Donations
Veridica.md
Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov spoke in an interview with Veridica about Chisinau's plans to join the EU and the measures that the Republic of Moldova is preparing for this stage, about Romania's constant support, but also about the elements of hybrid war used today by Russia to divert the Republic of Moldova from the European path.
Veridica: Madam Minister, the Republic of Moldova managed, in about two years and four months, to complete the journey from the submission of the EU accession application to the start of negotiations. Countries like those in the Western Balkans, and not only, have been in this process for over 20 years. What are the ingredients of this success?
Cristina Gherasimov: First of all, it’s the effort we have managed to make as a society and as state institutions. It is the effort of the people who have been engaged every day in maximizing the opportunities offered by this period of time. Of course, we all know that the dialogue on the enlargement of the European Union was renewed against the background of the tragic situation in the region, caused by Russia's cruel war against Ukraine. At the same time, we understand that this situation is a geopolitical opportunity. And, together with our Ukrainian colleagues, we are trying to maximize it in such a way that we can anchor ourselves in that space of peace and prosperity called the European Union.
Veridica: What awaits us in this period of negotiation on EU accession chapters? It is a very technical and laborious process that will require a lot of time and human resources. Does the Republic of Moldova have these capabilities today?
Cristina Gherasimov: As always at the start of a journey, we are in the process of building a team, of consolidating our efforts and capacities internally. Each institution has already started to build up their teams. We work together with experts from civil society, in such a way as to ensure complementarity where there are certain gaps in expertise. We also cooperate a lot with experts from abroad, who can guide us, considering that their states have previously gone through similar processes of pre-accession to the EU. We work a lot on capacity building, including with colleagues and experts from Romania, but also from other states that have joined the Union in the last 20 years.
"Romania is our number one partner: we can bring up to 40 experts"
Veridica: Are you thinking of asking for a helping hand from the European experts? Do you have discussions with Romania to help with experts and expertise in this complex negotiation process?
Cristina Gherasimov: Romania is our number one partner in the preparation for EU accession. We work at the level of public institutions, but also with experts who can lend us a helping hand. From the Romanian side, at this moment, we can bring up to 40 experts. Of course, we hope to be able to increase this number in the future. But it is certain that, taking into account the discussions I have with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminița Odobescu, our Romanian colleagues are ready to support us in the processes that lie ahead.
A very clear example of this is the fact that, this week, I will be in Bucharest, where I was invited by Mrs. Odobescu to share our vision, from Chisinau, at the Romanian Ambassadors' Meeting. We will discuss with the members of Romania’s diplomatic corps how we can have a closer cooperation between our missions in the EU member states, so that we can strengthen our presence in European countries and, at the same time, bring as much assistance as possible in our process of accession to the EU here, at home, in Moldova.
"Romania remains our main advocate in Brussels and in absolutely all EU capitals"
Veridica: How do you assess Romania's support in the EU integration process of the Republic of Moldova? I remember that during Mr. Nicu Popescu's term, there was even metaphorical talk of "two Foreign Ministries" working in the same direction. Is this phrase still valid today?
Cristina Gherasimov: Of course, the situation has not changed. Romania remains our advocate not only in Brussels, but in absolutely all EU capitals. We are very grateful for this support, as well as for all the support we receive from Romania in our transformation into a truly European state.
"We have given the judiciary all the necessary tools to clean itself up. Now it is its turn to continue this effort"
Veridica: We know that the rule of law and justice are at the head of the table in these negotiations. However, we also know that the judicial system is not easily reformed. Are things going well at the moment or maybe they need a boost? How do you see the situation?
Cristina Gherasimov: We know that accession negotiations begin and end with the group of chapters related to fundamental values, and justice reform plays a primary role in this regard. We are already in the middle of this very complex reform - in the stage of an extraordinary appraisal of judges and prosecutors [vetting – e.n.]. It is true that there is resistance in the system to the reforms we have embarked on, but this is also a clear signal that we are on the right track. We are going to complete the process, in order to strengthen a truly independent justice system in the Republic of Moldova.
Veridica: How do the partners of the Republic of Moldova see this justice reform process? There is political will in Chisinau, but, as you mentioned, the judicial system is still opposed, for various reasons.
Cristina Gherasimov: We have all the support of the international community to move forward in completing the justice reform. Our partners understand very well the complexity of this process and we are not the first country to engage in such a complex reform. We have recently seen, including in Albania and Ukraine, similar processes and similar trends, with certain representatives of this corrupt system strongly opposing the cleansing of the justice system. I want to emphasize that, on behalf of the Government, we have given the judiciary all the necessary tools to clean itself up. Now it is its turn to continue this effort - through the Supreme Council of Magistracy and the Superior Council of Prosecutors. We very much hope that these judicial self-governing bodies will succeed in cleansing the justice system of the corrupt elements that still linger in.
Veridica: The government is somehow between a rock and a hard place. I am referring to the expectations of the people, who want a quick cleanup of the justice system, but also to those of the development partners, who want a deep reform, not necessarily a quick one. What would be the optimal ratio for this? For you must give satisfaction to the citizens, but also do things at the tempo of "festina lente" [hurry slowly! – e.n.], as the European partners want, in order to have a good, complete and irreversible reform.
