Moldova: are they ready for Europe?
2011-07-19
Chisinau is perceived as a success story of the EU's eastern politics. Despite the case of Transnistria, Moldova is one of the most prospective candidates for EU. The negotiations on Free Trade Association may be introduced even this year. However, the question still remains: is Moldovan economy ready for this level of integration? What reforms are necessary if Moldova aims to be be an effective partner for Europe? Experts we invited to debate the issue, try to find the anwers.
2011-08-12
In the last few months an emerging pessimistic mood could be observed within Moldovan expert community concerning Moldova’s “success story” and its potential for rapprochement with the EU. Many experts now raise serious warnings over Moldova’s European perspectives focusing on the genuinely internal challenges (reforms) in the context of some external issues as the “Arab spring”. The first part of this paper assesses these assumptions underlining instead a series of arguments in support of the idea that Moldova will stand high on the EU radar screen. The argument is that external factors (others than the “Arab spring”) are more important than internal ones for Moldova’s European prospects. Thus the second part will look at two perspectives that are only occasionally treated within the EaP expert community, as the question of the European project’s future and most importantly, the uni-multipolarisationwithin the EU. This second perspective has concrete implications for Moldova in the context of its efforts to reintegrate the Transnistrian separatist region.
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2011-07-19
The Government of Moldova is in the process of preparing the launch of negotiations for a Free Trade Area with the European Union. Research shows that to obtain an impact on economic growth, Moldova needs a trade agreement of a new generation, and in particular a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). A DCFTA for Moldova can become the main vehicle for having actual real free trade with the EU, but to achieve this, the Moldovan economy has to undergo far reaching regulatory reforms.
2011-07-19
European Union (EU) is an important economic partner of Moldova. This refers to various aspects of economic activity: trade, foreign investment and remittances. Trade relations with the EU are especially intense. During the period 2006-2010, the EU countries group has maintained a relatively constant share of foreign trade in Moldova which ranged from 45 to 47%. Until the crisis, trade with EU tended to increase, in 2008 recording a value of around 2.92 billion USD. In 2009, in the context of global economic crisis, there was a drastic reduction in trade with the EU. The year 2010 was marked by a revival of trade with EU, trade volume reaching a value of 2.43 billion USD, but this level is lower than the one registered in 2008.