The Newsletter is based on the radio programme broadcast on 13 December 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 DECEMBER 2017 NR.11(141) 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. The fifth edition of the Moldovan Annual European Integration Debate Forum: 2. Assessing the progress in the implementation of the Association Agreement and of the commitments of the Republic of Moldova to the development partners, and 3. The role of civil society in the implementation of the European integration agenda of the Republic of Moldova. The last period was marked by a series of important events for the Republic of Moldova On December 11, the Constitutional Court gave a positive opinion on the initiative to include the European integration objective in the Moldovan Constitution. The Parliament will be able to put the draft law to vote after half a year since the registration of the draft law, i.e. starting with April next year. The Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu said the Parliament will soon be introducing the draft law amending Articles 1 and 81 of the Constitution, registered by the Democratic Party in October, which states that“Moldova is oriented towards the European value space” and that“the European integration is the strategic development objective of the country”. President Igor Dodon criticized the decision of the Constitution Court accusing the latter of being the “guardian of government interests.”“European integration is the vision of the ruling party and cannot be imposed as the official ideology of the state in the Constitution,” said Igor Dodon, warning he would do his best to prevent the adoption of this initiative by the current Parliament. The fifth Eastern Partnership Summit, an EU initiative dedicated to the eastern neighbours- the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus- took place on November 24th in Brussels. The final statement doesn’t mention either the frozen conflicts in the region, or the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The final statement states only that “the participants in the summit are deeply worried about the continuing violation of the principles of international law in many parts of the region.” Chisinau and Tiraspol signed on November 25th four protocols aiming at ensuring the smooth running of Latin-language schools, the access of the farmers from the Dubasari raion to the farm land beyond the Ribnita-Tiraspol road, the recognition of Transnistrian university diplomas and the provision of telephone connection between the two banks of the Nistru. These topics have been among the most controversial issues between Chişinău and Tiraspol for years. The event took place before a new round of negotiations in the“5+2” format, which took place in Vienna, on 27 and 28 November. The negotiations were resumed after a break of almost one year and a half. The progress in the Transnistrian settlement was welcomed by the OSCE Ministerial Conference that took place on 7 and 8 December in Vienna. A separate statement adopted at the summit expresses hope that the parties will continue to show political will in the course of next year and will also come to discuss issues of security and political regulation. On December 8th, the Liaison Office of the North Atlantic Alliance was inaugurated in Chisinau. The NATO Deputy Secretary-General Rose Gottemoeller said at the event that the Alliance “fully respects Moldova’s neutrality, independence and sovereignty.” Igor Dodon reacted by saying that “the opening of the NATO Liaison Office involves increased risks for the national security of the state.” The fifth edition of the Moldovan Annual European Integration Debate Forum The fifth edition of the Moldovan Annual European Integration Debate Forum was held on 30 November 2017, in Chisinau. This year’s debates focused on assessing the implementation of the Association Agreement and of the commitments by Chisinau to the development partners, the role of civil society in the implementation of the European integration agenda of the Republic of Moldova and the developments in the Transnistrian settlement. The current edition of the newsletter is presenting the discussions that took place in the first two panels- the evaluation of the implementation of the Association Agreement and the role of civil society in the implementation of the European integration agenda of the Republic of Moldova. The Forum was organized by the Foreign Policy Association and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. 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