Moldova: EU assistance should be frozen

“We call for the EU financial help for Moldova to be frozen until the impact of the legislative changes in the Moldovan electoral law has been thoroughly assessed and we support that any payments of the macro-financial assistance be suspended until further notice”, said Cristian Preda MEP, the EPP Group’s Spokesman for Foreign Affairs at today’s debate on the situation in Moldova.

The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova decided in July to go ahead with the change in the electoral law despite the negative recommendation of the Venice Commission and fears that the implementation of this law will have a detrimental effect on democratic standards in the country. It is feared that the law could lead to the further concentration of power in the hands of the oligarchs and restrict the presence of the opposition parties in the Moldovan Parliament.

“The proposed change in the electoral system in the Republic of Moldova from the proportional to a mixed system has raised serious concerns both internally and externally. It was introduced against the strong advice of the Venice Commission not to do so, with concerns about risks of influence on candidates, the design of single mandate constituencies, excessive thresholds for parliamentary representation in the proportional component and risks of inadequate representation of minorities and women”, explained Andrey Kovatchev MEP, responsible on behalf of the EPP Group for the Resolution which will be adopted at a later stage.

“The implementation of the new electoral legislation should be strictly scrutinised by the EEAS along with the involvement of the European Parliament via a specially-designated Working Group of 5 MEPs”, he said.

Cristian Preda recalled that the European Parliament stated in July that the pre-condition for granting the EU's macro-financial assistance to the Republic of Moldova shall be that it respects effective democratic mechanisms: a multi-party system, rule of law and human rights. “We do not see this happening now. The European Union is an area of freedom and democracy where all citizens’ rights are respected. We were happy to see Moldova on the European path but at present, we are witnessing with regret that the country is being rerouted from this path”, he concluded.