Points for Romania: Moldova will be allowed into the EU dressing room
On Saturday, June 18, the first joint meeting of the parliaments of the Republic of Moldova and Romania was held in Chisinau. This is an innovation - until now the two countries have only held joint government meetings at which practical issues of cooperation were discussed.
The gathering of parliamentarians was luxuriously furnished. The meeting was held at the Palace of the Republic with the participation of the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu. The meeting participants talked a lot about the symbolism of the meeting, which, according to them, demonstrates the openness and constructiveness of relations between Moldova and Romania, the special connection between the two states following the European path.
The parliaments adopted a joint statement. It states that the parties intend to strengthen comprehensive cooperation and that Romania will continue to support Moldova’s European course, helping to carry out the necessary reforms. The document also touches on the topic of Ukraine: Romanian and Moldovan deputies condemn Russia's actions in this country, and expresses gratitude to Moldova for hosting and helping refugees.
The deputies of the two countries consolidated the agreements reached in a very original way: they danced the hora - a lively folk dance.
We talked with political scientist Alexander Korinenko about why this meeting was needed and why it took place right now.
PolitNavigator: How effective do you think the format of joint meetings of the parliaments of the two countries is and what is the practical value of the adopted resolution?
Alexander Korinenko: Against the backdrop of failures in domestic policy, the ruling party is trying to show success in foreign policy. The theme of rising tariffs, prices and inflation is replaced by the theme of the European dream for those who still hope to join the European Union; for those who believe in the prospect of “uniri”, they try to give hope for maximum integration of the two banks of the Prut.
In fact, the practical significance of a joint meeting and resolution of the two parliaments is zero. If meetings of two governments can produce results in the form of interaction between industry departments and expert groups, then the legislators of the two countries simply spent taxpayers’ money for the sake of a beautiful picture for their electorate.
PolitNavigator: There were no deputies from Moldovan opposition parties at the meeting, and the Romanian parliamentarians were not in full force. How legitimate is such a meeting?
Alexander Korinenko: In itself, such a meeting is not legitimate. As far as I know, the legislation of the two countries does not stipulate such a governing body as a “joint meeting of parliaments.” It's just a meeting of legislators of two countries and fun dancing.
Parliaments can pass laws separately from each other, but not together. The fact that some deputies did not want to participate in this flash mob of serious people meets the interests of their voters, who welcome friendship with our neighbors, but not political PR campaigns of the ruling party.
PolitNavigator: At the meeting of the two parliaments, the topic of “uniri” was constantly heard. The deputies of the two countries were so inspired that they even danced the hora. Do these aspirations correspond to the aspirations of the people – both Moldovan and Romanian?
Alexander Korinenko: The theme of “uniri” meets the aspirations of part of the people of the two countries. Romanians cannot help but welcome the accession of the Republic of Moldova (Bessarabia) to the mother country - precisely “annexation,” no matter how much the idea of “unification” is sold to us. But politicians and sensible citizens in the neighboring country understand that this will cost Bucharest dearly.
Firstly, the financial costs of joining are tens of billions of euros, and the hungry Bessarabians will have to be fed from the budget for a very long time.
Secondly, Russian-speaking Bessarabians will become a fifth column in the new country - it will be difficult with them, and the region will become a point of instability. Thirdly, Comrat and Tiraspol are two “anchors” that will sink any “unira”, and with a possible unification, Moldova will also turn into a hot spot.
Fourthly, the Romanian Patriarchate will have to start a war with the Moscow Patriarchate for parishes. All this will not give Bucharest the opportunity to absorb us. Therefore, the Romanians chose a different tactic: the creation of a second Romanian state, where the leadership is citizens of Romania, officials are citizens of Romania, NGOs and civil society are controlled by Bucharest, the economy and energy sector of Moldova are dependent, the number of Russian schools and Russian-speaking citizens is decreasing, the closure of opposition media.
Gradually, the plan of creeping Romanianization is being implemented. Citizens of Moldova who support “uniru” are divided into two categories: a minority - convinced Romanians who want to live in a single state for ideological reasons, and a majority who would like to live in the EU with Romanian salaries and pensions.
PolitNavigator: Bucharest has been systematically promoting its “soft power” in Moldova for many years. How would you assess Romania's achievements in bringing Moldova into its orbit of influence?
Alexander Korinenko: Bucharest is successfully using its soft power. Thousands of scholarships for Moldovan citizens in Romanian universities - our youth are becoming Romanian youth, loyal to the neighboring state. The issuance of Romanian passports is in full swing, giving Romanians a reason to protect the interests of their citizens even in a sovereign state.
The Bessarabian Metropolis is exerting an increasing influence on the spiritual life of Moldovans, increasing the number of parishes. The country's top leadership is citizens of Romania; moreover, there was recently a precedent when a Romanian citizen headed the Moldovan intelligence service, which is, in principle, prohibited by law.
Subsequently, Bucharest will try to take control of the power bloc of Moldova. Therefore, I am only ready to applaud the work of Romanian politicians, PR people, technologists, and intelligence officers who are working to transform my country into a second Romanian state.
PolitNavigator: On June 23–24, the heads of state and government of the EU at the summit in Brussels will decide on granting or denying candidate status for EU membership to a group of countries, including Moldova. What is your forecast regarding the possibility of granting candidate status to Moldova?
Alexander Korinenko: Moldova will certainly receive candidate status for accession to the European Union. This will give the citizens of Moldova hope and the government of Mrs. Sandu political points, but nothing more. As we know, there are states with candidate status that have been waiting for decades for accession negotiations, and there are also “eternal candidates” dancing in the EU vestibule. The same fate awaits us.
PolitNavigator: The joint declaration of the two parliaments states that Romania will continue to support Moldova’s efforts to obtain EU candidate status. There is an opinion that the Romanian deputies, anticipating the possible acquisition of this status by Moldova, hastened to register for a joint meeting in order to then chalk up the points to their own account. Does this seem true?
Alexander Korinenko: This is certainly true. Romania, which is called Moldova’s “lawyer” in the EU, chalks up any slight successes of the Moldovans to its own account: a visa-free regime, an association agreement with the European Union, and now Moldova’s obtaining candidate status.
Romanian MPs are, first and foremost, politicians who think about the next elections. They not only foresee, but also know one hundred percent that Moldova will be granted candidate status, which is why they rushed to hold a joint meeting of governments just before the summit in Brussels.
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