Radio România Internațional

Tag: Republic of Moldova

  • November 9, 2015 UPDATE

    November 9, 2015 UPDATE

    Bucharest fire The death toll rose to 47 on Monday
    following the deadly fire at a Bucharest nightclub on October 30th.
    Dozens of injured, many in serious condition, are still undergoing treatment at
    several hospitals in Bucharest, while 30 have been transferred to hospitals abroad.
    Toxicology tests have shown that all victims, apart from burns, had high levels
    of carbon monoxide and cyanhydric acid in their blood. The concentration of
    these substances in the case of 18 victims exceeded the lethal levels. In
    another development, the government approved on Monday the amount of financial
    assistance needed for the treatment of the people in hospital. The interim
    prime minister Sorin Cimpeanu said the ministry of labour was working on an
    assistance and reintegration programme for those injured in the fire.

    Politics The Romanian
    president Klaus Iohannis on Monday started a new round of talks with the
    leaders of parliamentary parties to designate a new prime minister. He met the
    representatives of the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party,
    the largest parties in Parliament. The Social Democrats proposed Liviu Voinea,
    the deputy governor of the National Bank, aged 40, for the position of prime
    minister. Between 2012 and 2014, he was a junior minister for budget in Victor
    Ponta’s cabinet, having previously worked as a state secretary in the finance
    ministry. The Liberals said they were in favour of early elections, but that
    they would also support the idea of a technocratic prime minister. On Tuesday,
    the president is having talks with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in
    Romania, the National Union for the Progress of Romania, the Alliance of
    Liberals and Democrats for Europe and the parliamentary group of ethnic
    minorities. A first round of talks was held last week, but the main political
    parties were reluctant to take on the responsibility of government. The
    president also held talks with representatives of civil society and the people
    demonstrating for the past week across the country. Protests continued on
    Monday in Bucharest.




    Military cooperation A DUNCAN destroyer of British make is in
    the Romanian port of Constanta until November 11th. Over this
    period, Romanian and British sailors will exercise joint operation procedures
    in Romania’s territorial waters and the Black Sea international waters. The
    destroyer is ready to take part in operational missions around the globe. Its
    propulsion system is able to produce enough energy to supply a small town. The
    current missions of such ships in the international waters include fighting
    piracy and drug trafficking, as well as providing humanitarian aid to people
    faced with natural disasters in various parts of the world.




    The Republic of Moldova The President of
    the Republic of Moldova, Nicolae Timofti, continued talks with parliamentary
    parties on Monday with a view to designating a new candidate for the position
    of prime minister. Last week, the Moldovan president held talks with the
    leaders of the pro-European parties in the former ruling alliance, namely the
    Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal Party and the Democratic Party, whom he
    called on to reach a consensus. The former government led by the
    Liberal-Democrat Valeriu Strelet was dismissed at the end of last month following
    a no-confidence motion initiated by the socialist and communist opposition
    which was passed in Parliament with the help of the Democratic Party.




    Loan Against
    the backdrop of political uncertainty in the Republic of Moldova, the Romanian
    president Klaus Iohannis on Monday called on Parliament to reassess a bill
    under which Romania is to grant a loan of 150 million euros to this country.
    The president explained there is no certainty at the moment that Moldova would
    continue its European integration efforts and the necessary reforms. Romania
    continues, however, to support Moldova’s pro-European path, the president also
    said, adding that the loan could still be granted, depending on the political
    developments in Moldova.

  • The political crisis in Chisinau

    The political crisis in Chisinau

    As expected, the no-confidence motion filed by the leftist pro-Russian
    opposition in Moldova resulted in the demise of the country’s pro-European
    government led by Valeriu Strelet and made up of three parties:
    Liberal-Democratic Party, the Democratic Party and the Liberal Party. 65 of
    Parliament’s 101 MPs voted in favour of the motion. The Socialists and the
    Communists in opposition who initiated the motion held only 44 seats, but the
    Democrats also voted in favour, despite being part of the ruling coalition.




    Accused of incompetence and corruption, the Prime Minister said the
    motion was an attempt by the left-wing opposition to destabilise the country
    and sidetrack it from its path to European accession. His arguments, however,
    failed even to convince his coalition partners, resulting in the collapse of
    the government, Moldova’s third in less than a year.




    The previous two cabinets led by Iurie Leanca and Chiril Gaburici, both
    of which were marked by internal tensions, marred by corruption accusations and
    vehemently criticised by the opposition, the media and civil society, left
    Valeriu Strelet, who came to office on the 30th of July, with a
    country on the verge of chaos. After becoming the darling of the Eastern
    Partnership last year and signing Association and Free Trade Agreements with
    the European Union, Moldova now no longer receives financial assistance from
    Brussels and no longer has any agreements with the International Monetary Fund.
    The final straw as far as its foreign partners were concerned was the
    mysterious disappearance last year of 1 billion dollars from the country’s
    banking system. The former Liberal Prime Minister Vlad Filat was arrested over
    allegations of direct involvement in this as yet unsolved case, and the entire
    political class in Moldova seems to be irredeemably compromised.




