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 JANUARY 2023 NR.1(203) Synthesis and Foreign Policy Debates NTheewnselewttselre-tutel resistedreevaelliozpaet ddebyMMădăădlăinlinNNeceșcușțuuț,ur,eeddaitcotor-rc-ocooordrdinoantaotror TOPICS OF THE EDITION: 1. Igor Botan, director of ADEPT: “It is very important for the government to produce results in the European integration process” 2. Natalia Albu, executive director of PISA: “With the intensification of the Russian military actions in Ukraine, I do not think that Russia’s agenda for the Republic of Moldova has disappeared” 3. Stas Madan, programme director with Expert-Grup: “We continue to have big gaps in the competitive framework and certain price increases are not necessarily justified” 4. Iulian Groza, executive director of IPRE: “Tangible results will matter a lot when the EU evaluates our progress and readiness for the negotiation process of the new accession treaty” News in Brief The Speaker of the Parliament, Igor Grosu, had, in Ankara, on January 26, a meeting with the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During the discussion several topics were addressed, including the security situation in the region and the challenges caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine. “We appreciated Turkey’s efforts in securing the grain transportation corridor from Ukraine and thanked the authorities in Ankara for the humanitarian aid provided to our country in 2022 to deal with the refugee crisis, and the support provided during the meetings of the Support Platform for Moldova,” said Grosu. The Republic of Moldova is interested in intensifying trade with Turkey and attracting investments, as well as strengthening cooperation in the energy sector. The leader from Ankara thanked, for his part, for the invitation to participate in the second edition of the meeting of the European Political Community(EPC), which will take place on June 1 in Chisinau. The Republic of Moldova has completed only half of the measures it undertook until the end of 2022, in order to fulfil the nine recommendations submitted by the European Commission in June, when the country received the EU candidate country status, reports Radio Free Europe. The source states that out of the 35 measures included in the authorities’ plan supposed to be completed by December 2022, 16 have been completed, nine are at the“final stage”, and the other ten have not been completed yet. Most of the measures relate to justice, the fight against corruption and the alignment of the national legislation with the European one. Through this plan, the authorities set out to fulfil within one year, until June 2023, all nine conditionalities of the European Commission, after which accession negotiations could begin. In the field of justice, the authorities wanted to carry out six actions, but only half of them were completed. The amendments to the Criminal Code, which refer to the crimes of espionage, treason and separatism, entered the phase of public consultations, organized by the Parliamentary Legal Committee. The draft voted in the first reading in December last year aims to ensure the security of the Republic of Moldova, and the amendments are aimed at punishing the separatist regime from Tiraspol and not the population and civil organizations, the representatives of the Security Intelligence and Service(SIS) emphasized. The draft law addresses certain challenges that the Republic of Moldova has been facing for several years and that were in no way regulated in the national legislation, emphasized the president of the Legal Committe, Olesea Stamate. Thus, new notions are to be introduced in the Criminal Code to allow the punishment of separatism and non­constitutional paramilitary organizations. Navigating through the storm: The Republic of Moldova in the midst of a turbulent year in 2023 Moldovan diplomacy works to ensure the reforms required by the EU. Photo credit: Moldovan Government's Facebook page The Republic of Moldova is far from resolving the crises that marked the year 2022, so the current year is not expected to be an easier one for the pro­European Moldovan authorities. First, the authorities will have to find the necessary resources to revitalize the economy and lower inflation. In 2022, Moldova had the highest inflation in Europe, after Turkey, recording highs of around 35 percent. Based on current data, analysts predict it is likely to halve in 2023, which will reduce the speed of price increases expected to happen also this year. It is also difficult to believe that foreign investors will flock to a country with a war raging nearby, so Moldova must continue to rely on grants from foreign donors and preferential loans. Despite these difficulties, Moldova will have to solve all nine EU Monthly newsletter, No.12(202), January 2023 111 Bucuresti St., Chisinau, MD-2012, Republic of Moldova, Tel.+373 855830 Website: fes-moldova.org. E-mail:fes@fes-moldova.org