Foreign Policy Association together with Friedrich­Ebert-Stiftung offer you a newsletter on foreign policy and European integration issues of the Republic of Moldova. The newsletter is part of the “Foreign Policy Dialogue” joint project. NEWSLETTER MONTHLY BULLETIN JUNE 2018 NR.3(145) Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates The newsletter is developed by Sorina Ştefârţă, editor-coordinator TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. The relationship with the European Union cannot be judged only in black and white. Tudor Ulianovschi, minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration 2. Editorial: European aspirations, from promises to reality. Victoria Bucătaru, executive director, Foreign Policy Association 3. Euro-integration is not a sprint, but a long-lasting race. Eugen Caras, Head of Moldovan Mission to the European Union 4. Opinion of Parties: We and the world: the foreign policy priorities of the Republic of Moldova News in Brief A record support for the EU in the past 35 years shows the Eurobarometer released on May 23, exactly one year before the European elections in 2019. Namely, 67% of EU citizens believe their country has benefited from being member of EU, this being the highest rate since 1983. Likewise, 60% of Europeans believe that joining the EU is a good thing(the best score since 2007). For the upcoming electoral campaign, the EU citizens have named as priorities the fight against terrorism(49%), youth unemployment(48%), migration(45%), and economic growth(42%). Of the 27,601 people in 28 member countries surveyed, 71% of Romanians think their country has benefited from the EU membership, while 52% believe that things are going in the right direction in the EU. The European average in this respect accounts for 32%. “Moldova has made reforms in several sectors, but there are areas where more effort is needed in order to achieve tangible results- fighting against corruption, the banking sector and the Electoral Code,” said Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, after the fourth EU-Moldova Association Council from May 3rd. On the other hand, Prime Minister Pavel Filip said the reforms have to go hand in hand with the commitment of the European partners to further support our country. In this context, Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, said that in order to receive the first instalment of the macro­financial assistance, Moldova has yet to fulfil two conditions- the National Integrity Authority has to become fully operational and an additional budget has to be adopted to allow for the anti­corruption institutions to function. Thus, the first tranche could arrive in the country in July or in autumn. The regional development projects and initiatives, the progress in the relations between the Republic of Moldova and the EU, as well as Bucharest commitment to support Moldova on its European path were the topics discussed in May, during a visit to Chisinau, by the Moldovan authorities, the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu, and the Minister delegate for European Affairs of Romania, Victor Negrescu. Regarding regional initiatives, the officials talked about water supply and sewerage programs, energy efficiency of public buildings, rehabilitation of regional and local roads, and solid waste management. As for Romania’s support of Moldova’s European agenda, Victor Negrescu said that Romania’s Presidency of the EU Council is very important in this sense. At the same time, Victor Negrescu and Pavel Filip discussed the possible issues that could be addressed in a new joint meeting of the Chisinau and Bucharest Executive: elimination of roaming tariffs between the two countries, construction of a Chisinau-Bucharest railway line with European gauge, rehabilitation of bridges, including with EU assistance. Republic of Moldova, an European path with too many stations? Sorina Ștefârță Since 2009, the subject of European integration of the Republic of Moldova has been a constant one on the political agenda of the country. During this time, we have succeeded in being both the“success story” and the“disappointment” of the Eastern Partnership, whether it is the well-known bank fraud, the dramatic redesign of former European promoters or the election of a head of state who namely on anti-Europeanism has built his campaign and affirmed himself in the political life of the country. In spite of these turbulences, all the governments we have had in the last nine years have firmly supported the promotion of the European course of the Republic of Moldova as the only viable chance of modernizing the country. In its turn, although aware of the turbulences, the European Union has continued to support- in a kind of wise silence of the Chinese water torture- hundreds of development projects in our country. From tens of thousands to tens and millions of euros. Either directly or through assistance from the Member States. From the north to the south of the republic. So, today, thanks to the European assistance thousands of people in the Moldovan villages have tap water and renovated roads. Even if many(pretend that) don’t know about it... And yet, if it’s to believe the (Moldovan) polls, the pro­EU option is growing again among our fellow citizens. Just like the already-EU members say, for the first time since 2007, in an opinion poll of 27,000 people from the 28 member states, that their“voice counts in the Union”. When will our European presence come? As it is known that the future can lose from its charm if it is awaited too long... And where are we today on this road that seems to have more stations than we have originally imagined? We have tried to answer these questions in the current issue of our newsletter. Monthly Bulletin, Nr. 3(145), June 2018 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