Conference"The Republic of Moldova: Ending the Political Crisis" - 30 November 2010

Graham Watson at Europuls and Paneuropa Conference

„ The risk for Moldova is that the indecision to be final”

Two days after the early parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova, the Association Europuls and Paneuropa Foundation organised, at the European Parliament, the conference « Republic of Moldova : Ending the Political Crisis?». The event examined different possible scenarios that Moldova could follow after the elections of November 28 to exit the political crisis.

Main intervenants in the debate were HE Daniela Cujba, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to EU, Monica Macovei, European deputy and chairman of the Parliamentary Delegation EU--Moldova, Graham Watson, European deputy, rapporteur on the EU-Moldova Association Agreement, Reinhold Brender, representative of the European Commission, Klara Weger, expert of the organization Partnership for Democracy and Julien Danero, researcher at the Free University of Brussels. The conference was moderated by Bogdan Deleanu, coordinator for foreign policy at Europuls.ro.

«The elections were a test for enhancing the Moldovan democracy», declared Daniela Cujba, ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the Europoean Union. «I think that at the beginning of the next year we shall have a new government», added Her Excellence.

A positive message was conveyed by the president of the European Parliament Delegation for the relations with the Republic of Moldova, Monica Macovei : «A certain progress was noticed since the last elections, being attained the democratic standards». Refering to PCRM allegations about elections frauds, she mentioned that such allegations must be investigated by the Central Electoral Commission, adding that the international observers did not reported any frauds.

In his turn, the rapporteur of the European Parliament for Moldova, Graham Watson considered that the European Union should make small steps towards Moldova, offering permanently to it something to win from such a rapprochement. «The risk for Moldova is that the incertitude might become final», commented the rapporteur speaking about the elections outcomes.

The representative of the European Commission, Reinhold Brender asserted: „What the European Union is offering to Moldova is a long-term perspective, but their needs are on a short-term”.

On behalf of the civil society, the representative of the European Partnership for Democracy, Klara Weger appreciated: „What happened now is not a repetition of the situation of 2009”, and the large presence to vote indicated the population commitment for a lasting solution of the political crisis.

Finally, the researcher Julien Danero raised the issue of the ethnical minorities, considering that the „electoral campaign based on the Romanian identity was not productive”. He mentioned also that the Western press did not refer to the elections in Moldova, even it widely spoke about the elections in Haiti and Ivory Coast.

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