    In Romania, which has recently given Moldova a 150-million-euro loan,
    the prolonged political crisis in Moldova is viewed with consternation and
    disappointment. Soon after the government collapse in Moldova, president Klaus
    Iohannis said Moldova must stay on course for Europe and that Romania would do
    its best to help it attain this objective. The Romanian Foreign Ministry also
    said that it was essential for Moldova to maintain its political stability
    against a complex security context in Eastern Europe.




    Under the Moldovan Constitution, the Strelet Cabinet now has only
    administrative powers. Unless a new Government is sworn in within three months,
    president Nicolae Timofti may dissolve Parliament and call for early
    parliamentary elections. The parties in the now divided ruling coalition have
    already expressed their willingness to talk about the formation of a new
    government. However, political commentators in Moldova give them little chances
    to succeed, given that the internal cohesion of the coalition and the trust
    among its members have been completely damaged this week.

  • October 22, 2015 UPDATE

    October 22, 2015 UPDATE

    IMF – The International Monetary Fund has estimated that Romanias budget deficit will reach 3% of the GDP in 2016 and will most likely exceed this level in 2017 as a result of massive tax cuts and planned salary rises, while the recommended budget deficit for next year is 1.5%. According to a press release from the head of the Funds mission to Romania Andrea Schaechter, Romanias macroeconomic indicators have improved considerably in recent years, but consolidating this progress is crucial at a time of growing global risks, in particular in the emerging economies. Under the circumstances, Romania must maintain fiscal discipline to consolidate its public finance and renew its commitment to structural reforms, especially with respect to state-owned companies. The representatives of the International Monetary Fund have also said that unless Romania modernises its transport infrastructure, the advantages of its strong economic activity will be short-lived and its progress slow. A Fund delegation was on a one-week trip to Romania to discuss with the authorities the situation of the countrys economy, future developments and the state budget for 2016.



    EUROBONDS – Romania on Wednesday sold 2 billion euros of eurobonds offering 10- and 20-year maturities, writes the American publication Bloomberg. Romania thus followed Poland and Lithuania, two countries that have already accessed the international bond market. This is for the fist time that Romania has issued eurobonds with a 20-year maturity. The commentators cited by Bloomberg say investors had been waiting for a long time for Romania to return to the markets and that they were interested in longer maturities.



    MINER RAIDS – The General Prosecutors Office in Bucharest continued hearings in an investigation looking into the so-called “miner raids between 13 and 15 of June 1990 that put an end to wide-scale demonstrations against the left-wing government that came to power after the collapse of the communist regime. On Wednesday, prosecutors charged the former president Ion Iliescu and two of his aides at the time, the director of the Romanian Intelligence Service Virgil Magureanu and the defence minister Victor Stanculescu, with crimes against humanity. Prosecutors have also called on the president to green-light proceedings to indict former Prime Minister Petre Roman and his deputy Gelu Voican. Following violent incidents in Bucharest that the army had already managed to contain, Ion Iliescu appealed to the population to save democratic institutions from a far-right coup. Groups of miners from Jiu Valley, a large mining area in the centre, descended on Bucharest, where they stormed the University building and the headquarters of the opposition parties and independent newspapers. Four people are known officially to have been killed in the incidents, while hundreds of people were wounded and over 1,000 were subject to abusive arrests.



    CRISIS – Socialist and Communist MPs in the Republic of Moldova on Thursday filed a no-confidence motion against Valeriu Strelets Cabinet. To pass, the motion needs the votes of 51 MPs of the 101 members of the Moldovan Parliament. The Republic of Moldova is facing political tensions, given that the pro-European ruling coalition risks falling part after the arrest of its leader Vlad Filat, in a corruption case.



    TENNIS – The Romanian pair made up Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu will be playing the doubles final of the WTA tournament in Moscow, totalling 700 thousand dollars in prize money. On Thursday the two outperformed Andreja Kepac of Slovenia and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic. Irina Begu has four doubles wins and another four finals played, of which two in 2015. Monica Niculescu has won four titles and played 11 finals, of which two in 2015.

  • A tense situation in Chisinau

    A tense situation in Chisinau

    The target of increasingly vehement criticism in the
    media and both civil society and the leftist opposition, the pro-Western power
    in Chisinau is also in a tight corner in Parliament. On Tuesday, the Socialist
    MPs signed a no-confidence motion against the three-party government made up of
    the Liberal Democrats, the Democrats and the Liberals and headed by the new
    leader of the Liberal Democrats, Valeriu Strelet. The Socialists’ leader, Igor
    Dodon, announced he would go all the way to get the current Government to
    resign and call early elections. Igor Dodon:




    We have asked for the resignation of the heads of
    several institutions and we continue to demand the resignation of the Strelet
    government. We also want the president to hand in his resignation, we want the
    head of state to be elected through direct election and we insist on early
    parliamentary elections next spring.




