CHIŞINĂU (Imedia) - European Commission head Jose Manuel Barosso said on March 23 during a meeting in Brussels with Prime Minister Vlad Filat that he expects Moldova to implement the recommendations of the Venice Commission (VC) regarding constitutional reform in the country.  

Mr. Barosso noted that debates on this topic are very important, and that the VC suggestions are a way out of the political crisis.

The VC has suggested that Parliament be dissolved after M.P.s change Article 78 in the Constitution, which regulates the election of the head of state.

Mr. Filat promised that Chisinau will „follow the VC's recommendations to a tee."

Mr. Barosso has stressed that Brussels is currently debating the possibility of initiating talks about the liberalization of the visa regime with Chisinau on June 15, 2010. He explained that it is important for Moldova to implement domestic reforms that will accelerate the process of liberalizing the visa regime.

„If you make the proper decision and act with determination, the path to European integration will be quicker. In the next three years, EU assistance for Moldova will go up 80 percent," Mr. Barosso promised.

Commentary: 

 Victor Chirila: The announcement the Alliance for European Integration (AEI) made on March 9 was worrisome to our foreign partners  

Victor Chirila, executive director of the Foreign Policy Association, says that the current meeting of European donors in Brussels „reflects the openness of our foreign partners, especially of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Commission, and so on to help Moldova and to give it the necessary financial assistance to overcome the urgent problems connected to the financial and the economic crisis."

„Second, external donors are providing financial and technical assistance in order to initiate a coherent, stable, and long-term process of implementing democratic and economic reforms in Moldova, which are necessary both for the country's development as a modern state and for the development of close ties to the EU. At the same time, we need to keep in mind that this meeting is a political show of support for the current Government, for its Governing program, and for the priorities P.M. Filat announced to foreign donors.

Moldova, the Government, and the AEI need to take advantage of this openness and of economic and political support, but a lot will depend on political stability in the country. That is what Mr. Barosso was actually indirectly talking about during his meeting with Mr. Filat. The European official sent a clear message to the political elites in Chisinau: Moldova must take the VC's recommendations into consideration. This means respecting the law and the current Constitution.

I am talking here about the idea of changing the current Constitution, especially the article on electing the head of state. The announcement the AEI made on March 9 was worrisome to our foreign partners. That plan to call a referendum to approve a new Constitution runs the risk of further destabilizing the political situation in Moldova. The AEI could create a very bad precedent if it does not take into consideration the current legal situation in order to stay in power.

It would be a precedent not only for Chisinau, but for neighboring countries, as well. I am talking here especially about Ukraine. But Brussels wants for states that seek EU integration to show political maturity and European behavior, and that means respecting the current laws instead of changing them based on the current agenda of political parties," Mr. Chirila adds.

 Petru Bogatu: I am relatively optimistic that the Alliance will manage not only to survive but to adopt a reasonable position at this stage  

Petru Bogatu, a political commentator, thinks that „the capital of popularity the current Government has in the West is vital both for the Alliance and for Moldova's near future."

„You rarely witness important European officials acting so differently toward one government compared to another. Such comparisons are usually avoided. But that's not the case here, and officials are stressing that things have improved in Moldova, or that there at least is that possibility once the new Government came to power. This popularity needs to be multiplied given the various crises that Moldova is dealing with.

The Filat Government definitely knows what is going on, and we have seen Mr. Barosso's message that suggested Chisinau should follow the VC's advice. I think that Chisinau will ultimately show political tact and will do what it has to because it has no choice, even if things are tense in some ways. Things are heated even within the Alliance, but the situation is clear enough to indicate to the part of the coalition that wanted a referendum to back down a little. I am relatively optimistic that the Alliance will manage not only to survive but to adopt a reasonable position at this stage that fits European advice.

This means we're going to have early elections, which is undesirable, but inevitable. Now we just need to decide when they take place. Even in these circumstances, the AEI has time to take care of the country and not go into an electoral campaign immediately," Mr. Bogatu concludes.

File: 

A Moldovan delegation headed by P.M. Vlad Filat is in Brussels between March 23 and March 26, where it will be presenting a project to reform the country entitled Rethink Moldova.

The project is planned for 2010-2013 and includes three main chapters. First, responsible governance. Second, economic recovery and development. Third, investments in human capital. The document also includes a new anti-corruption strategy, an electronic system for road traffic surveillance, local development, the promotion of public-private partnership, the expansion of financing for the legal system, the reconstruction of five prisons, the promotion and development of the abilities of young people, the restoration of irrigation systems, the repair of national roads, gas supply networks, and electrical energy networks, the reorganization of the health system, and the development of school networks.

Foreign donors have decided to provide 1.9 billion Euros for these projects, which includes previously announced assistance.