The Newsletter is based on the radio programme broadcast on November 23rd, 2017, produced by the Foreign Policy Association of Moldova in partnership with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES). The programme is broadcast on the Moldova Public 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 NOVEMBER 2017 NR.10(140) 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. Johannes Hahn: Currently the openness for further extension in the EU is not very high, but I’m pretty sure this can be changed 2. Cecilia Malmstrom: There is a lot of untapped potential in the application of the Free Trade Agreement 3. Stanislav Secrieru: Is the Transnistrian conflict an immediate military threat to the Republic of Moldova? 4. Oana Lungescu: NATO’s liaison office in Moldova will be inaugurated in December The last period was marked by a series of important events for the Republic of Moldova On 15 November, the Government of Chisinau approved the signing of the Loan Agreement with the EU on macro-financial assistance. The funding programme includes the allocation of€100 million Euros, of which€60 million Euros as a loan and€ 40 million Euros- in the form of a grant. The credit will be granted for a maximum of 15 years. A government statement says disbursements will be made in 2018 in three equal instalments, depending on the progress made in the implementation of the 28 EU conditionality. These relate to public governance, fighting corruption, energy sector reforms, financial sector governance, improving the business environment. EBRD’s Regional Director for Southeast Europe, Francis Malige, welcomed the adoption by the Moldovan Parliament of a series of legislative acts aimed at improving the financial and banking legislation and attracting foreign investment in the sector. During a meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, Andrian Candu, the official appreciated that the Romanian “Transilvania” Bank intends to buy a block of shares in Victoriabank’s share capital. It is for the first time since 2007 that a foreign bank investor enters the Moldovan market the“Transilvania” Bank and EBRD respectively will jointly hold the majority stake in the “Victoriabank”. The road bridge over the Nistru between the localities of Gura Bâcului- Bacioc was reopened on Saturday, November 18, and the ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Pavel Filip and the Transnistrian leader Vadim Krasnoselski. The bridge was destroyed during the 1992 armed conflict and restored from European funds in the early 2000s. It was not used because of the political disagreements between Chisinau and Tiraspol. A press release of the Moldovan delegation to the Joint Control Commission suggests, however, that the disputes around the activity of control posts near the bridge continue. The deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Gheorghe Balan, announced that the next round of“5 + 2” negotiations will take place in Vienna, on 26-28 November. The agenda will include issues related to the access to agricultural land, the situation of Latin­script schools, the circulation of registered vehicles in the Transnistrian region, etc. The negotiations in the“5+ 2” format have not been held for more than a year. The Government of Chisinau will present in the near future a vision on the special status for Transnistria in the reintegrated Republic of Moldova. The document is now in the process of consultation with the civil society, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said during a meeting with Wolf Dietrich Heim, the special representative of the Austrian OSCE Chairmanship in the Transnistrian settlement. The EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, Johannes Hahn, said he is working on a project to reduce the roaming tariffs between the EU countries and Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, so they can be cancelled later. Hahn did not give a date when he thinks that the roaming tariffs could be reduced and eventually cancelled, but he said he is involved in this project. The roaming tariffs have been cancelled in the European Union countries this year. According to a draft outline to be adopted on 24 November at the Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels by 2020, the EU countries will focus on supporting Eastern Partnership countries to harmonize their allocation and roaming prices”. Johannes Hahn: Currently the openness for further extension in the EU is not very high, but I’m pretty sure this can be changed The European Parliament adopted recently a series of recommendations addressed to the other EU institutions- the Commission and the Council-on the forthcoming Eastern Partnership Summit, calling for closer relations between the member countries and especially Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova. Parliament also proposes setting up a trust fund that would attract private and public investment in the social and economic infrastructure of the three countries. Parliament also proposes that the Eastern Partnership Monthly Bulletin, Nr. 10(140), November 2017 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