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5. EaP in Moldova

5.4. Society

contacts – something that more than 2.5 million Moldovans have taken advantage of thence.

(European Commission 2020h)

There are designated EaP thematic forums for the societal cooperation under the umbrella of Platform 4: Mobility and People-to-people contacts. This Platform 4 has three specialized Panels: Education, Culture & Youth; Research & Innovation; Migration, Mobility & Integrated Border Management. (EaP CSF 2021) First of such panel meetings took place in December 2017 on the topic of economic integration of migrants – a relevant problematics also for Moldova due to its negative migration balance. With a high immigration numbers, Moldova is challenged with an ageing society and issues with retirement funds. With various EU and EaP experts onboard, the optimization of labor migration was discussed, alongside with the necessary policies and measures that need to be considered within respective EaP states (e.g.

the role of diasporas; improved market access for migrants; etc.). (EaP CSF 2018) Furthermore, there are annual working groups (consisting mainly of mixed EaP/EU expertise) and other interactive panels dedicated to reviewing and improving the EaP state-of-the-art in the spheres of education, culture, research, youth, and civil society thematic. (EaP CFS 2021) There are more than 7400 registered NGOs in Moldova, however, only a quarter has been active in recent years. One of its main problematics is the lack of trust between the CSO/NGOs and national authorities (also due to political instability, and balancing the EU and pro-Russian sides). Other issues of CSOs is allegedly the need for greater support in human resources; including e-governance and social assistance. Additionally, Moldovan NGOs are overly dependent on external support, which also raises the question of their credibility – namely, the EU questions whether certain NGOs are not solely consumers of provided grants.

The EU established an EaP Think Tank Forum in Chisinau in 2017 in order to connect the CSOs/think tanks in Moldova, and thereby increase their cooperation and impact on civil society as a whole. (Blockmans et al. 2016; European Commission 2020g)

An education-related EaP achievement has been that around 3700 students and academics have benefitted from the Erasmus+ exchange program between 2015-2020. Furthermore, more than 3000 young people participated in other educative programs (i.e. trainings;

volunteering; events) funded by the EU. (European Commission 2020h) However, the Education Development Strategy for 2014-2020 remained still incomplete in 2019. Moreover, there were some severe cases of academic fraud and corruption revealed in higher education,

and respective investigation processes are still ongoing. Moldovan government has since 2018 tried to impose some education-improving measures (e.g. increase in teacher salaries;

anti-corruption strategy; VET system); nonetheless, their effectiveness is yet to be evaluated.

(European Commission 2019b)

Under the EaP, Moldova benefits from a series of regional programs aimed at fostering CBC, such as the Romania-Ukraine-Moldova Land-Border Program 2007-2013 financed by ENPI.

The Joint Operational Program Romania-Moldova 2014-2020 was launched to address common challenges and strategic objectives in regional development. The latter is primarily aimed to support education, technological development, and research; promoting local culture and historical heritage; improve accessibility & mobility across regions; refine public health and security; etc. (European Commission 2020g7) In the framework of the Eastern Partnership Territorial Cooperation Programs (EaPTC), the specific Moldova-Ukraine Program was established in 2014, and promotes CBC in the areas of cultural industries, environmental co-management, and agriculture. (Blockmans et al. 2016) An example of a concrete project launched for 2020-2021 is “EU4Border Security”, in liaison with the IOM. The initiative enhances inter-agency cooperation (information exchange & joint surveillance) concerning safe and free movement of people, goods, and vehicles between the Moldovan and Ukrainian territory. (EU4Moldova 2021)

Transnistria, lying on the borders with Moldova and Ukraine, is an important element in cross-border management and part of the EUBAM program. It is important to keep in mind that EUBAM alone cannot provide a full-featured solution to the Transnistrian conflict, as it requires top-level negotiations of all involved stakeholders.8 Nevertheless, EUBAM has shown to be successful on a micro-level scale, as it made Chisinau-Tiraspol cooperation and their respective reproachment more appealing and efficient. There has been an increased economic and social interdependence; diminished crime and smuggling activities; and promoted mobility/people-to-people contacts between both territories. The latter has created a more vibrant civil society and thus contributed to a peaceful gradual transformation