    The Communists, led by the former president of the
    country Vladimir Voronin, have announced they will support the Socialists’
    initiative to replace Strelet’s political cabinet with a government made up of
    technocrats. Appointed PM less than three months ago, Valeriu Strelet sees the
    no-confidence motion against his government as an attempt to further
    destabilise the country’s already difficult political and economic situation:




    They are trying to put into practice something that
    they have been planning for a long time: to sidetrack the Republic of Moldova
    from its strategic right to become part of the European Union. A plot is being
    hatched against the Republic of Moldova. Things are already in motion and the
    final act will take place in the Moldovan Parliament, where a secret vote will
    be held to force the resignation of a pro-European government.




    Previously, President Nicolae Timofti himself warned
    that dissatisfaction with the activity of public institutions and some
    dignitaries is used by neo-Soviet forces seeking to put an end to the country’s
    European aspirations. In order for the no-confidence motion to pass, 51 yes
    votes are needed out of a total 101. The Socialists and the Communists together
    do not have those 51 votes, but in a political climate that has never been
    defined by loyalty, a surprise is always possible.




    The new political crisis in Moldova was triggered by
    the arrest, last week, of the former prime minister and Liberal Democrat leader
    Vlad Filat. Accused of influence peddling and bribe taking worth 250 million
    dollars as part of the scandal surrounding the mysterious
    disappearance of one billion dollars from the Moldovan banking system, Filat
    dealt his own political party a heavy image blow. For political commentators in
    Chisinau, there seems to be no way out of this political situation. The only
    available choice, they say, is between a government that, for all its
    pro-European noises, has only robbed the country, and an opposition that, under
    the pretext of fighting corruption, may very well take Moldova back under
    Moscow’s control.

  • Support for the Republic of Moldova

    Support for the Republic of Moldova

    Romania continues its efforts to support the neighbouring
    Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly
    Romanian-speaking population, with a reimbursable loan worth 150 million euros.
    On Tuesday, Romanian MPs ratified the financial assistance agreement between
    Bucharest and Chisinau, and the money is to be disbursed in three instalments.
    The first, accounting for 60 million euros, will reach the Republic of Moldova
    next month. The maturity of the loan is five years, with the possibility of
    early reimbursement with no commission being charged. Attending the
    ratification ceremony in Bucharest, the Prime Minister of Moldova, Valeriu
    Strelet, said his country was extremely grateful for the loan and that Moldovan
    authorities would do their best to spend the money on promoting reforms and
    modernising the country. Valeriu Strelet:




    There are many things we need to do first, such as
    putting in place the inter-connection of our energy systems for the gas and
    electricity supply networks, so that European energy, and implicitly the
    Romanian energy, may reach each and every citizen of the Republic of Moldova.




    The Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta explained
    that the difficult situation facing the Republic of Moldova was a consequence
    of Russia’s reactions to Chisinau’s European aspirations:




    Today, the Republic of Moldova needs financial
    support that it can receive from nowhere else than us to overcome a difficult
    period caused by the economic sanctions imposed by Russia, following Moldova’s
    signing its association agreement with the European Union last year.




    The building of the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline, the
    school-bus programme, Romania’s 20 million euro investment in the
    rehabilitation and construction of nursery schools in Moldova, as well as the
    development of a Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication
    based on a similar service in Romania, are some of the projects that benefited
    from Bucharest’s support in the past. More steps will follow to bring the
    Republic of Moldova closer to Romania and, implicitly, to Europe, said the Moldovan
    prime-minister. He also had a meeting with Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis,
    who assured him that Moldova can keep counting on Romania’s support.



  • Support for the Republic of Moldova

    Support for the Republic of Moldova

    Romania continues its efforts to support the neighbouring
    Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly
    Romanian-speaking population, with a reimbursable loan worth 150 million euros.
    On Tuesday, Romanian MPs ratified the financial assistance agreement between
    Bucharest and Chisinau, and the money is to be disbursed in three instalments.
    The first, accounting for 60 million euros, will reach the Republic of Moldova
    next month. The maturity of the loan is five years, with the possibility of
    early reimbursement with no commission being charged. Attending the
    ratification ceremony in Bucharest, the Prime Minister of Moldova, Valeriu
    Strelet, said his country was extremely grateful for the loan and that Moldovan
    authorities would do their best to spend the money on promoting reforms and
    modernising the country. Valeriu Strelet:




    There are many things we need to do first, such as
    putting in place the inter-connection of our energy systems for the gas and
    electricity supply networks, so that European energy, and implicitly the
    Romanian energy, may reach each and every citizen of the Republic of Moldova.




    The Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta explained
    that the difficult situation facing the Republic of Moldova was a consequence
    of Russia’s reactions to Chisinau’s European aspirations:




    Today, the Republic of Moldova needs financial
    support that it can receive from nowhere else than us to overcome a difficult
    period caused by the economic sanctions imposed by Russia, following Moldova’s
    signing its association agreement with the European Union last year.




    The building of the Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline, the
    school-bus programme, Romania’s 20 million euro investment in the
    rehabilitation and construction of nursery schools in Moldova, as well as the
    development of a Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication
    based on a similar service in Romania, are some of the projects that benefited
    from Bucharest’s support in the past. More steps will follow to bring the
    Republic of Moldova closer to Romania and, implicitly, to Europe, said the Moldovan
    prime-minister. He also had a meeting with Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis,
    who assured him that Moldova can keep counting on Romania’s support.



