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'Accession to the European Union will offer us access to the largest economic market in the world of almost 450 million consumers' - Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Cristina Gherasimov, in an interview for the television program 'Moldova gândește'.

30-12-2024 12:30
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Moldova gândește: Ms. Gherasimov, you have held the position of Deputy Prime Minister for less than a year. I would like to begin with a statement of Ms. Maia Sandu, which I quote from memory: 'You have sufficient experience to accelerate our country's accession process to the European Union’. In these 10 months as Chief Negotiator, how would you assess your impact, have you managed to accelerate the process?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: I think that we are moving with the same rhythm as we have been moving since March 2022, when we submitted our application for European Union membership. We are very fortunate to have an unprecedented level of openness from the Member States and European institutions, and this openness allows us to move faster in some stages.

 

MG: Why is this openness unprecedented or what are the reasons for it? How do you explain it?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: Since 2007, we have observed a stagnation in the European Union's enlargement process due to various factors. There has not been consistent interest from Member States in continuing enlargement, whether toward the east or the south. As an example, the Western Balkan countries, which have been in the process of negotiations with the European Union for quite a long time, but they have not progressed fast enough. In some cases, this stagnation in negotiations has led to frustrations within those societies, while in others, it has resulted in the fall of governments.

 

We are now in a different historical period, shaped by the tragedy of our neighbours in Ukraine. The geopolitical context has given a new dimension to the importance of security on the European continent, and the enlargement of the European Union is seen now as a geostrategic investment in European security. Where there is political willingness, this opportunity allows us to move faster.

 

MG: You mentioned earlier about fields where we have made progress. What are the biggest successes this year in particular, given the decision on 14 December, when the European Council announced the opening of accession negotiations? In which chapters are we leading?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: I believe we have many achievements this year: some of them political, others technical. Among the technical achievements, I would highlight the fact that we successfully held the first Intergovernmental Conference, which officially launched the negotiation process. This took place in the Luxembourg in June, during a solemn ceremony alongside officials from the 27 Member States.

 

At the same time, I find that the best tool to measure where we have advanced more or less is the Enlargement Package, published by the European Commission every autumn. This document provides a comparative assessment of all candidate states. This year, the Republic of Moldova has made progress in 31 out of 33 chapters. There are field such as energy, transport, education and culture, statistics, and intellectual property rights where we have advanced significantly. In these chapters, our teams of public servants have accomplished a great deal over the past 12 months.

 

We have only two chapters where we have not made enough progress to be considered to have moved forward, but which do not represent regression. One of them is ‘Fisheries’. However, the team in the Ministry of Agriculture has mobilised and we already have a Law on aquaculture. Thus, progress in this chapter will be recorded in the next report.

 

MG: Still, when drafting these laws, which are supposed to bring real changes, isn't there a risk that they will be made in haste?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: All the reforms that we are implementing today, we are not making them because we are told or conditioned to, but for our common good. This is our national plan, in other words, our Government plan. All reforms are also on the accession agenda. Everything we do is for the citizens. All the laws adopted today and all the Government decisions take time, which in fact is months of hard work in the ministries.
(....)

 

MG: Would you like to tell us at what stage we are now, based on the 10 steps, outlined earlier in a document, on the country's path to the EU accession process?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: We are now at step number seven. We have started that technical process, which is called the negotiation process, and it's first stage - the screening stage. This means that we are going to the Brussels to present to the experts from the European Commission what is our level of preparation for accession: either at the institutional level or at the level of administrative capacities. We are also explaining our intentions and plans for the future, so that we will be able to prepare for accession in the next 3-5 years.

 

MG: So, this stage - step number seven - will probably take the most time?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: Exactly. The final steps are, so to speak, more formal, such as the signing of the Treaty of Accession - that solemn recognition that the Republic of Moldova is ready for accession. Then follows the process of ratification of the Accession Agreement by all Member States. Indeed, the negotiation process is a very long one, which includes many stages.

 

MG: If we have the objective of joining the European Union by 2030 - let's assume that this deadline persists - that means that by 2029 we should be close to the end, at the stage of signing the Treaty of Accession. That would mean that we still have about four more years of intense work at step seven. Is there any scope for simplification with more hard work?  

 

Cristina Gherasimov: We do not wish to skip any steps, as each one is important for us as a country and society. However, the pace at which we progress through these stages can be faster or slower. This depends on our administrative capacity within state institutions, political will, and continued support from the Member States.

 

MG: How many people are working on this process? If you were to total up the public servants in all ministries and agencies, how many would that be?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: It is difficult to give an exact number, but we are talking about several hundred people. Only in the Bureau for European Integration we have 31 employees, whom we managed to successfully recruit.

 

MG: Still, that number doesn't seem to be enough. As far as I know, there is a recommendation that the team should reach 42 people.

 

Cristina Gherasimov: That's the number we set ourselves. In fact, other candidate countries have much bigger teams of 200, 300 or 400 people. We are aiming for 42, but this is just, let's say, the coordination centre for the inter-institutional efforts.

 

We are working in 35 teams - working groups - which are made up of representatives of several institutions relevant to the chapter of policy they are dealing with.

(...)

 

MG: I recently spoke to representatives of CLAM - the Congress of Local Authorities from Moldova - and they were saying that mayors are looking forward to the European funds. Many of them hope that, thanks to this money, which will come into the country, they will be able to solve a lot of pressing problems, such as street lighting in villages that still are not illuminated. We will certainly also have access to other funds as a country and not just those provided for in the economic growth plan. What other pre-accession funds might be available?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: We already have access to several funds that support us in our preparation for accession: whether it is direct budget support, or macro-financial assistance, investments in concrete programs conducted by the European Commission or other international financial institutions, or programs such as the European Social Fund, Horizon Europe and other funds that we are already part of and that we can access.