Cristina Gherasimov: Maintaining this balance between citizens' expectations and the rapid pace with which we must accelerate the justice reform process is indeed a difficult endeavor. It is natural for society to have high expectations for this complex process of cleaning up the judicial system to take place as quickly as possible. At the same time, what we are trying to communicate is that you cannot, within two to three years, uproot the practices and customs that have been the basis of our justice system for the last three decades.
From this perspective, we are trying to talk to the citizens as well, so that we can continue to have their support throughout this reform. It is not an easy exercise, but the most important thing is to restore the confidence of the people of the Republic of Moldova in the quality and, if you want, the justice of the judicial process. We very much hope that once we have moved forward, in a year, in this process, we will also see a higher level of trust. At the same time, we also explain these things in Brussels and have the full support of our partners in ensuring the quality and sustainability of the justice reform.
Veridica: What steps are you taking to set up an efficient mechanism for attracting and capitalizing on European funds? For comparison, we have the not very successful experience of Romania, but also an impressive one, that of Poland. How is the Republic of Moldova preparing in this regard?
Cristina Gherasimov: It is important to increase and strengthen the absorption capacity of European funds both for our institutions and for the whole society. It's a first step that we have to take, so that everyone feels comfortable with the capabilities they have when accessing projects for European funds. We intend to take over the experience of other states, so that we can, in the near future, benefit from the programs made available to us by the institutions of the European Union and be able to capitalize on these funds in the pre-accession process.
"Efforts to destabilize will intensify especially now as we approach the presidential elections on October 20 and the referendum on European integration"
Veridica: The declared opponent of the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the EU is the Russian Federation. To what extent, today, is Chisinau more resilient to the hybrid war waged by Moscow against the country's EU accession process?
Cristina Gherasimov: Four years ago, the Republic of Moldova was totally dependent on Russia. And one of the main things we've been able to do in recent years has been to strengthen our independence, particularly by investing in energy security. This is a prominent example in the many reforms we have initiated.
We are trying to fight the disinformation coming from the East, which is a problem not only for Moldova. It is a phenomenon that affects all states in our region, but also in the world. We have managed to establish certain institutions, through which we can strengthen our capacities to combat this hybrid war, which we have to resist on a daily basis. But it is clear that destabilization efforts will intensify especially now that we are fast approaching the presidential elections on October 20 and the referendum on European integration held on the same day.
The stake for the Russian propaganda, before these democratic exercises that we are going to go through as a society, is to discredit the democratic processes and the European Union in the eyes of our citizens. It is intended to create the perception that our option to join the EU will bring war upon us. These are the messages promoted today in the public space by pro-Russian actors and pro-Russian channels. They are orchestrated actions that have intensified since the beginning of the year and will increase in the coming months.
"It is the duty of our generation to offer that peace, stability and prosperity to the generations of today, but also to those of tomorrow"
Veridica: Why should people go out and vote in the October 20 referendum? Is this referendum also a barometer regarding the adhesion of the society of the Republic of Moldova to the idea of European integration, but also a signal to external partners that people here really want this integration?
Cristina Gherasimov: Our citizens should vote in the referendum because now there really is a historic opportunity for our country to become a member state of the European Union in real time. It is a window of opportunity that is not given to us so often and it is our duty as European citizens to bring our country into the EU, to anchor it in this European space. It is the duty of our generation to offer that peace, stability and prosperity to the generations of today and tomorrow.
"In the process of accession, in the next stage we go together with Ukraine, then there will be separate paths, based on merit and personal effort"
Veridica: You were recently in Kyiv and talked with your counterpart, Olga Stefanishina, about the next steps of European integration. Can the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine still go shoulder to shoulder in this accession process, or, the Republic of Moldova being a smaller state, could advance faster, also taking into account the fact that Ukraine is at war with Russia and is extremely difficult to implement the necessary reforms under such conditions?
Cristina Gherasimov: In the immediately following stage, that of bilateral screening, we go together with Ukraine. We go through the same process of evaluating our legislation compared to that of the EU. The European Commission has given us almost the same calendar for the screening sessions. As for what comes after, there will already be separate paths, because the actual accession process is one based on merit and on one's own effort.
After we have the evaluation provided by the European Commission, regarding how far or close we are to the community acquis, each country will know what homework it has to do. From this perspective, the following stages will already clearly differentiate the speed at which we will move to advance in the actual EU integration.
"The recent elections in the 27 member countries of the EU reflect a support for the enlargement of the European Union - with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, and with the states of the Western Balkans"
Veridica: Mrs. Roberta Metsola was re-elected as head of the European Parliament, and Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen at the helm of the European Commission. Both are friends of the Republic of Moldova and have supported the EU enlargement. How important is it for the Republic of Moldova to continue to have such leaders at the top of the EU, in order to speed up the accession process?
Cristina Gherasimov: It is a precondition for enlargement to remain a priority - and not only for Brussels, but also for the other European capitals. Mrs. Roberta Metsola supports our European journey. Likewise, the re-election of Mrs. von der Leyen at the helm of the Commission will represent a major driving force for the Republic of Moldova. De facto, despite the changes made in the composition of the European Parliament, the recent elections in the 27 member countries of the EU reflect a support for the enlargement of the European Union - with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, and with the states of the Western Balkans. So we have continuity in that window of opportunity and we will do everything in our power to keep it wide open and capitalize on it.
