Iwona Perko
“The war in Ukraine, on the one hand, complicates the process of European integration, but, on the whole, speeds it up. It complicates it because for a country that has a war right on the border and a hybrid war inside the country, it is much more difficult to promote reforms – we have already talked about all the hybrid attacks directed against the Republic of Moldova. Obviously, it is more difficult to carry out reforms in such conditions. On the other hand, this brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine and the attacks against your country in general have made us even more determined inside the European Union. Everyone in the EU now realizes: the stronger we are, the safer we are. Indeed, there is more determination than ever,” Perko said on public television.
At the same time, she considers it important that “the same determination is evident in your country: the last election showed that”. “People voted not only for prosperity, democracy and the European path – it was also a vote against the authoritarian regimes that are taking place abroad,” the ambassador said.
According to Ivona Perco, Moldovan citizens already feel the benefits of the EU integration: the single euro-payment zone, the liberalization of visas and the access of Moldovan goods to the single European market. But the benefits will expand over time:
“Yes, some benefits are very tangible, such as higher quality food and safer goods, safer toys, a better environment, digitalization and many more. Some benefits may seem less tangible, but they are no less important. These are fundamental things: justice, democratic institutions, human rights, health care, education, etc. They give us the rule of law when the rule of law actually works. This is a long process in any country. These benefits will be felt over time, but we are together and I am confident that we will achieve the goal.”
As Logos Press previously reported, the bilateral RM-EU screening process ended on September 22, during which more than 100 thousand pages of Moldova’s normative and legislative acts were analyzed for compliance with the European legislation during 15 months. The next step will be the opening of the first negotiation cluster called “EU Accession Framework”, which will focus on issues such as the rule of law, good governance and fundamental rights.
