Basescu push for Moldova in next EU accession wave
Romania is pushing for the Republic of Moldova to be included in the next wave of countries to join the EU
February 2010 - From the Print Edition
President Traian Basescu recently stated he supports making the Republic part of the package of western Balkan countries seeking EU membership.
This is the key foreign policy objective of the new administration and of incoming Minister of Foreign Affairs Theodor Baconschi, who is lobbying hard in Brussels for further support for Moldova.
It is also a means for Basescu to offer support to Moldova’s interim Government - a slate of anti-communist parties which advocates closer ties with Bucharest.
Interim Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat stated that “due to the efforts of Romania”, the EU started negotiations for an association agreement in January.
However analysts believe the optimism of Basescu and the reality on the ground are at some distance, at least in the medium term.
“Compared to the western Balkan states that have already signed association treaties which envisage the possibility of their joining the EU sometime in the future, the Republic of Moldova is, legally speaking, one step backwards,” says Iordan Gheorghe Barbulescu, dean of International Relations and EU Integration, National School of Political and Administrative Studies (SNSPA).
At present there is only a partnership and cooperation treaty signed between the Republic of Moldova and the EU, which does not mention the possibility of becoming an EU member state. The interim Moldovan Government intends to sign a new treaty with the EU to offer a clear perspective about joining the 27 member bloc.
“The Republic of Moldova cannot politically be ‘moved’ into the Balkans, as much as President Basescu would wish,” adds Barbulescu.
There is also integration fatigue in Brussels following the ‘big bang’ of entries in 2004 and the ‘little bang’ of new member states Bulgaria and Romania in 2007. Many EU commentators are now stating that the experience of allowing in these two ‘unreformed’ nations too early into the EU has put off older member states from granting accession status to other countries so readily.
The financial crisis has also ushered in a more conservative mentality at EU policy-making level.
In a meeting with President of the European Council Herman Von Rompuy, Basescu pressed home the need for “positive signs, financial and political support” from the EU for Moldova. In reply, Von Rompuy diplomatically stated he gained “very valuable insight” into the Moldovan issue from the Romanian head of state.
There are no clear dates for when the western Balkan nations will join the EU, although Croatia may be an exception that can slip inside in the short-term. The EU may also fast-track Iceland into the union - a move which will embolden Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro and possibly Turkey to also push for further negotiations.
“The next EU expansion wave will take place many years in the future,” argues Barbulescu. “Romania signed its association agreement in 1993 and only joined the bloc in 2007, with many difficulties. Moldova needs a similar treaty to sign with the EU before starting its long accession process.”