The Republic of Moldova remains on a pro-European reform path in the context of a geopolitical turning point triggered by Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine. The government is seeking stronger ties between Moldova and the European Union and applied for membership in March 2022. However, the granting of EU candidate status was accompanied by a number of reform conditions. Greater involvement of civil society in political decision-making processes is one of the nine conditions. Hence, there is a need for civil society mobilisation and strengthening of dialogue with the government and parliament in order to implement the necessary reforms and communicate them to the population at large.
Although a majority of the population in the Republic of Moldova is in favour of EU membership (s. "Citizens’ perception about Moldova’s European integration process", IPRE 2023), the country remains segregated by language and different population groups and is therefore particularly vulnerable to disinformation campaigns. It is therefore important to promote understanding for the European integration process and to carry the enthusiasm also to those parts of the population that tend to be critical of the EU, and to to win over the young generation in particular for a "European Moldova 2030".
Against this background, the NEXT4EU project aims to further support Moldova's democratic transformation process through capacity-building measures for young local civil society changemakers and accompaniment of needed reform measures. Videos and televised debates are also intended to raise awareness and counter disinformation campaigns about the EU and its understanding of values. Furthermore, the project focuses on civil society exchange on issues of EU communication and countering disinformation, as well as learning from each other and creating future perspectives.
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