  • Large-scale protests in Chisinau

    Large-scale protests in Chisinau

    Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Chisinau this weekend for the second consecutive week to voice their dissatisfaction with the Government, whom they criticize for betraying its pro-European and Western aspirations and goals. There is no telling when the protesters will call off their meetings, as on Sunday the main square in Chisinau was packed with people.




    Protesters have channeled their disgruntlement against Prime Minister Valeriu Strelet and Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu, who came to the square to discuss with protesters. Radio Romanias correspondents on the ground say both sides have maintained their original standpoints. The Prime Minister says that ever since his Government was sworn in six weeks ago, it has undertaken action aimed at solving some of Moldovas pressing issues.




    Unless it fails to pass a no-confidence vote in Parliament, his Government will not step down, as this might further deepen the current political and economic crisis, Strelet went on to say. Previously the Moldovan official had said that the very existence of Moldova is in danger, as problems such as corruption, poverty and the peoples waning confidence in the countrys political class are the effects of actions over the course of several years. In turn, president Nicolae Timofti ruled out the option of resigning.




    His stepping down could result in a new political crisis, which would in turn lead to a power void that would fuel instability. Timofti is blaming the states underperforming institutions, such as the National Bank, the Prosecutor Generals Office or the National Anti-Corruption Centre, after last year 1 billion dollars, accounting for 15% of the countrys GDP, mysteriously disappeared from the Moldovan banking system. Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu has warned that organizing snap elections, as protesters have called for, would sink the country into deeper chaos.





    Candu said that Parliaments list of priorities for its autumn session includes the reform of the judiciary and promised that a Romanian prosecutor with the National Anti-Corruption Directorate will be assisting the National Anti-Corruption Centre and the Prosecutor Generals Office. The leaders of the protest movement however remain reluctant. ‘Unless the authorities will hear us out right here in the capital, then we will spread the wave of protests to the entire republic.




    Our leaders will then feel the ground slipping from under their feet, Valentin Dolganiuc, a former MP in the 1991 Parliament told us. Score of others like him are well-known public figures with a spotless reputation, which however does not mean that the protest movement might get sidetracked.




    The chairman of the Centre for Conflict Prevention in Bucharest and a former presidential advisor, Iulian Chifu has warned against the threat that socialists and populists in opposition might join the protest movement, as they are the first to question the legitimacy of a pro-Western Government.



  • The week in review 24-28 August 2015

    The week in review 24-28 August 2015

    The new Fiscal Code to be re-examined by Parliament next week


    On Thursday, the leaders of the Romanian political parties reached an agreement on the Fiscal Code, which President Klaus Iohannis had sent back to Parliament for re-examination. The Fiscal Code will be adopted in its initial form, with the only difference being that certain provisions will be enforced at a different date. On Monday, the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party, the National Union for the Progress of Romania and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and also the opposition parties, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, agreed that the Fiscal Code should not be adopted in a hurry and gave up the idea of an extraordinary Parliament session devoted to this matter. MPs will have their say on the Fiscal Code in an ordinary session next week. Previously supported by Government and unanimously green lighted by senators and deputies, the Code had been sent back to Parliament as President Iohannis deemed it unsustainable.



    Romanian authorities take the first measures to compensate farmers affected by drought


    The Romanian Agriculture Ministry will earmark 145 million euros from its 2016 budget for the upgrading of the irrigation system, but a political agreement is needed for a similar amount to be granted for seven years in a row, Romanian Agriculture Minister Daniel Constantin has said. Constantin presented before the Chamber of Deputies’ Committee for Agriculture a report on the damage caused by the severe drought this year. Farmers have reported losses amounting to 2 billion euros and have called on the Government to help them avoid bankruptcy. 70% of the corn crops, 60% of sunflower crops as well as large areas of rape and soy have been destroyed. According to a World Bank report, around 1 billion euros is needed to upgrade Romania’s main irrigation system.



    Romanian air traffic controllers threaten to call an all-out strike as of September 1st


    Employees with the Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration (ROMATSA) might call for an all-out strike for an indefinite period of time starting September 1st, after negotiations between trade unionists and Transport Ministry representatives on salary levels and working conditions ended in a deadlock. Trade unionists have repeatedly called for the sacking of the ROMATSA general manager, Ion Aurel Stanciu, who in the meantime has been appointed State Secretary with the Transport Ministry following PM Victor Ponta’s decision. According to ROMATSA, which currently has around 1,500 employees, Romania’s air space is crossed by around 2,500-3,000 aircraft a day.



    Migrants who have taken Europe by storm in the past few days might also reach Romania


    Although Europe is faced with an unprecedented migration crisis, the pressure on Romania has not increased yet, the Vice-Premier for Security Gabriel Oprea, said after Thursday’s meeting of the National Committee for Special Emergency Situations. Nevertheless, Oprea announced that Romania would tighten security on the border with Serbia. Romania already has six regional accommodation centres, with a total capacity of some 1,500 places, which are only 20% occupied at the moment.



