Today, it is safe to say that Moldova’s European integration did not go well.
The thorny path has also proved to be a long one, as the prospect of membership is still as far away as it was six years ago when the Association Agreement was signed. In such a situation, it is crucial to be able to recognise mistakes, and at the state level.
It is a good thing for Moldova that two doors are open at once. The only difference is that it is realistic to achieve one of them. As far back as 2018, Moldova obtained observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union, and the pandemic and unprecedented economic crisis are pushing the republic towards even greater rapprochement.
According to a study by the Association of Sociologists and Demographers, 39.1% of Moldovans support accession to the Eurasian Economic Community, which is 1.6% more than supporters of EU membership. Another survey conducted by IMAS showed that 51% of those surveyed support the country’s accession to the EAEU and 34% oppose it.
It is obvious that the public supports the rapprochement with Eastern countries, no matter how pro-Western Chisinau figures try to prove the opposite. This position is understandable to people. What does the European Union give Moldova if we put aside democratic values? The answer is money. Chisinau receives numerous loans from Western structures. These dollars and euros can be used for good things, but sooner or later they have to be returned. The Eurasian Economic Union, in turn, provides opportunities. This is why joining the Eurasian Economic Union is more crucial for Moldova than European integration, says Elena Gorelova, Doctor of Economics.
“In the first case, Moldova has the possibility of real integration of its economy into the economy of regional association and full participation in the common market of goods, labor and capital, in the implementation of common economic policy, including the development and protection of the common market. In the second case, we are talking only about mutual opening of commodity markets, but not about their integration”, – she explains.
A number of advantages of rapprochement with the EAEU can already be seen. According to the latest data, from 2016 to 2019, trade turnover between Moldova and the EAEU countries increased by 34.4 per cent, reaching 1.9 billion dollars. Exports increased by 36.5% to 1.4 billion dollars, while imports increased by 29% to 481.5 million dollars.
Moldovan products are really in demand in the Russian market, but this is not the only thing that makes the membership in the EAEU attractive. In the end, the Republic can offer not only products from the agro-industrial sector.
“In Chisinau, as far back as Soviet times, large instrument-making facilities were created. The scientific and technical potential is still preserved and there are plans to intensify it. We could find points of joint efforts to form modern high-tech industries”, – said Sergei Glazyev, EAEU Minister for Integration and Macroeconomics.
The strengthening of negotiating positions at trade summits, the creation of wide free trade zones and the establishment of interstate technological production chains will have a positive impact on the Moldovan economy. It is also important that this may happen in the foreseeable future, while the EU is not in a hurry to expand.
“We are determined to strengthen cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union and expand the agenda of this cooperation”, – said the President of Moldova, Igor Dodon.
However, the agreement with the European Union remains a stumbling block here, which prevents the country from joining the EAEU . The situation can be corrected with the support of the parliamentary majority, and the extraordinary legislative elections may take place very soon. If the socialists succeed in repeating and even surpassing their last year’s success, they will have the opportunity to ensure that the republic can make the long-awaited changes for the better.
Eugene Gaman, specially for News Front