WRITTEN QUESTION E-0684/02 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Moldova — the poorest country in Europe — and the striking difference in its treatment by the EU in comparison with the Baltic States.
Date: 2002-03-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU aid, European neighbourhood policy, Moldova, Romania, admission of aliens, economic situation, police cooperation, poverty, the EU's international role

C 78 E/344

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

Is the Commission currently taking soundings with a view to drawing up a new trade agreement, or have
the negotiations on a new trade agreement stopped completely?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(5 March 2002)

It is assumed that the Honourable Member’s written question refers to a possible Free Trade Agreement
between the Community and the United States. In such a case, it should be noted that while this is an idea
that periodically comes up, no mandate for such negotiations with the United States has ever been sought,
nor (of course) have any such negotiations taken place. The Commission, moreover, has no plans to seek
any mandate. However, it should be noted that in 1998, the Community and the United States launched
the Transatlantic Economic Partnership to give a further impetus to the Community-United States trade
and investment relationship. Since then bilateral co-operation has increased to currently cover virtually all
trade and investment areas and thereby reinforce the largest bilateral trading relationship world-wide.

Both administrations have made some important progress, such as on the guidelines for regulatory
co-operation. The Community and the United States have virtually completed a Mutual Recognition
Agreement on marine equipment. However, such progress has often lacked political visibility. Some
thought should be given as to what more can be done: how the Union and the United States can
constructively address their differences and develop their co-operation, as long as it is compatible with the
Doha Development Agenda negotiations, and both side’s other trade partnerships, notably with developing
countries.

(2004/C 78 E/0363)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0684/02

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(11 March 2002)

Subject: Moldova (cid:1) the poorest country in Europe (cid:1) and the striking difference in its treatment by the EU

in comparison with the Baltic States

1.
Can the Commission confirm that Moldova, which lies between Romania and Ukraine and has a
population of more than 4 million, is now the poorest country in Europe, as evidenced ‘inter alia’ by the
fact that wages there are between four and seven times lower than in Romania, every child is born with a
statistical State debt of USD 600, 70 % of the State budget has to be spent on redeeming foreign debt
incurred through the purchase of natural gas, many hospitals are closed and the remainder no longer have
heating or medicines; gas, electricity and water supplies have virtually ceased in rural areas; roads are no
longer passable for vehicles and, on account of poverty, thousands of people have sold one of their
kidneys for transplantation in Turkey?

2.
Is there an agreement between the EU and the Russian Federation and/or Ukraine which obliges the
EU not to concern itself with the future or the economic development of Moldova or with human rights
there?

3.
Since the mid-1990s, has the Commission discouraged Moldova from applying for membership of
the EU or seeking other forms of rapprochement to it? Is this a punishment for Moldova’s failure, so far, to
merge with the candidate country Romania again, a possibility which has been under discussion since the
early 1990s?

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4. Why is the EU treating Moldova (cid:1) a territory which was detached from Romania on 28 June 1940
(cid:1) differently from other small States, such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which were likewise
incorporated into the Soviet Union at the beginning of the Second World War on the basis of an
agreement between Hitler and Stalin and which, since independence, have been treated as candidates for
accession to the EU, with the prospect of accession in 2004? Does the difference in these countries’
importance to the economies of the present Member States have anything to do with it?

Source: De Volkskrant, 31 December 2001 and 25 February 2002.

(2004/C 78 E/0364)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0685/02

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(11 March 2002)

Subject: Adverse impact on the EU Member States of constant discrimination against Moldova and its

exceptional status

As of 1 January 2002, visa requirements were abolished for people of Romanian nationality,

1.
in
anticipation of Romania’s possible accession to the EU, while the majority of residents of the neighbouring
state of Moldova likewise have a right to Romanian nationality because their parents or grandparents were
born before 28 June 1940 in what was then Romanian territory. What consequences will this have? Will it
result in mass migration by Romanians from the far poorer Moldova to future EU territory?

2.
In the future, if and when Romania becomes an EU Member State, will it be obliged to introduce a
visa requirement for all other Moldovans? Is this likely to cause tension between Moldovans who hold
Romanian nationality documents and those who do not?

Is it acceptable that, because of neglect by the outside world, a situation should arise in Moldova
freedom of

in Belarus, where parliamentary democracy and the concomitant

3.
comparable to that
association and assembly are no longer functioning?

Is it acceptable that Moldova should degenerate into an island of poverty, creating a breeding ground
4.
for internal ethnic conflicts between the Romanian-speaking majority and the Slav minority, or for
externally directed terrorist adventurism comparable to that which arose in Afghanistan under the Taliban?

5. What will the Commission do to help put an end to discrimination against Moldova as soon as
possible, bearing in mind that in future it will border directly on the EU?

Source: De Volkskrant, 31 December 2001 and 25 February 2002.

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-0684/02 and E-0685/02
given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(24 April 2002)

The Commission is very concerned about the level of poverty in Moldova. The country is indeed among
the poorest in Europe and poverty can aggravate ethnic conflicts and other security threats like terrorism.
Moldova urgently needs to come to an agreement with the World Bank and the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) that would open the way to further financial assistance. Her economic problems are also partly
related to the unresolved relations with the Transdniestria province where most of the industrial activity is
located.

EU-Moldova relationships are governed by the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) which
entered into force in 1998. The PCA provides for regular political dialogue, trade liberalisation and wide
ranging cooperation, based on respect of democratic principles and human rights. The importance which