    Education Trade Unions demand higher salaries


    Negotiations on raising salaries in the Romanian education system will be resumed after September 15, when there will be concrete elements regarding the enforcement of the Salary Law and the new Fiscal Code, Education Minister Sorin Campeanu has said. Proposals to increase salaries in the education system have been tackled at Government level, with education trade unions asking for a 15% increase. On the other hand, the Government green-lighted, through an emergency ordinance, a 25% increase in the salaries of the medical staff, starting October 1st.



    PM Victor Ponta travels to Chisinau


    We feel Romania’s support in these difficult times and the circumstances are favourable at present for a close collaboration between the governments and people on the two sides of the River Prut, the Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti said at a meeting with Romanian PM Victor Ponta. The Romanian official travelled to Chisinau on Thursday to celebrate the Republic of Moldova’s Independence Day. Timofti and Ponta discussed Moldova’s European path, the regional situation and the developments in the Transdniester region. Ponta also met with his Moldovan counterpart, Valeriu Strelet, who thanked Romania for supporting his country. The two officials signed a protocol that extended, until 2020, the implementation of the financial assistance agreement, worth 100 million euros, made available by Bucharest.



    Romanian tennis player Simona Halep is again 2nd placed in the WTA rankings


    Romanian tennis player Simona Halep is again 2nd ranked in the WTA classification, following her qualification to the final of the Cincinnati tournament, which she lost on Sunday to the American Serena Williams. Serena continues to be world’s no. 1 while the Russian Maria Sarapova ranks 3rd. Another 4 Romanian tennis players are in the top 100. Irina Begu ranks 28th, followed by Monica Niculescu who is the 37th, Alexandra Dulgheru, 51st and Andreea Mitu 74th.

  • The Republic of Moldova, 24 Years of Independence

    The Republic of Moldova, 24 Years of Independence

    Moldova, a former soviet republic that pulled away from Moscow after the failed coup of August 1991 when the Communist conservatives tried to oust Mikhail Gorbachev, is celebrating 24 years of independence. On August 27, 1991, the first Parliament in Chisinau adopted a declaration stating that “Moldova is a sovereign, independent and democratic state, free to determine its present and future without foreign interference, in keeping with the ideals and aspirations of its people, within the historical and ethnic space of its national development.



    Heirs of the previously Romanian territory between the rivers Prut and Dniester, taken away from Romania under a WW2 Nazi-Soviet pact, the Moldovans have tried to address the injustice by initiating a policy aimed at strengthening relations with the motherland: the national anthem identical to Romanias, the same national colours and so on.



    This trend, which might have led to the eventual union of the two states, came against the plans of the pro-Soviet hardliners in Moldova. In 1991, after a war supported by Moscow and which claimed hundreds of lives, they managed to have the mostly Russian-speaking eastern part of the country break away with Moldova and proclaim the Autonomous Republic of Trans-Dniester. The negotiations for resolving the conflict, in which the EU, USA, Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE are also taking part, are yet to yield a result. Years followed when Moldova was primarily headed by left and far-left parties. The Communists Party was in power for 8 years, until 2009, when it was replaced by a right-of-centre coalition, the Alliance for European Integration.



    Twenty-four years since proclaiming its independence, the young state is facing severe economic problems, massive emigration and an identity crisis. Some citizens still want to join Romania, while others would rather be united with Russia. In 2014, the Republic of Moldova signed the association agreement with the European Union, and secured a liberalised EU visa regime for its citizens.



    At present, Chisinau is also facing regional challenges, generated by the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine. Its main ally is Romania, together with which it is developing major economic and cultural projects. During his visit to Chisinau occasioned by Moldovas Independence Day, the Romanian PM Victor Ponta emphasised the importance of the joint energy and railway infrastructure projects, and promised that Romania remains a key supporter of the Republic of Moldova in its European integration efforts.

  • The Trans-Dniestr War

    The Trans-Dniestr War

    The reforms initiated by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, known as perestroika and glasnost, in mid 1980s, have been to no avail for the Soviet Union. Its collapse in 1991 confirmed the bankruptcy of the system set up in 1917 following Lenins Bolshevik revolution. But the collapse of the Soviet Union has left room for armed conflicts. These conflicts were actually frozen or postponed although the Communist regime had intimated that brutal intervention had done away with the likelihood of conflicts being solved by armed intervention.



    The demise of the old Soviet system also meant rethinking the way in which Russia, the former USSRs successor, could maintain its leverage on the former Soviet republics. One of the methods was to encourage separatist movements. The first on the Kremlins list were Georgia and Moldova, Ukraine being considered still a faithful state to Moscow. As early as 1990, the self-styled republics of South Ossetia and Abhazia proclaimed their independence from Georgia while in Moldova there emerged the Trans-Dniester republic or Transdniester and Gagauzia.



