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Romania gained nothing from joining the EU, where it is regarded as a second-tier country, and the same awaits the Republic of Moldova when it joins, pro-Russian propaganda writes.
NEWS: “During the years spent in the EU, Romania failed to solve most of its economic problems. Only 17 years after Romania's accession to the EU, it was decided to partially admit the country (together with Bulgaria) to the Schengen area. Only starting March 31 this year will air and maritime borders be abolished, while the question of land borders remains undecided”, Dimoglo says.
She believes that the EU treats Romania not as a full member of the Union, but as a backward, “peripheral” state with a high level of corruption, which does not meet the "high" European standards.
“Experts believe that the biased attitude towards Romania and Bulgaria in the EU is tied to the national and cultural particularities of these countries. Brussels calls them 'non-orthodox Europeans' who preserve traditional values and refuse to accept the neoliberal ideology like other countries”, the journalist writes.
Dimoglo notes that Romanian politicians integrate into the power structures of the Republic of Moldova, which, in her opinion, is indicative of Bucharest's aspiration to annex the neighboring state. Recently, 12 former high-ranking Romanian officials occupied key positions in the Republic of Moldova. In addition, key infrastructure facilities in Moldova are gradually being transferred under Romanian control.
“It’s obvious, however, that when the countries unite, Moldovans will become yet another problem for Romania. We hope this won’t happen. We need to realize that our welfare depends entirely on ourselves. The situation in Romania is a negative example in this respect and a warning for Moldova. Should Moldova join the EU, we will share the same fate, becoming “outlaws” in the Josep Borrell’s “Garden of Eden”, Nina Dimoglo said.
NARRATIVES: 1. Romania is a second-tier member of the EU, and the Republic of Moldova will share the same time should it join the community bloc. 2. Romania wants to annex the Republic of Moldova.
BACKGROUND: In the last couple of years, the Republic of Moldova has made major steps towards joining the European Union. In December 2023, the European Commission decided to officially launch EU accession talks with Moldova and Ukraine.
Surveys attest to a support rate of 55-60% for EU accession. Therefore, there are groups at society level that oppose this process, favoring the eastward-looking development of the country. We are talking first and foremost about ethnic minorities, which account for nearly 20% of the total population. The same view is promoted by certain pro-Russian political parties – primarily political groups controlled by the wanted oligarch Ilan Shor, but also by the Party of Socialists (although less overtly), led by the former pro-Russian president Igor Dodon.
At the same time, Russian and pro-Russian media in Chișinău has been actively circulating narratives targeting the European Union and the Western world overall, as well as the pro-European administration in Chișinău. The narratives are also meant to justify Moscow’s actions, including the war in Ukraine, and to boost euroscepticism at the level of Moldovan society.
The impending unification of the Republic of Moldova with Romania (the annexation of the Republic of Moldova) is another central thesis of Russian propaganda and pro-Russian politicians in Chișinău.
Romania, a country that shares a common language, history and culture with the Republic of Moldova, has been a member of the EU since 2007. Romania is often given as a successful example of post-accession transformations: notable progress was observed by countless Moldovans (many of whom have double citizenship) who works or study in Romania, vacation or shop here or simply transit the country in route to other destinations.
PURPOSE: To promote the idea that European accession comes with no benefits for the new members (Romania being given as an example in this respect) in order to boost the number of eurosceptics. To associate EU integration with unification with Romania, this scenario being supporter by a lower number of people (although their number is on the rise) at the level of Moldovan society.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The EU is a community where all member states enjoy equal rights, including the right to veto certain decisions, a prerogative Hungary has been repeatedly using of late.
Romania joined the EU on January 1, 2007. According to statistics from several international sources, such as the World Bank, the National Statistics Institute and Trading Economics, in the first 15 years after the EU accession, Romania’s GDP increased from 178 billion USD to 248 billion. The GDP per capita increased by three times, the same as the net average wage. The poverty rate dropped from 29% to 11%, while people’s living standards went up from 49% to 65%.
Afte the accession, living standards in Romania increased significantly, development gaps compared to Hungary and Poland were bridged, whereas Bulgaria continued to report lags, according to a Bloomberg analysis cited by G4Media. “By the time the EU started opening its doors to its eastern neighbors, nearly half of the 19 million Romanians had no interior plumbing, whereas the GDP per capita was a little over a third of the EU average. Ukraine fared slightly the same prior to the Russian invasion. Romania’s GDP per capita now stands at 77% of the average of the EU and continues to rise”, according to the same source, which concluded that “Romania’s accession to the European Union provides a lesson for the EU integration process of Kyiv (as well as Chișinău, e.n.).”
“Romania has significantly bridged the GDP per capita gaps compared to the European Union. Once Romania joined NATO and started EU accession talks, this figure rose from 30% of the EU average in 1995, to 74.2% in 2021”, a Eurostat report quoted by Topbusinessnews reads. In the last decade, Romania managed to climb in the EU standings in terms of GDP per capita, now ranking 22, outranking Greece, Slovenia, Croatia and Latvia, its score now being very close to that of Portugal and Poland.
With regard to the claim that the EU regards Romania as a backward state, we should recall the momentous Romanian-language speech of the former EU Council president, Donald Tusk from January 10, 2019, in the opening of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union: “I know how resilient and creative the Romanian nation is. I believe that, under your baton, the orchestra will find the right tune and you will do everything in your power to work as a team to defend the interests of Europe”.
Although certain elites both in Chișinău as well as in Bucharest have been discussing a potential unification of the Republic of Moldova with Romania, the topic has not been officially raised by the political leadership of the two states. Brussels regards the Republic of Moldova as a sovereign and independent country, which in June 2022 was granted the EU candidate status. The European Union is one of the top international institutions that provides financial assistance to the Republic of Moldova, and Romania is also one of Moldova’s top donors.
The narrative about unification (described as “annexation” by Kremlin propaganda) is associated with one of the oldest anti-Romanian Soviet narratives about the “Romanian gendarme” (known for ill-treating, torturing and mocking the local population), launched shortly after Bessarabia’s unification with Romania in 1918.
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