by Joy Hellers
Even though our news are currently filled with conflicts in the Middle East and the crisis between Iran and the US, problems and developments in other regions, as for example in Moldova, should not be neglected. In light of the turbulent past year in Moldova, the IIP organized a panel discussion on January 13th on the topic Moldova in 2019 : Recap of the year and prospects for 2020 with Victoria Rosa, the former security advisor to Prime minister Maia Sandu and Executive Director at Foreign Policy Association of the Republic of Moldova, and Iulian Groza, Executive Director at the Institute for European Policies and Reform. They discussed among other things the objectives and challenges for the former and current government, the role of Russia and the EU for Moldovan politics and the Transnistrian conflict.
After the parliamentary elections in February 2019, an unusual government between a pro-Western and a pro-Russian party was formed, and Maia Sandu was selected as Prime Minister. Even though this new concept was supported by many international actors, the government fell apart only 5 months after it´s formation. Moldova is torn between its Soviet and European past and identification. Moreover, the country is marked by several internal challenges, as for example the situation in Transnistria.
Thus, Victoria Rosa highlighted that 2019 was a crucial year for Moldova, as the Sandu government had important objectives. They aimed at restoring the trust of the Moldovan people in the state and it´s political leaders, mainly by fighting corruption and poverty. Thus, one of the main objectives of the new government was to uncover institutionalized corruption. Moldova is suffering from privatization and monopolization of the media and therefore, Sandu´s government wanted to reassure freedom of media and expression. The government planned to enhance the protection of human rights and liberties by guaranteeing social assurances and offering educational reforms. Furthermore, energy security was to be ensured and it was aimed to decrease the dependence on Russian resources. The government did not only want to reinforce the cooperation with the civil society, but also improve its relationship with the immediate neighbor states in order to plan common initiatives and find solutions to long-lasting conflicts. The modernization of the military through a deeper cooperation with Euro-Atlantic partners, was another main objective of the Sandu government.
Despite these projects, the government was facing many challenges. Firstly, the diverse views and disagreements on the future development of Moldova constantly led to discordances between the coalition partners. Secondly, the government was burdened by the high-level corruption and the resistance to change from the administrative structures. Thirdly, Moldova is suffering from a lack in human resources, mainly due to emigration. Finally, Moldova is confronted with an important security dilemma. Even though modernization of the military through deepened relations with Western partners is much needed, the new government and current prime minister are seeking to intensify the cooperation with Russia. Currently, two different mentalities are colliding. On the one hand, many officers are trained in the West and develop a Western way of thinking, while on the other hand many reminiscences of the Soviet army and mentality prevail.
The new coalition in Moldova is officially a technocratic government supported by democrats. Iulian Groza states that this new government is not interested in transparency or anti-corruption policies, but the main objective is to reassure the reelection of Igor Dodon. Today, Russian influence seems to be more present than ever before, especially in the media. However, Moldova is trying to intensify its relationship with the EU too. The support for a European integration process is increasing among the Moldovan public. Moldova is therefore seeking a more balanced relationship between Russia on the one hand and the EU and it´s Western partners on the other hand.
Moldova is an extremely divided country. There is not only a linguistic and ethnic division, but also the society in itself is strongly divided. The politicians constantly use this division in order to gain even more votes from their supporting electoral groups. The civil society and independent media should be strengthened in order to overcome these divisions. The blamings and hatred based on identity should cease and the population should see the difference between identity, culture and politics. This multi-ethnical and multi-linguistical situation in Moldova should no longer be considered as a problem, but rather as an advantage for the development of the country.
During a Q&A session, questions were raised about the role of Romania, the economic situation in the country and the upcoming presidential elections. Romania is the main trading partner for the Republic of Moldova. Even though Romania is the main advocate for the Moldovan EU integration process and is giving a lot of financial assistance, Romania has not much political influence on Moldovan politics. Despite the relatively stable macroeconomic situation, Moldova is a very poor country, which is heavily affected by an energy crisis and a lack of support for the poorest members in society. The high level of poverty is one of the main reasons for the increased emigration and the resulting brain drain.