underlined the need to resume unconditional negotiations in the“5+ 2” format in order to advance the settlement process, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova. The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of the Russian­Moldovan relations. Speaking in Moscow on April 4 th , after the meeting with his Moldovan counterpart Andrei Galbur, Lavrov said that he and his guest had agreed that“the current state of bilateral relations cannot be considered as satisfactory.” Lavrov appreciated, though, Galbur’s promise that Moldova will continue to support promotion of the Russian language in Moldova and reaffirmed Moscow’s position that the Transnistrian conflict can only be solved preserving a“unitary, indivisible and neutral” Moldova. Lavrov has reiterated, on the other hand, the criticisms of his country against Moldova for having signed in 2014 the Association Agreement with the EU, saying that had affected“the whole complex of our economic relations”.“I heard that Moldova’s new government is interested in developing the relations with Russia and we are saluting this attitude”, added Lavrov. President of the European People’s Party, Joseph Daul, showed“deep concern” with the new Moldovan draft law, which would allow authorities to block websites, and read e-mails or private messages. The European politician wrote about it on his Twitter account. According to him,“Moldova must ensure that the law will reach a fair balance between the right to information and privacy, and censorship in the name of security.” The Agora Portal reminded that on March 30 th , the government passed a law that obliges telephone and Internet operators to store user data for a period of up to 12 months, block access to certain sites and allow authorities to check emails, SMSes or messages sent via messaging applications. A similar directive was invalidated by the EU Court of Justice in 2014. Alexander Kremer:„The negative trend can be reversed in the space of one government if the will to do so is there …” T he World Bank(WB) is forecasting a modest increase of 0.5% percent in Moldovan economy in 2016. Based on the economic forecast for Europe and Central Asia, and the Republic of Moldova, presented on April 7 th , the World Bank is anticipating that the Moldovan economy will remain inert this year, after the 2015 recession largely caused by the fraud in the banking sector. An economic recovery will be possible only in 2017. In an exclusive interview, the World Bank country director, Alexander Kremer, Monthly Bulletin, Nr. 4(121), April 2016 64, Sciusev str. MD-2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, Tel-Fax:+373 22 21 09 86 Website: www.ape.md E-mail: office@ape.md