See Part II here
SECTORAL INTEGRATION TO EU: ECONOMY, EDUCATION
"There has never been even a single country from the former socialist bloc whose economy has not grown and strengthened many times over after joining the EU. The economies of all EU member states are thriving and expanding, and Moldova is now on that path," says Sergu Harea, the President of the Moldovan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Of course, the Moldovan economy also went through difficult times after the collapse of the Soviet Union: first the Transnistrian war, then the collapse of Soviet era economic ties, when the Union's industrial chains that integrated the Republic's enterprises, all collapsed, then privatization, waste of state property, emergence of criminal-oligarchic groups. Fortunately, now all of that is left in the past and does not hinder the future of Moldova, which lies in Europe, in the EU.
In Moldova, it is visible even to the naked eye that active economic integration with Romania is underway. But are there prerequisites for economic cooperation with the rest of the EU also to be successful, I asked Mr. Harea. The answer was very encouraging: “Look, you say that the majority of exports to Europe are exports to Romania. Yes, that’s true; but it’s a dynamic, evolving situation. Large retail chains operating in Europe often discovering, appreciating the Moldovan products available in Romania, themselves find Moldovan partners and order products for their chains. Today, Moldova occupies one of the leading positions in the EU in terms of apple, plum, and grape export volumes”.
Mr. Harea also informed that, alongside traditional agriculture, today the mechanical engineering, IT sector, furniture production, household appliances production, textile industry, processing industry are the main areas that the Moldovan Chamber of Commerce and Industry is working towards expanding and developing. “In general, it can be said that in recent years, Moldova's economy and exports have been successfully reoriented towards the EU market”, concluded Mr. Harea.
In Moldova, what I liked the most (by the way, as in the US) were their university students - how quickly they catch on to the conversation, tell about themselves, the country, their plans for future, the current approaches. It's unforgettable what a child - a student of Bucharest University told me in Chisinau: "Please, do not concentrate on the huge buildings of Bucharest. Beyond Bucharest, Romania also is just an agrarian country. Through the EU integration process, it's not with Germany or Austria that we are comparing or integrating with, we are actually integrating with neighboring countries, none of which are different or much more developed than us." One should have seen also another child, a student at one of the universities in Chisinau, with what sincerity and indignation she was telling how the Russians installed Cyrillic alphabet in order to separate the people of Moldova from their native language, alphabet, and Romanian roots, and anyone who resisted was shot or exiled...
Still regarding the educational system in general, judging by international reports, Moldova has problems at the level of secondary education, more precisely, there are persistent problems that have not yet been resolved: especially in rural areas there are problems with students' educational level and progress, significant number of children do not attend school, etc. But in the higher education system, Moldova successfully keeps pace with other countries.
As Ms. Otilia Dandara, the first vice-rector of the State University of Moldova told since 2003 work has been carried out and in 2007 the State University of Moldova joined the EHEA, subsequently the three-level system of higher education: bachelor's - master's - doctorate was introduced. However, as a result, in the 2007-2008 academic year, the ranks of graduates at the university were filled not only by 5th, but also by 4th year students. The number of university graduates doubled, exceeding 8,000, while the number of first-year students remained unchanged, less than 4,000. Naturally, organizational "headaches" arose due to the reduced number of students, class hours, the workload of the teaching staff. However, afterwards the system smoothly operated, successfully integrating Moldova into the European Higher Education Area.
MOLDOVA'S "HONOR GUARD ", INTEGRATION INTO PESCO AND THE REST
The area that interested me the most in regard to Moldova's European integration was security. Why? Because Moldova is the first country with which a Security and Defense Partnership was signed and established before the EU accession negotiations had even begun. What is particularly interesting in that document is Article 22, which provides for Moldova's inclusion in the EU's PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation) programs. That's because inclusion in PESCO means direct integration into the EU's defense structures, becoming part of the system.