    The proclamation of the Moldovan republic of Dniester on September 1990 after the Republic of Moldova had proclaimed its sovereignty on June 23rd 1990 opened the path for separatist movements. According to the 1989 census, in Trans-Dniester there lived 39.9% Moldovans, 28.3% Ukrainians, 25.4% Russians and 1.9% Bulgarians. After Moldova became a UN member state, on March 2nd 1992, the Moldovan president Mircea Snegur authorized the military intervention against the rebel forces, after they had attacked police stations loyal to Chisinau on the eastern bank of the Dniester river and in Tiraspol. The rebels, backed by the Soviet troops of the 14th army, consolidated their control on a large part of the disputed region. The outnumbered Moldovan army has never been able to regain control over Transniestr, despite mediations in the past 25 years.



    Mircea Druc was the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova between May 25th 1990 and May 28th 1991. When the conflict broke out, he was one of the leaders of the opposition Christian – Democratic Popular Front, in the opposition. In his opinion, the war in Transdniestr could not have been avoided:



    I believe that the Russian – Romanian war on the Dniestr in 1992 was impossible to avoid, no matter how hard we would try now to put the blame on one party or another. The misfortune, for Besserabians and for those living on the left bank of Dniestr, was that the arsenals and the warehouses of weapons evacuated by the Soviet army from the countries of the former socialist camp had been left across the Dniestr. So, the place was full of armament from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria. The armament there was worth over 4 billion dollars. In 1989 and 1990, with Gorbachevs perestroika in full swing, the conflict between Tiraspol and Chisinau started, as Tiraspol, alongside other anti-Gorbachev and anti-perestroika forces could not admit that the Soviet Union was falling apart. They refused the simple truth that all empires disappear sooner of later. Until August 1991 they kept hoping they could save the Soviet Union. But all their hopes were scattered on December 5th 1991, when the presidents of Russia, Byelorussia and Ukraine signed the document that made the USSRs dismantling official. According to Mircea Druc, the war also had a strong economic motivation that was as important as the geo-strategic one. Mircea Druc:



    “And then, something quite predictable happened. The interest groups in Chisinau were facing the dilemma of how to divide the Soviet heritage, the earnings of the collective farms (kolkhoz) and of the state-owned farms (sovkhoz) for which people living between rivers Niester and Prut had been working so hard, for over 50 years. In Transdniester, they used to talk about it in trivial terms, saying they would not allow the stupid Moldovans and the Fascist Romanians lay their hands on the 4 billion dollars. They used to curse Boris Eltin and other Russian leaders who had decided that everything on the territory of a former Soviet socialist republic was the property of that republic. They were determined not to share anything with anyone. So they decided to resist it. If it wasnt for this money, Chisinau and Tiraspol wouldnt have fought that hard and a third force would not have stepped in. I wonder why the Soviet troops and the center did not treat us, the Romanians from Bessarabia, the same way they treated the Baltic ‘aristocrats? In my opinion, they knew Romanians from Bessarabia were very determined and that bloodshed would be inevitable. But when there was an opportunity for Snegur to be given the 4 billions, they said no. Even Eltins democrats in Moscow decided to intervene with the 14th army. Eventually we found out that the entire arsenal had been sold and that Rutkoi and Cernomardin had decided where the money should go. 23 years later, theres nothing left, nothing to be shared.



    The conflict left 600 people dead on both sides. In 1992, following a convention on the conflicts peaceful resolution, signed by the Republic of Moldova and Russia, a status-quo was decided, which in fact meant a continuation of the conflict between Chisinau and Tiraspol.



  • New Government in Chisinau

    New Government in Chisinau

    A state with a majority Romanian-speaking population of around 3.5 million, the Republic of Moldova, a neighbor of Romania and Ukraine, is considered the poorest country in Europe. After decades under the Soviet influence, at present Chisinau is making efforts, with the help of Bucharest, to get closer to the European Union. Last year it signed an association agreement with the EU despite pressure by Moscow, which does not see Moldovas gradual coming out of its sphere of political and economic influence with a friendly eye.



    Another sign of Kremlins determination to preserve its authority in the region is the fact that for many years Russia has kept soldiers and military equipment in the east of the Republic of Moldova, in Transdniester. With the support of Russia, in 1992 Transdniester declared its independence, which was never acknowledged internationally, after a short war which left behind many victims. Against the backdrop of the past months worsening economic situation in Moldova, the current conflict in Ukraine is fueling fears that the small republic could be deliberately destabilized.



    This is why a pro-European government in Chisinau is considered a must. Led since mid June by an interim cabinet, after the resignation of prime minister Chiril Gaburici, who was accused of having forged his Baccalaureate diploma, Moldova now has a new government, elected on Thursday and headed by the Liberal Democrat Valeriu Strelet.



    Addressing Parliament, the new prime minister promised to make the fight against corruption one of his cabinets main priorities. In terms of foreign policy, the future government intends to continue on its European path by implementing the provisions of the association agreement and to pave the way for Moldova to become an EU accession candidate. Moldova also wants to deepen its strategic partnership with Romania and to give an impetus to the political dialogue with the Russian Federation with a view to normalizing bilateral relations.



    As regards the Transdniester issue, the governing program of the cabinet headed by Valeriu Strelet provides for a stronger role of the EU and the US in settling the conflict, the new government insisting on the unconditional withdrawal of the Russian troops and military equipment in accordance with the international obligations that Russia has undertaken.



