On 3 March 2020 the Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP) implemented the third EU-Awareness workshop in Leova in the framework of the project “EU Perceptions and Reality in Moldova (WE&EU)”. The workshop was held in cooperation with the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE) and the Institute for Strategic Initiatives (IPIS).
The main aim of this workshop was to offer a forum to inform about the EU Association Agreement in order to counter existing myths and misconceptions and misperceptions as well as to highlight the benefits of local and regional projects funded by the EU. About twenty people from the stakeholder and civil society community as well as young students participated in the debate.
In the first part of the workshop the participants were informed about the most significant details of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement. While giving an overview of the implementation of the agreement over the last five years, success stories of projects supported by the EU were highlighted (IPRE-Video and IPIS-Video). In the second part, factsheets on visa liberalization and the potential free trade agreement were presented and discussed in order to reveal general misperceptions concerning these issues. Furthermore, it was explained how regional development in Moldova could benefit by the use of EU-funds and inter-community cooperation. This was illustrated by the case of LEADER and its local action groups which play a significant role in promoting civil society and its cooperation with local authorities. The workshop concluded with a discussion on ways to strengthen local communities and to augment their capacities to act in the future.
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