However, in Moldova it turned out that first of all, that country practically has no army, the total number of people serving in the Armed Forces is 5-6 thousand (that many servicemen appear to serve just in the Honor Guards or National Guards of many countries). In addition, the Moldovan constitution enshrines the country's military-political neutrality; Moldova cannot join any military-political alliance. In result, for now Moldova basically has neither an army nor the legal possibility of integrating that army into the defense system of the EU or any other alliance. So it remains to see what developments will be in future, how the defense security and cooperation of Moldova and the EU will develop.
Yet generally, throughout sectoral integration the most complex situation unfolds probably in the state administration and justice sphere. I knew that the former pro-Russian President of Moldova, Igor Dodon, was nicknamed Kremlёvich, but in Moldova I learned that he also had a second nickname - Kulёk. He earned that nickname because during his presidency, a footage appeared on the Internet showing one of the country's famous oligarchs - Vladimir Plahotniuc, bribing Dodon with a suitcase full of dollars. "Sandu came to power in 2020 with two main slogans: the fight against corruption and European integration. A lot has been accomplished in both directions, but the slogans still remain relevant," says Igor Zakharov, the Advisor and spokesperson for President Maia Sandu.
In Moldova, honestly, it was probably only the Hasdeu library network in Chisinau that aroused my kind envy. In contrast to Yerevan, in Chisinau all branches of the city library net were preserved and now serve as socio-cultural centers. “We purchase games as often as books,” says Lidia Kovalovski, longtime Director of the Hasdeu Library, now the Deputy Director. "Often, children themselves take their little sisters or brothers by hand and bring them to the library to play. Thus, through games from an early age, the books and library become a familiar environment for children." The Hasdeu library holds competitions for school children, publicizes the works of young writers, has an initiative called "The Library is the Meeting Place" for the elderly, conducts scientific and archival work, etc. In a word, in Chisinau the libraries have turned into centers of socio-cultural life, which is admirable and wonderful.
As for the other technical indexes that describe the state of affairs in each sector and the prerequisites for integration with the EU, Armenia seems to hold more advanced positions in almost every sector in comparison to Moldova - from the size of economy and diversification of exports to the level of education and presence of international universities, from armed forces to the justice system and international relationships, even the visible welfare and standard of life of population. Moldova's only advantage is its adequate and pro-European government...
ARMENIANS AS CO-FOUNDERS OF ROMANIAN PRINCIPALITIES
Before concluding the article series about Moldova and its integration to EU I've to tell about the admirable National Opera and Ballet Theater of Moldova named after Maria Biesu. "We were going on concert tours to Europe at a time when many in Europe still didn't know where Moldova is," told the Theater's Director General Nicolae Dohotaru. “After the collapse of the USSR in the 1990-es, we were performing in London, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and then with the map in hand, explained to Europeans where Moldova is, that it's a state between Romania and Ukraine... Back in 1993 and 1994, we performed Puccini at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Many of our artists have been invited to perform on European stages. Also this year, we are taking your-our Aram Khachaturian's "Spartacus" ballet to Europe, and our leading dancer engaged in performance is from Armenia - Raffi Galstyan”.
As you see, another visible Armenian in Moldova. Yet the first Armenians settled in the Principalities of Moldova, as well as Wallachia and Transylvania, at the dawn of their formation, in the 14th century, which coincided with the period of the decline of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. Armenian merchants moving to the Balkans settled mainly in cities founded along trade routes, including Galati, Iasi, Botosani, Gherla, Lviv, and others.
It was already mentioned about the Armenian Church of the Holy Mother of God, built in 1395 in Iasi, the historical capital of Moldova. The Armenian Church of St. Mary in Botosani is even older, built in 1356. Gerla, founded in Transylvania in mid 1700-es, was at all an Armenian city; it was called Armenopolis for two hundred years, its coat of arms first depicted a double-headed eagle, then Mount Ararat. And so on...
The millennial presence and role of Armenians in the economic, public, and political life of Romanian territories has been so prominent that made Romania's greatest historian, Nicolae Iorga, to say: "Armenians can be considered co-founders of the Romanian Principalities." It’s the highest possible assessment given to the Armenians of Romania by the greatest historian of Romania, and it's my pleasure to conclude the series of articles about Moldova citing it with a whole-hearted wish to see Moldova joining the EU in 2030.