    In Bucharest, President Klaus Iohannis has hailed the investiture of a new Moldovan government that has a clear pro-European option. The Romanian president said that he was aware that the tasks ahead of the government in Chisinau were difficult and assured the Moldovan partners that Romania would provide substantial support for Moldova to overcome its economic difficulties and to carry on its European accession efforts. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has also reiterated Romanias firm and unconditional support for Moldova becoming a full member of the European Union.


  • A new pro-European coalition in the Republic of Moldova

    A new pro-European coalition in the Republic of Moldova

    The leaders of
    the pro-European parties in Chisinau, the Liberal-Democrat Vlad Filat, the
    Democrat Marian Lupu and the Liberal Mihai Ghimpu, on Thursday signed an
    agreement to create a new ruling coalition in the Republic of Moldova, the
    Alliance for European Integration. On Tuesday night, the parties had already
    agreed that the country’s prime minister would be a member of the Liberal
    Democratic Party, and the speaker of Parliament a member of the Democratic
    Party.




    This is a good
    and fair political agreement that will ensure a stable parliamentary majority
    in the Republic of Moldova and appoint a cabinet as soon as possible, said the
    leader of the Liberal Democrats, Vlad Filat. He emphasised that the three
    parties agreed to carry out profound reforms, including depoliticising state
    institutions. Vlad Filat:




    We all agreed
    to carry out deep reforms, including with respect to state institutions.
    Parliament will next meet to approve the government, so that the Republic of
    Moldova could have a government by the end of July.




    The signing of
    the agreement to create the Alliance for European Integration is tantamount to
    the continuation of Moldova’s efforts to join the European Union, the Liberal
    leader Mihai Ghimpu also emphasised:




    The signing of
    this agreement is in fact a guarantee for staying on course for European
    integration, without which the Republic of Moldova and we, its citizens, do not
    have a future.




    Speaking about
    the fight against corruption, Mihai Ghimpu said the European Union agreed to
    send expert missions to Chisinau to help with the reform of the country’s
    judiciary as part of institutions such as the interior ministry, the general
    prosecutor’s office and the National Anticorruption Centre.




    The new
    coalition is the only acceptable solution for the future development of the
    Republic of Moldova, the leader of the Liberal Party, Marian Lupu, said:




    The alliance we
    have created aims to strengthen the country in the face of challenges. It is
    the only possible solution for our country.




    The person proposed to take over the position of prime
    minister is Maia Sandu, the incumbent education minister. A graduate of the
    management faculty of the Academy of Economic Studies in Chisinau and with
    training in international relations at the Academy of Public Administration,
    Maia Sandu also has a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard and
    worked as an advisor to the World Bank executive director. For the last month
    and a half, the Moldovan cabinet has been run by Natalia Gherman, with the
    parliamentary support of the communists, following the resignation of prime
    minister Chiril Gaburici amidst an investigation into allegations that he forged
    his baccalaureate degree.

  • Romania reiterates its support for the European future of the Republic of Moldova

    Romania reiterates its support for the European future of the Republic of Moldova

    I strongly believe
    that the Republic of Moldova can only fulfil its destiny within the European
    Union. We will stand by the citizens of the Republic of Moldova regardless of
    the effort entailed and the time it takes, said Romania’s president Klaus
    Iohannis in Suceava, in the north-east, where his counterpart Nicolae Timofti
    received the doctor honoris causa title from the city’s Stephen the
    Great University on Tuesday. Klaus Iohannis:




    Romania continues
    to support firmly the European path of the Republic of Moldova and to assist it
    in this complex integration process. I am happy to have been able to discuss
    with president Nicolae Timofti several priority issues for our bilateral
    relationship and for the Republic of Moldova.




    The Romanian
    president also welcomed the pro-European choice made by Moldovan voters at the
    recent local elections:




    The people have
    given a new mandate for the European transformation of the Republic of Moldova.
    We hope Chisinau will have as soon as possible a new solid and stable coalition
    able to consolidate the European course of the Republic of Moldova and continue
    reform processes at an accelerated pace. In the current internal and regional
    context, delays and hesitations are not beneficial. In our opinion, these are
    not just the expectations of Romania and the other European partners, but,
    first of all, the expectations of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova.




    Moldova’s president
    Nicolae Timofti said the political dialogue with Romania continues to be
    consistent and constructive and emphasised that the talks with his Romanian
    counterpart focused on both maters of regional security and the many joint
    projects at different stages of implementation:




    Bilateral
    cooperation has a positive record so far, from the European integration process
    to projects in the energy, education and social areas. These projects will help
    strengthen the democratic processes in the Republic of Moldova: the
    consolidation of the rule of law and an independent justice system, the fight
    against corruption, the modernisation of state institutions and the creation of
    a fair and competitive economic environment.




    There are plans to
    expand bilateral cooperation between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, in
    particular by developing infrastructure projects to ensure the full connection
    of the Republic of Moldova to the European energy market.

  • Wide-scale Protests in Chisinau

    Wide-scale Protests in Chisinau

    A glaring example of corruption is the disappearance of significant funds from three banks: The Savings Bank, the Social Bank and Unibank. The sums of money involved in this case that has already been dubbed the plunder of the century, are said to range between one and two billion US dollars and account for over 15% of Moldova’s GDP.



