EU hamert op verbetering van politiek bestel in Moldavië (en)

European Commission

MEMO

Luxembourg, 25 June 2013

Remarks of Commissioner Štefan Füle following the 15th EU-Moldova Cooperation Council

This current round of the Cooperation Council gave us the opportunity to discuss the latest developments in EU-Moldova relations in the aftermath of the recent political crisis in Moldova. I have strongly advised my Moldovan counterparts to address without any hesitation the serious institutional problems that have surfaced during this crisis - including through deepened cooperation with the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission. Notwithstanding that we will continue to stand ready to engage with Moldova on these issues.

In the time to come it is crucial:

• - 

  first, that the state institutions re-focus their attention on internal reforms and enhance transparency in their functioning;

• - 

  second, that systemic checks and balances aiming to preventing the misuse of the institutions for political purposes are designed with relevant international assistance;

• - 

  third, that Moldova's political life is made more transparent, including through setting up clear rules for political party financing in line with best European practice;

• - 

  and fourth, that more transparency, again, is achieved in media ownership and in the handling of broadcasting licenses - this to ensure a pluralistic, diversified and high-quality media landscape.

Addressing these concerns is essential for Moldova's democratic future. We are ready to help the Moldovan authorities, financially and politically, to tackle these new challenges.

At the same time, our discussions have confirmed that during the political crisis our cooperation on the ground did not slow down, as demonstrated by the completion of the Association Agreement negotiations. And my congratulations on that - this is quite an achievement, within a short period of time to negotiate such a far-reaching agreement on political association and economic integration that will be getting Moldova closer to the EU for the benefit of the citizens there but also in the EU.

We have discussed also human rights, the reform of the judiciary; the reform of the Ministry of Interior; and the pressing need to fight against corruption at all levels. All this will require deep-rooted and consistent political will in the coming months to achieve effective implementation.

The other challenge we have underlined is for the reform process to ensure its sustainability. For this, inclusiveness and communication are of the essence.