Analyses

Victoria Bucataru, Executive director, Foreign Policy Association Security is a state and a necessity that concerns us all, whether we are talking about the citizens and everything the security means for them - housing, health, future,...

Security challenges arising from hybrid threats are high on security agenda in the Republic of Moldova as well as regionally. In the period of electoral process, the hybrid context became more tangible. A Moldovan asymmetric approach to the Russian hybrid threats have created provocative conditions in which reducing the threats and eventually preventing it was impossible. Moldova will remain in a so called «gray» zone for a long time due to misunderstanding of Russia worldview and using Russian support in the double political game of the potential electoral participants. The internal political situation of the country depends on the results of coalition formation in the Parliament.

Moldova’s media face a major challenge in that they are subject to political influence, concentrated in the hands of a few oligarchs, and lack transparency in their ownership. Many hoped that this would change...

Victoria Bucataru, Executive director, Foreign Policy Association The year 2018, which is rapidly approaching its end, was marked by an unprecedented degradation of the relationship between Chisinau and Brussels. The problems have become more and they let...

Victoria Bucătaru, executive director, Foreign Policy Association Natalia Stercul, programme director, Foreign Policy Association The uncertainty, together with the desire to prevent more obvious major democratic skirmishes, dominated the messages of the diplomats and experts -...

Victoria Bucătaru, Executive director, Foreign Policy Association The East-West controversy in the public discourse of the political elites in Chisinau is finally taking new shape after years of wondering how to handle the geopolitical factor...

Victoria Bucătaru, Executive director, Foreign Policy Association The so-called twiter revolution from April 2009 and, together with it, the liberation of the spirit of democracy allowed for the Republic of Moldova to orient its...

Victoria Bucătaru, executive director, Foreign Policy Association At its 27th anniversary of Independence that we are celebrating at this end of August, one of the most important questions for the Republic of Moldova remains...

In democratic societies, media are considered the fourth branch of power because they provide free, objective information on important matters in politics, society, and local communities for the public. They are not only an...

Moldova, a country with a Soviet past and hopes of a European future, has by no means avoided the problem of fake news and disinformation. Given its geopolitical position, in the past few years...

Synopsis According to the EU, the main challenges of Moldova are the excessive politicization of state institutions, systemic corruption, concentration of media ownership, lack of judiciary independence, the financial sector governance and insufficient investigation into...

Moldova’s presidential elections in November 2016 resulted in a victory for pro-Russian candidate Igor Dodon. This brief discusses the consequences for the country’s foreign policy trajectory and domestic politics. Extracthttp://www.ape.md/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2016_NIT_Moldova_Elections_Brief_Final.pdf

Victor Chirila: Moldova avoided a big disaster at the 5+2 negotiations in Berlin, but only for now... Moldova avoided a big disaster in Berlin. Despite increased and coordinated pressure, George Balan, the Deputy Prime Minister...

On 29 November 2015, Transnistrian separatist region held its ordinary parliamentarian elections. The elections are considered unconstitutional by the Moldovan authorities and, therefore, are not recognized by the Republic of Moldova and the international...

BUCHAREST— Local elections in Moldova this weekend have strengthened the position of the incumbent government, despite allegations of corruption on a massive scale. Earlier this year, around $1 billion — about 12 percent of...

In the wake of the EaP Summit in Vilnius that took place on 28-29 November 2013, Moldova was considered the brightest star of the EaP. Its merits were evident. It initialed the Association Agreement (AA) including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Aria (DCFTA) with the EU concluded successfully the visa liberalization dialogue with the EU and the European Commission recommended to the EU Council the lifting of visa requirements for Moldovan citizens who hold biometric passports. Five months later, on 28 April 2014, the EU has liberalized visa regime with Moldova, then, on 27 June 2014, Moldova signed the AA and started its provisional implementation on 1 September 2014. The prospects of Moldovas partnership with the EU were much more promising than ever before.

In 2014, the small-step policy of engagement with the Transnistrian administration has stalled. The consultations in the "5+2" format were discontinued and discussions on the political and security issues remained blocked. The sectorial cooperation between both banks has generally known no development. The joint working groups met without deciding anything substantial and their work agendas were dominated mainly by the conflicting issues. The situation in the security zone of the conflict continued to deteriorate, while the mutual recriminations between Tiraspol and Chisinau on sabotaging the dialogue have become increasingly common.

Moldova supports the ENP as a general policy framework for its members, nevertheless, it is pledging for a clear cut distinction between ENPs South and East dimensions, between the Eastern Partnership and the Mediterranean Union, between the European and non-European neighbours of the EU. Moreover, past five year have shown that even the Eastern Partnership is not a monolithic group of countries, on the contrary, its members have different level of ambitions when it comes to the scope and depth of their domestic reforms and their relationships with the EU. Therefore, Moldova is pledging strongly for a deeper differentiation including between the Eastern Partnership countries. In its view, the countries that have the will and determination to develop political association and economic integration relations with the EU, through implementing far-reaching democratic and economic reforms, should enjoy a clear cut European membership perspective.

Unlike Republic of Moldova, Ukraine never anchored the principle of neutrality in its Constitution, although it announced this intention in the 1990 Declaration of Independence. Ukraines experience in terms of neutrality is only limited to the period of 2010-2014, when Kiev passed a law regarding Ukraines non-adherence to military blocs și so called non-bloc status. After repealing of this law, Ukraine comes back to the idea of adherence to NATO, even though there is hardly any possibility for this idea to become reality in the near future, due to the war in the region. Observing Kievs fluctuations between a country with a neutrality status and the desire to come under the Western security umbrella, the Chisinau Government could draw some conclusions related to the functionality of the neutrality principle enshrined in Article 11 of the Constitution.

On November 30, Moldova held a crucial parliamentary election, the results of which will determine the countrys future for years to come. Major political parties advocated not merely different policies, but diametrically opposite geopolitical options: an association agreement with the European Union or membership in the Russia-led Customs Union.