    The protest movement took place in the Grand National Assembly Square, which, since 1989, has been the stage of the significant events in the recent history of this former Soviet Republic.



    According to the correspondent of Radio Romania, the protesters have also blamed the authorities for Moldova’s side-slipping from its path towards the European Union and have been critical of the political class which failed to find solutions to the real problems of the Republic of Moldova, considered to be one of Europe’s poorest states.



    The initiator of Sunday’s protest is the “Dignity and Truth” Civic Platform, set up in February 2015, with the declared aim of putting pressure on the leadership of the Republic of Moldova, which is said to have stuck into corruption. “If the leaders of main structures do not step down and real reforms are not implemented, society will never know who is responsible for the theft of money from banks”-the co-president of the Civic Platform, Angela Arama, told journalists.



    Similar protests have taken place in Chisinau as of March, but Sunday’s rally has been the widest-scale protest so far. “If the rulers do not step down, we will place tents around Parliament and the Prosecutor’s Office next time we organise a rally”- an activist of the movement, writer and TV presenter Constantin Cheianu has said.



    The scandal around the disappearance of money from the three aforementioned banks serves the Communist opposition in Parliament, which is interested in discrediting the pro-European parties in the ruling alliance and in turning the idea of the country’s integration into the European structures into a failure.



    The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, drew attention in Chisinau last week that solving the crisis which is rocking Moldova’s banking system, and stepping up the reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption are instrumental in the effort to comply with the commitments made under Moldova’s Association Agreement with the European Union. An analysis of the progress made so far is to be presented at the forth-coming Eastern Partnership Summit of the European Union, which is due in Riga, between May 21st –22nd.

  • April 7, 2014

    April 7, 2014

    The Government of Romania has today decided to reduce the value-added tax for foodstuff, non-alcoholic beverages and food industry services from 24% to 9%. The measure will be implemented as of June, six months before the new Fiscal Code takes effect. For the rest of the products, the VAT will be lowered from 24% to 20% as of January 1st, 2016. For bread, the VAT was slashed to 9% in September 2013. According to experts, the increase of the VAT from 19 to 24% in 2010, in the context of the economic crisis, led to a mere 1.5% increase in revenues to the state budget. The Government believes this reduction to encourage consumption and implicitly the economic growth, although there are also voices that warn that a VAT decrease would widen the budget deficit. PM Victor Ponta says however that the measure will not affect the state budget balance.



    In Bucharest, the Senate and Chamber of Deputies convene today in a joint meeting to change the Parliament Rules of Procedure. This regulation must be brought in line with the Constitution, so that decisions to approve requests to lift MP immunity may be taken on a simple majority vote. On the other hand, the Constitutional Court is to review on April the 8th the notifications filed by President Klaus Iohannis and other political players, including the National Liberal Party in opposition, after the Senate turned down a request by anti-corruption prosecutors regarding the arrest pending trial of former transport minister Dan Sova, accused of accessory to abuse of office. The request has been approved by a majority of the Senators attending the meeting, but it was eventually dismissed on grounds that the meeting was lacking quorum. The President said Parliament’s attitude in such cases led to an institutional jam that hinders judicial procedures and obstructs justice.



    The National Statistics Institute in Bucharest announced a downward adjustment of its economic growth forecast for this year, from 2.9% to 2.8%. In another move, the Institute improved its estimate of the GDP growth in the last quarter of 2014, to 0.7%, compared to 0.5% as it had previously estimated. The industry and communications sectors have made the most substantial contributions to the GDP. According to the National Statistics Institute, new orders in the processing industry increased in the first two months of this year, by 1.4%, compared to the corresponding period of 2014, mostly due to the rise in operations reported in the durable and intermediate goods industries.



    The Republic of Moldova commemorates today six years since the so-called “Twitter revolution” of 2009, which led to the ousting of the communists. The communist party, in power at the time, was accused of rigging the legislative elections, and on April the 7th their opponents organised a large-scale street protest which spiralled into violent clashes. At least one protester was killed and several hundred others were arrested. After the protests in April, the Opposition blocked the election of the country president in Parliament, which led to early elections won by the pro-European parties.



    The US once again called on Greece to finalise a reform plan worthy of the financial support of its lenders, the US Treasury said on Monday, at the end of a meeting with the Greek Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis. The day before, he also had a meeting with the IMF director, Christine Lagarde, and the two tried to dispel fears that Athens will not be able to pay on Thursday the 450 million Euro owed to the IMF. Greece is waiting for the EU to provide 7.2 billion US dollars, the last instalment in a 240-billion euros bailout programme offered by the European Union and the IMF since 2010.



    The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no 3 in the world, was nominated for WTA best player of the month of March, alongside American Serena Williams and Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro. Halep (aged 23), already voted as the best player of February in the WTA website poll, won her first Premier Mandatory title, at Indian Wells, and in Miami she reached the semi-finals, and was defeated by world leader Serena Williams. In 2015, Halep has also won the tournaments in Shenzhen and Dubai.