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 MAY 2020 NR.5(171) Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates The newsletter is developed by Sorina Ştefârţă, editor-coordinator TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. HE Peter Michalko, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova: ”Only with serious changes can the Republic of Moldova become a better state” 2. Editorial by Victor Chirilă, executive director of the Foreign Policy Association(APE): ”Romania, an Indispensable Strategic Partner of the Republic of Moldova” 3. Oleg Țulea, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration: ” This crisis has shown us at least two essential things: we are not alone in need, and good neighbourly relations are crucial” 4. Expert Opinion. Nicu Popescu, Gustav Gressel: ”EU’s Strategic Sovereignty start in Eastern Europe” News in brief The German Presidency of the Council of the European Union will have a clear mandate ­"Together for the relaunch of Europe". The announcement was made on May 29th by the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on the occasion of the presentation of the upcoming presidency logo- a loop that embodies the Möbius strip to symbolize the unity of Europe."Taking over the presidency of the EU Council in these challenging times brings extraordinary responsibility. The expectations from our presidency were high, but now they are even higher because of the crisis. We have six busy months ahead of us- and we can't wait to get started," said Maas in a message posted on the website of the future German presidency, which Berlin will take over for the 13th time on July 1st. According to Maas, Germany wants the presidency of the EU Council to be"in the service of the European cause", to give a"boost" and to be a"consensus facilitator"."The task of overcoming the COVID-19 crisis is a unique opportunity for us in the EU. We can and must come even closer together, developing greater internal solidarity and becoming stronger and more sovereign vis-a vis the outside world", added the head of German diplomacy. The success of the Global Coronavirus Response Initiative, launched on May 4th and which in less than a month old, has raised€ 9.8 billion for universal, affordable access to vaccination, treatment and testing for COVID-19, determined the European Commission to launch its next stage-"Global Goal: Unite For Our Future", following the"Global Citizen" model. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on this occasion:“The whole world must be united and fight the virus, once and for all. The good news is that this is happening. That is why we are launching a new campaign, in which, during the next month, the citizens will express their opinion and will contribute to our joint efforts to fight the coronavirus”. The assessment will be made on June 27th, when the European Commission will host a final donor summit, an event in which businesses, foundations and citizens will be able to join forces with public donors. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussed on Monday, June 1st, on the phone the US leader's proposal to expand the G7 format, the Kremlin said in a statement. According to the document, the telephone conversation took place at the initiative of the American side, and President Donald Trump informed his counterpart Vladimir Putin about the idea of ​i​nviting Russia and other countries to the next G7 meeting, postponed because of the pandemic. The United States confirmed the telephone conversation, but did not provide further information. Initially, the US president wanted the G7 Summit to take place in Washington in late June, but"in person" to signal a"return to normal", but Chancellor Angela Merkel declined the invitation because of the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. In response, the president postponed the summit for an unspecified date, but also described the G7 format as"outdated", saying it should be expanded with the participation of countries such as Russia and South Korea, India and Australia. The Russian Federation was part of the G7, which had become the G8 in the 1990s, but was expelled from the group in 2014 after the abusive annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. Europe 2020: can it become also our story? 7 May 2020. Twenty trucks of the Romanian Army bring humanitarian aid to Chisinau Sorina Ștefârță For many years, including in the Republic of Moldova, May has been the month of the united Europe. Because in May 1950, the French Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman, launched the declaration that laid the foundation of the European Union. And in another May, 2004, the EU grew by ten members, demolishing the virtual Iron Curtain between Eastern and Western Europe, which still survived despite the fact that the concrete walls had fallen. The year 2020 didn’t bring either the fall of any wall, nor new accessions to the community bloc. On the contrary, on the last day of January, the EU lost one of its 28 members- the United Kingdom. And the pandemic that broke out shortly after with all its might over European countries has done what even the worst crises in decades did not manage: closing borders and restricting freedom of movement, one of the founding values ​o​ f a united Europe. And yet... Despite the pandemic outside and the sad reality around us, May Monthly Bulletin, Nr. 5(171), MAY 2020 64, Sciusev str. 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