7 More specifics about this EaP CBC is to be found on the official website: http://www.ro-ua-md.net/en/

8 An official and comprehensive political settlement of Transnistria is already intended with the 5+2 format facilitated by the OSCE. Diverging interests have caused the conflict to remain frozen, which might also be considered as an end in itself by certain parties. Russia, for example, may benefit from keeping the Transnistrian status quo and thus hindering a prompt solution and Western approximation of the region. (Beyer & Wolff 2016;

OSCE 2021)

and confidence building from the bottom-up. (Dias 2013; EUBAM 2021) Furthermore, a specific EU initiative also facilitated 70 entrepreneurs to set up businesses across the border, by which it created at least 350 jobs. This number might seem quite small now, yet it is an important step in fostering CBC and mobility in a zone that used to be politically hostile.

(European Commission 2020h)

The existing vulnerabilities to Russian influence are inherent in the strong linkages between identity politics, media, and the Orthodox Church. Especially since around 50% of Moldovans account for a targetable “Russosphere”, the Russian narrative and propaganda finds a fertile ground particularly when using instruments of common language, (Soviet) nostalgia, and anti-Romanian sentiment. This strategy is appealing to a certain percentage of population, due to an already low trust in the Moldovan government and national institutions – merely fueling the lasting political crisis and disparity in the country. (Boulègue et al. 2018) Moldovan media are met with several issues regarding independent and objective broadcasting. The present challenges include the lack of coherent media policies, legislation for honest competition, and monopolist practices. In 2017, there were introduced some anti-propaganda laws concerning Russian disinformation and interference. Albeit such, experts claim that a full-fledged reformation of the media space in necessary, as misinformation is problematic also within Moldova itself. For the time being, the government is not very engaged in building the information space in favor of a greater democratic consolidation. (Frear et al. 2018)

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the EU mobilized an emergency support package for the EaP countries of €1 billion in order to tackle immediate consequences, healthcare needs, economic and social resilience and recovery. Moldova`s response package is a total of €127 million available in grants; combining new and existing funds delivered to people through the means of concrete programs. As an exemplification, the EUBAM assisted in redistribution of emergency needs (i.e. respiratory masks; thermometers; sanitizers) for the Moldovan Border Police, as to enable and speed up instant fever detection of travelers. (European Commission 2020h; EUBAM 2021)

In the light of a 2020 Action Plan for Moldova, the EC released an Action Document for Local Communities in order to address the social and economic consequences of Covid-19 in selected areas of Moldova. The initiative is financed by ENI through the 2017-2020 Single Support Framework with a budget of €16 million. The principle policy objectives target good

governance; redesigning public service & administration; gender equality; environmental aid;

rural development; sustainable agriculture; and others. The EU thus provides investment and capacity building support through financial and technical assistance – especially putting in limelight the community-led private sector development. (European Commission 2020j) Overall, the EaP program in the light of an increased EU-Moldova cooperation has been a significant marker within various spheres in the country. The EU is Moldova`s largest donor and development partner, and since signing the AA/DCFTA in 2014 the partnership has improved and deepened significantly. The EU`s financial assistance to Moldova (through ENI) is the highest per capita amongst other EaP states; and the EU`s long-term aim is to lift Moldova out of poverty and gradually lessen its dependence on Russia. (Dias 2013; Morari 2016) The events of 2014 and 2018 showed a backsliding of democratic standards and rule of law in Moldova, and it raised concerns about the adherence to the EU values and norms set out in the joint AA/DCFTA. (European Commission 2020i; Frear et al. 2018) Nowadays, with Sandu as a pro-European President of Moldova, the EU hopes for a deeper cooperation and forthgoing EaP implementation. Yet, this will be dependent on how will Moldova come out of the political discrepancies related to the planned reforms – including the country`s external orientation.9 This will naturally dictate and influence the future relations and advancement of the partnership. It will be compelling to observe how the internal political situation in Moldova progresses, and its subsequent effect on the EU-EaP development.