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 DECEMBER 2022 NR.12(202) Synthesis and Foreign Policy NTheewnselewttselre-tutel resistedreevaelliozpaetddebyMMădăădlăinlinNNeceșcușțuuț,ur,eeddaitcotor-rc-ocooordrdinoantaotror Debates TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. Moldovan European Integration Forum 2022 2. Panel I: Moldova’s EU candidate status: maximizing existing opportunities and moving towards full integration: priorities and perspectives 3. Panel II: Justice System Reform and Fighting against High-Level Corruption: Progress and Main Obstacles 4. Panel III: Security and Defence Sector Reform: Strategic Priorities News in Brief The Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, Andrei Spinu, wrote on December 18 on his Telegram channel that for the first time in the history of the Republic of Moldova, the right bank of the Dniester will not consume gas supplied by Gazprom. He specified that“for the month of December, SA Energocom, according to the decision of the CSE(Commission for Extraordinary Situations- n.a.), will sell 100 million m3 of gas to MoldovaGaz, at an average price of USD 1,108.61/ thousand cubic meters”.“This price includes all costs: gas purchase cost, transport costs and storage costs incurred by Energocom. In addition, the Government continues also to increase gas stocks for the coming months”, noted Andrei Spinu. He specified that,“following this decision, the tariff will not change”, and“citizens will continue to receive support for the invoice”. The Extraordinary Situations Commission decided, on December 16, that“Moldovagaz” SA will procure from“Energocom” SA up to 100 million cubic meters of natural gas, in order to provide the Republic of Moldova with energy resources in the context of the reduction in the volume of natural gas supplied by the Russian company“Gazprom”. The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, came on December 16 with a reaction to the decision of the Commission for Exceptional Situations to suspend, during the state of emergency, the broadcast license of six television stations – Primul in Moldova, RTR Moldova, Accent TV, NTV Moldova, TV6, Orhei TV.“The decision is based on the findings of the Audiovisual Council regarding these stations, which show the lack of correct information in the coverage of the events in the country and the war started by Russia against Ukraine, and comes to protect the national information space and prevent disinformation,” said the head of state. The head of state emphasized that, in the uncertain situation in which the Republic of Moldova finds itself,“it is very important to prevent any attempt to destabilize the country”. The Commission for Extraordinary Situations has suspended the broadcast license for six Moldovan television stations, during the state of emergency. The suspended stations rebroadcast on the territory of the Republic of Moldova mostly the content of some TV stations from the Russian Federation. On December 8, the British government sanctioned the fugitive Moldovan oligarchs Vladimir Plahotniuc and Ilan Shor, who are hiding from Moldovan justice. According to a statement from the British embassy in Chisinau, assets owned by Plahotniuc and Shor in the UK or in any of its overseas territories, such as the British Virgin Islands or the Cayman Islands, will be frozen. Also, the two will not be able to enter the UK, and citizens of this country are prohibited from doing any type of economic transactions with them. The sanctions come a few days after Moldovan President Maia Sandu declared, in a speech held at the international anti-corruption conference in Washington, that the Republic of Moldova needs other jurisdictions to work with its law enforcement bodies and that it will make progress in the fight against corruption“when other countries will no longer harbor fugitive criminals and property stolen from other states”. Moldovan European Integration Forum 2022: between EU privileges and Russia’s war The 9 th edition of the Moldovan European Integration Forum took place on 13 December 2022 in Chisinau The ninth edition of the European Integration Forum of the Republic of Moldova, organized by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), the Institute for European Policies and Reforms(IPRE), the Foreign Policy Association(APE), in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MAIE), has provided a platform for consistent discussions on all important topics of the European path of the Republic of Moldova, but also about the volatile regional security situation in which our country finds itself today. Thus, the speakers concluded that Moldova is in a dual position of a privileged state, but also threatened by the war in its vicinity. The year 2022 was extremely eventful for the pro-European government in Chisinau which managed to keep the ship afloat in the turbulent waters of the war in neighbouring Ukraine. The latter has caused multiple internal crises in Moldova and only the western assistance has saved Chisinau from collapse. However, the Republic of Moldova managed, in June 2022, a rare achievement- after Monthly newsletter, No.12(202), December 2022 111 Bucuresti St., Chisinau, MD-2012, Republic of Moldova, Tel.+373 855830 Website: fes-moldova.org. E-mail:fes@fes-moldova.org