WE&EU-Project: Citizens of Ceadir-Lunga (Gagauzia) discuss the EU-support for the Republic of Moldova within the 3rd Citizens’ Dialogue
On 4 March 2020, the third Citizens’ Dialogue within the framework of the project “EU Perceptions and Reality in Moldova (WE&EU)” was jointly organised by the Institute for European Policies (IEP), the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE) and the Institute for Strategic Initiatives (IPIS). The event in Ceadir-Lunga (Gagauzia) was attended by around 30 representatives of local civil society, local authorities and from the fields of business, administration and politics.
The aim of the event was to promote an open and informed dialogue on the EU-Moldova Association Agreement, its specific content and underlying values, as well as its impact on the Moldovan economy and concrete benefits for citizens. The participants had the opportunity to discuss these issues with experts in an interactive and informal format. In addition, EU support programmes for Moldova were presented and concrete financing opportunities were identified. The discussion with the citizens of Ceadir-Lunga revealed a tendency to a critical but also partly positive perception of EU support in the Autonomous Region of Gagauzia. The impression was that the EU’s support had reached Gagauzia late in comparison to the rest of the country. Measures to promote the economic development of rural areas such as the LEADER programme were expressly welcomed. Some of the participants themselves shared their positive experiences and were able to show how the funds they had received developed multiplying effects. However, general perception was that many projects were lacking sufficient impact assessments as well as audits. Some participants were critical of the perceived threat to their traditional (family) values and the insufficient communication of the meaning and contents of the Association Agreement (even before its official signature). For example, the restriction of access to the common market was perceived as an attempt of blackmail, as it goes along with demanding certification requirements and the economic advantages would not compensate for the loss of the Russian market. The fact sheets presented during the event as well as the inputs by the project experts contributed significantly to the reality check of these perceptions.
The project “WE&EU: EU Perceptions and Reality in Moldova” aims at making a substantial contribution to overcoming the societal dividing lines in Moldova regarding the EU rapprochement process. It promotes the informed intra-societal dialogue on the specific contents and underlying values of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement and on the concrete benefits of modernising Moldova in the course of the EU association process. The project activities between July 2019 and June 2020 include citizens’ dialogues, awareness workshops, public conferences and TV debates in diverse regions such as Basarabeasca, Orhei, Nisporeni and Ungheni.
The project is kindly supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.
More information on the project can be found here.
