\n
\n<\/p>\n
Candidates
\nsince the summer of last year, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova obtained in
\nearly November the recommendation from the European Commission regarding the
\nstart of EU accession negotiations. The news was received with joy by the
\npro-Western leaders of the two former Soviet countries, but there are still
\nsteps to be taken before integration. The first of these is related to the
\ndecision the European Council made in mid November. In order to adopt the
\nrecommendation made by the Commission, all states must agree, and some, such as
\nHungary, have already questioned the appropriateness of this approach.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Then,
\nif they manage to successfully get through December, in March 2024 the European
\nCommission will present a new report, analyzing the progress made by Ukraine
\nand the Republic of Moldova towards the targets they assumed. Now, in the case
\nof Ukraine, the Commission is recommending that negotiations begin once Kyiv
\nmeets the remaining conditions on fighting corruption and strengthening
\nminority protection standards. In the case of the Republic of Moldova, these
\nconditions refer to the fight against corruption and the improvement of
\nfinancial regulations. Ukraine will be in the European Union. And we will
\nachieve this, in particular, by transforming our country – an internal
\ntransformation that is certainly in the interest of our people. For Ukraine, the
\nEU means economic security and social stability, and for the EU Ukraine means a
\nstrengthening of the entire community, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr
\nZelensky. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The decision made by
\nthe European Commission encourages us and empowers us to continue the things we
\nstarted: to make Moldova stronger, a state that ensures peace at home and
\ncontributes to regional security and takes care of the well-being of its
\ncitizens. It’s a lot of work. The path we have chosen to walk is full of
\nchallenges. We are not afraid of our work, and our goal is for Moldova to be
\nready to join the EU by 2030, said the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
How feasible 2030 is as
\ndeadline for accession depends on each individual country, says university professor and former foreign
\nminister Adrian Cioroianu:<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The calendar is
\nset as a guideline, obviously there is no obligation on the part of anyone for
\n2030 to be the end point, but we are talking about an encouragement. On the
\nother hand, it is the EU’s way of keeping these countries close, of giving them
\na purpose. Look at the real political difficulties the Republic of Moldova is
\nfacing, at every voting session we get nervous given the political landscape of
\nthe country. Look at what is happening in Serbia, look at the difficulty of
\nsettling this dispute and this trauma that Serbs still feel in their
\nrelationship with Kosovo, etc. These countries must be given a purpose. The
\nbeginning of the journey speaks rather of an intention and of a promise in a
\nmutual way. The EU recognizes that it needs these states, but these states must
\nalso realize that they can model themselves according to European principles
\nand values. And of course we want in the end to be more alike than different,
\neven if even within the EU the differences persist, but let’s hope that similarities
\noutnumber differences. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Complying with the
\nrecommendations of the Venice Commission is on Ukraine’s to-do list. Are the
\nauthorities in Kyiv determined to follow these recommendations? Here is journalist
\nMarin Gherman, director of the Institute of Political Studies and Social
\nCapital in Chernivtsi, attempting an answer:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
From my point of
\nview, there will be a series of attempts by Kyiv, especially concerning the
\nrecommendations regarding the legislation in the field of national minorities,
\nnot to respect them. We also have high-level statements regarding these
\nrecommendations. Why? Because there is opposition in the Ukrainian
\nparliamentary environment to the idea of \u200b\u200bchanging the legislation in the
\nfield of national minorities, seeing this issue strictly through the war
\nglasses in Ukraine, and regarding the Russian minority. It is a painful
\nsubject, it is the war with Russia, the full-scale invasion by Russia, and when
\nthe question of the Ukrainian minorities is raised, most of them think of the
\nRussians, of Russification, of everything that means war. And it is very
\ndifficult for the Ukrainian political elite to escape this vision.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Ukraine also needs a
\nservice reform, says Marin Gherman, and there are also problems in the fight
\nagainst corruption. On the other hand, what will happen in Transnistria, as
\nChisinau has no control over this separatist region? Does Chisinau undertake to
\nimplement a community acquis throughout the territory of the Republic of
\nMoldova? Iulian Groza, executive director of the Institute
\nfor European Policies and Reforms in Chisinau says yes:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Yes. And we have
\na precedent – \u200b\u200bthe Association Agreement with the EU. When it was concluded it
\nwas agreed that it would be applied throughout the country. The most important
\npart of the agreement, dealing with trade, entered into force two years later
\nafter the provisional entry. Today, thanks to access to the EU market, the
\nTransnistrian region is much more strongly anchored in the European space. And
\ntoday, in the context of the war and the upheavals in the region, precisely
\nthis is an important counterbalancing element of Russia’s influence in the
\nTransnistrian region.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The
\n2023 enlargement package presented by the European Commission provides a
\ndetailed assessment of the current state and the progress made not only by
\nUkraine and the Republic of Moldova, but also by the other aspirants to
\naccession: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia
\n, Serbia, Turkey and Georgia , the
\nlatter obtaining, moreover, the status of a candidate country. (MI)<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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