APE staff

Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat has appeared before the Helsinki Commission, a U.S. agency that monitors human rights worldwide, during his first visit to Washington as premier.

Exclusive interview given by Pavel Telicka, former chief negotiator of the Czech Republic with EU, first Czech European Commissioner in Romano Prodis cabinet

Washington, DC șiMillennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Chief Executive Officer Daniel Yohannes and Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Iurie Leancă, today signed a five-year economic development agreement granting $262 million to Moldova for investment projects in irrigation infrastructure, high-value agricultural production, and road rehabilitation. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Prime Minister Vladimir Filat of Moldova presided at the signing held at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

The Foreign Policy Association (APE) in partnership with Friedrich Ebert Foundation has agreed to conduct a review of the major topics of the foreign policy of the Republic of Moldova during the period 1998-2008. Thus, the present paper does not only try to reestablish the chronology of events, but also highlights the successes and failures of the foreign policy of the Republic of Moldova, analyzes the challenges to be faced by our diplomacy in the given time, and, of course, underscores the possible evolutions and options that Moldova shall take into account in the nearest future.

The expert invited by FPA in the framework of the Moldova-European Union: learning from the integration experience of the new member states” is Mr. Pavel Telicka, former Chief Negotiator of the Czech Republic with EU, first Czech European Commissioner in Prodis cabinet. Mr Telicka will come to Chisinau on 13-16 January, 2009. There will be organized a series of meetings and discussions with senior officials, european coordinators” in line ministries, civil society leaders, other national experts in EU affairs, university professors, students etc.

The general conclusion is that it was a difficult year. First of all, because the internal events, in particular the election campaign, were negatively affected by our foreign policy, especially in the first half of 2009. Owing to the political instability, Moldovas relations with the EU were close to becoming frozen. For example, the European officials permanently postponed the talks on the Association Agreement with the EU, until the clarification of the situation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Project Building Institutional Capacity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration”, has made a study on the Impact of the Regional Presidencies held by the Republic of Moldova during 2008-2009 years, managed by the international expert from Republic of Austria și Mr. Dietmar AIGNER. The evaluation process has ended with the presentation of the final Report within a meeting organized in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration on 16 December 2009. At the Meeting participated the representatives of over 20 ministries and sectoral institutions involved in the regional presidencies execution, as well as representatives of international donor community. In the beginning of the meeting, Mrs. Natalia GHERMAN, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, noted that the execution of the Presidencies on five consecutive regional organizations and initiatives has been a part of the European aspirations of our country and a specific objective of EU - Republic of Moldova Action Plan. The cooperation and interdependence on regional level is a useful exercise to participate in promoting the interests and European aspirations of our country. In the same time the active involvement in the Central and South-Eastern European processes has scored a significant advancement towards the valorification of the alignment objective to the values, principles and European standards. The international Expert appreciated the professionalism and effective contribution of the local officials involved in the exercise of regional mandates, both in the MFA as well as the relevant sectoral institutions. He also highlighted the limited capacity to absorb the funds available for Moldovan institutions and the lack of a strategic framework on implementation of the long term objectives. It was also made an inventory of actions to be taken at the central administration authorities in order to benefit from opportunities offered by regional cooperation. At the same time, experience so far shows that a number of political, economical, security and cultural issues can be better approached and settled in a relatively homogeneous framework, where there is certain cohesion and a common development experience. In this regard, the regions can provide the adequate framework to establish an effective mechanism of cooperation. The international donors have appreciated the work done in these years, its effectiveness and relevance, which leaded to some short-term visible results, noting the need to promote a medium-term strategies that will contribute both to strengthening cooperation in the region and inter-European connection broadening the geographical cooperation area towards the wider Black Sea region. Also, donor community representatives reiterated their intention to further support our state in accomplishing its declared objectives and aspirations. During 2008-2009, the Republic of Moldova has exercised the Presidencies in five consecutive regional organizations and initiatives: South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), Central European Initiative (CEI), Multinational Advisory Group (MAG) of the Centre for Security Cooperation - RACVIAC (MAG RACVIAC), South East European Health Network (SEEHN) and regional arrangements CEFTA (Central European Free Trade Agreement).

Draft Paper - Please do not quote. This paper was prepared within the Study Programme on European Security implemented by Institut fur Europaische Politik. The final paper will be published on www.iep-berlin.de

The parties agreed to continue their efforts to bring the Republic of Moldova (hereafter referred to as Moldova) closer to the EU, acknowledging Moldova's European aspirations. They discussed the internal developments in Moldova and agreed on the importance of the ambitious reform-oriented agenda and of a stable political, social and economic situation in the country.

The eleventh meeting of the EU-Republic of Moldova Cooperation Council was held in Brussels today, 21.12.2009 chaired by Moldova's Prime Minister Vlad Filat and Sweden's State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Frank Belfrage representing the EU Presidency. Discussions at the meeting focused on the ongoing development of relations between the EU and the Republic of Moldova, political developments in Moldova and, over a working lunch, efforts to achieve a sustainable settlement of the frozen conflict regarding the Transnistrian region. The meeting adopted a Joint Statement.

On December 17, 2009 Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko started his working visit to the Republic of Moldova during which he held bilateral meetings with the Prime-Minister Vlad Filat and the Deputy Prime-Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Iurie Leanca.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner served five years as the EU's external relations commissioner before making way on December 1 for the bloc's new high representative for foreign policy, Catherine Ashton. Ferrero-Waldner took over the trade portfolio from Ashton and will retain the EU neighborhood brief until a new European Commission is sworn in early next year. In an interview with RFE/RL, Ferrero-Waldner cautions the bloc's Eastern neighbors to accept the fact that the reforms needed to make them ready for the EU could take "generations." Ferrero-Waldner spoke with RFE/RL's Brussels correspondent, Ahto Lobjakas.