 

MG: Will there be any others?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: Exactly. As we move forward in the accession process, we will have access to pre-accession funds, as is the case of all candidate countries. They will be allocated to support the necessary reform agenda in our European path.

 

MG: However, who needs more this integration: the European Union of the Republic of Moldova or vice versa?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: Certainly us, we have a greater need to become a member state of the European Union, which is an area of peace. Since the foundation of the European Union, there has been no war between the Member States. We want to be part of this family. Moreover, accession will give us access, without barriers and discrimination, to the largest economic market in the world of almost 450 million consumers. Can you imagine what economic opportunities such a market will open up for our entrepreneurs, for our young people and for all the potential we have today in our country, but which we are not able to fully explore.

 

Being part of the single European market will boost our economy, and we will have a larger budget, allowing us to provide higher-quality services for our citizens, more opportunities for young people who, unfortunately, are still leaving because they lack sufficient perspectives at home.

 

Thus, by becoming part of the European Union, through the development of our national economy, we will be able to offer citizens the life we desire at home, not abroad.

 

MG: If we are talking about 2030, when we could join the EU, I want to ask you: could, under certain circumstances, this deadline be extended to 2035 or even 2040? If so, in what circumstances?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: 2030 is a reference year that we have set ourselves internally in order to mobilise all the necessary capacities to be ready for accession by this date. This does not mean that we will become a member state in 2030, because we also need that political vote from the 27 Member States of the European Union. But we cannot talk about such a political vote until we are completely ready. That is why 2030 is, first and foremost, the accession date that we have set ourselves internally.

 

This date depends on how quickly we mobilise ourselves, how quickly we manage to prepare the country and the economy so that we become as competitive and strong as any other member state of the European Union.

 

MG: So, it could also be the year 2035?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: The year 2030 holds, let's say, a symbolic significance, also from the perspective of the current European Commission, whose mandate ends in 2029. This is the Commission with the greatest openness for further enlargement of the European Union and it is our responsibility to use this unique opportunity that today's historical context offers us.

 

By 2035, we cannot predict if there will be the same openness from Member States. There are many unknown variables, especially considering the highly charged geopolitical environment filled with multiple challenges, which affect not only the citizens of the Republic of Moldova but also those of the European Union.

 

It is certain today that, in the next 4-5 years, we have this window of opportunity.  It depends only on us whether we can take advantage of it or not. However, we do not know what the future will bring us after a new political cycle, either in the European Union or in the EU Member States.

 

MG: As we know that parliamentary elections are coming up soon, I wonder what would happen if an alliance or a party got enough seats in the Parliament to rule on its own, and that party was, let's conventionally say, ‘non-EU’, in other words, a party that does not share the values of the European Union? We see what is currently happening in Georgia. Should we expect stagnation, or, given that the European integration vector is already enshrined in the Constitution, is it no longer possible to turn back?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: Even today in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova we have some parties that do not support the European course of the country. However, we have managed to make a lot of progress. It is important, though, to have a parliamentary majority or a coalition of parties that will support the continuation of our European path, which we started a long time ago.

 

Without this political will, we cannot move forward. We see the situation in other countries, such as Georgia, where, although about 95% of the society supports the European course, the fact that there is no political will, the country cannot seize this window of opportunity.

 

We are in a unique situation. We have the support of both, society and the political parties in the Parliament, for our European course. And this support has helped us to include in the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova the result of the Referendum - the strategic objective of joining the European Union.

 

MG: At the moment we have this support, but we don't know what will happen in the spring or summer after the results of the parliamentary elections.

 

Cristina Gherasimov: Democracy is a process that we have to fight for every day. We cannot say that we have reached a certain stage where there is no need to fight for democratic values. You do that both inside and outside the European Union.

 

MG: If we come back to that symbolic year, 2030, I also want to ask you about the situation in the Transnistrian region. I know there have been various polemics about how we would integrate given that we have a frozen conflict on the left bank of the Dniester. What is the message from European officials? Are we joining together? How do you see this process?  

 

Cristina Gherasimov: The strongest political message we have received from the European Union is the negotiating framework that was offered to us at the first Intergovernmental Conference, where the Republic of Moldova is seen as a unitary state. There is no separate reference to the Transnistrian region. The negotiations with the European Union are being conducted by the Republic of Moldova as a unit. It is in our interests, in the interests of all of us, including our citizens on the left bank of the Dniester, to benefit from all the opportunities that the European Union will bring us.

 

Our citizens and entrepreneurs on the left bank of the Dniester are already benefiting fully from the European Union market, with 80% of their exports directed toward the European Union. It is crucial that we work together to bring the entire country into the European Union.

(...)

 

MG: In the year 2025, what are the top 3 priorities in the process of advancing negotiations for EU enlargement?

 

Cristina Gherasimov: We continue to build a relationship of mutual trust with EU Member States. We continue the technical process, that is opening negotiations for at least one cluster in the first half of next year, and we continue to prepare our society and economy to become internationally competitive. (...) We are now preparing three roadmaps with the Government teams and other public institutions. They are the benchmarks we need to prepare for the opening of negotiations for the first group of chapters. We are already working on the first drafts of negotiating positions and country presentations in the screening process.

 

Interview from 27.12.2024

Video: „Moldova gândeștewith Veronica Gherbovețchii, TV 8

Agenda

June 2027

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