CHISINAU, Moldova - As Ukraine’s relations with the European Union remain frosty, its smaller neighbor Moldova is taking the limelight.
The country of
3.6 million people is one of the poorest in Europe, with average monthly
salaries of $300. Its breakaway region Transnistria, which borders Ukraine,
remains unrecognized by any country. Corruption and a politically manipulated
judiciary remain problems.
But, in many
ways, Moldova is a leader in democratic progress among post-Soviet countries outside
of the EU. The advancement seems to have accelerated since 2009,
when pro-European Prime Minister Vlad Filat took power from Communists and
declared the “European option is irreversible.”
Further along
the path toward a visa-free regime with the EU than Ukraine, Moldova is also
closer to finalizing its association agreement, which is expected to be signed in
late 2013 and ratified soon thereafter.
Unlike in
Ukraine, whose leaders are shunned in the West, Moldova’s progress culminated
in recent visits by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and
German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Barroso said after a Nov. 30 visit to Moldova
that the EU would scrap visas for Moldovans if their government tackles
corruption, respects democratic standards and improves its justice system.
The Kyiv Post spoke
to Ambassador Dirk Schuebel, 47, who has headed the EU Delegation to Moldova since
November 2009. He knows Ukraine well, having previously served as head of political affairs and acting head
of the EU delegation in Kyiv. Before that, the East Germany native worked in
Brussels on EU enlargement to Hungary.
“Moldova has
done a good job,” Schuebel said, although “a lot of work remains to be done
with regard to internal reforms.” This includes improvement in the judiciary
and executive institutions, in investment conditions and, above all, in fighting
corruption.
Schuebel’s
arrival in Moldova coincided with the launch of the EU’s Eastern Partnership.
It was an initiative whose opportunities Moldova seized from the outset,
Schuebel said, until the five other Eastern Partnership countries including
Ukraine.
There were setbacks,
though.
For two and a
half years, Moldova did not have an elected president. But since President
Nicolae Timofti was elected in March 2012, Moldova has seen a more stable alliance
government.
Barroso’s recent
visit shows Moldova-EU relations “are getting closer and closer,” says Schuebel.
Besides signaling continued EU support for Moldova’s reform efforts, Schuebel
said, it’s simply a positive sign to see Western leaders come.
While the
Transnistrian conflict remains unsolved, Schuebel says 2012 has brought encouraging
signs, with regular 5+2 talks over the future of the breakaway region taking place
under the Irish chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe. Progress is partly due to the new leadership in Transnistria, headed
by its President Yevgeny Shevchuk, which has been more open and constructive.
Ukraine’s OSCE
chairmanship in 2013 should also help. As far as settling the Transnistrian issue
is concerned, “there could hardly be a better choice,” says Schuebel. Ukraine
has followed the talks closely; it is the area’s biggest neighbor, and one
third of the population of Transnistria is Ukrainian. “I have been positively impressed
by Ukraine’s constructive way of participating in the 5+2 talks,” he said.
Some observers
are concerned the Transnistrian issue could block Moldova’s closer relations
with the EU. “There’s no doubt that it would be better not to have this
conflict still ongoing,” says Schuebel. However, he adds, when the EU began its
association agreement negotiations with Moldova, Brussels knew that the conflict
could not be solved overnight. Still, the EU hopes further progress will be
made before the association agreement is concluded. The EU’s aim is to finalize
the association agreement in time for the Vilnius Eastern Partnership summit in
November.
Regarding potential
EU membership, Moldova is moving in the right direction, says Schuebel. He
points out the speech made by Stefan Fuele in October in Berlin, where the European
commissioner for enlargement and European neighborhood policy called for
Moldova to have a membership perspective. “I believe that more such voices will
be heard in the future,” Schuebel says.
Having represented
the EU in both Kyiv and Chisinau, Schuebel notes Ukraine is more complex. “But
in many other areas the problems are very much comparable because both are
countries stemming from the former Soviet Union, with the same legacy,” he
said.
Schuebel says
he can only compare Moldova to the time when he was in Ukraine, under President
Viktor Yushchenko. “I felt an enthusiasm after the Orange Revolution when I
came to Ukraine. Unfortunately, that
enthusiasm faded away during the next few years.” He felt a similar enthusiasm
after arriving in Moldova. People wanted to see practical changes in their
everyday lives, he says, a difficult feat in two or three years.
But he sees
hope in the example of his native former East Germany. After unification, it
took several years for the impact to become visible to the East German population.
Likewise, people in Moldova and Ukraine should be patient.
Schuebel
recommends visiting Moldova, with its hospitable people and fresh food products.
Last but not least, there is the excellent Moldovan wine. “I’m sure that you
will feel very much at home in this country that has been my home for the last
three years,” he says with a smile.
And where does
Schuebel see Moldova in 2020?
“I hope that
the country will be very close to the EU by then,” he says.
Kyiv Post staff writer Annabelle Chapman can be
reached at [email protected]
