Pavel Filip on The Guardian: Moldova's EU reforms settled irreversible
foto: Premier Pavel Filip
The prestigious British press The Guardian has published an interview with Moldovan Premier Pavel Filip in which the Moldovan official expressed his determination to lead the country into the European road and implement the irreversible EU reforms until his mandate ends.
“We will be together with Romania in the EU", predicted Prime Minister after a pro-unification rally in Moldova’s capital, Chișinău, last month attended by 10,000 people, including the former Romanian president Traian Băsescu.
The Moldovan official said Moldova’s place was as a sovereign state, independent of Romania. “Too much has been said about reunification, identity, language and I want to look at the concrete development of the country,” he told the Guardian.
His opposition to reunification is shared by a majority of Moldovans, although 32% support joining Romania, according to a recent poll.
Premier Filip firmly believes pro-European parties will prevail in parliamentary elections this autumn. “At the end of my mandate we will see that this EU road is not debatable but irreversible,” he said.
A recent Imas poll showed that 60% of Moldovans would vote to join the EU. Meanwhile, the two largest pro-EU parties, one centre-right and one social democrat, were five points clear of Dodon’s Russia-leaning Socialist party.
The prime minister was speaking on a visit to Brussels to discuss the association agreement Moldova signed with the EU in 2014.
EU officials expressed concern about Moldova’s slow progress in bringing to justice criminals who embezzled $1bn (£740m) from the country’s banks, known locally as “the theft of the century”.
EU officials also voiced regret that Moldova ignored warnings from Council of Europe experts that a new electoral law risked allowing wealthy businesspeople undue influence over elections. Moldova’s decision to press ahead with the law contributed to the EU freezing €100m in funds.
The prime minister said the topic was closed and that he expected Moldova to meet conditions allowing it access the EU loans and grants.
PUBLIKA.MD reminds that the fourth reunion of the Association Council Moldova - EU took place during 3 May - 6 May with participation of the Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip.
At the event, the officials discussed the reforms in justice, fight against corruption, development of the business sphere and the civil society.