A turning point for Moldova? A challenge for the EU and Moldova

"The change of government in Moldova after the parliamentary elections in July 2009 opened a new window of opportunity for fundamental domestic reforms and integration with the European Union.1 With its clear pro-European policy the new government coalition, the Alliance for European Integration, differs from other post-Soviet leaders (excluding Georgia) that mostly follow a policy of balancing between the EU and Russia. The main challenges for the Moldovan government are the need for fundamental reforms to change the existing political, social and economic reality and the reintegration of the separatist region of Transnistria. Moldova could be a success story for EU neighborhood policy. It is small, it currently has a pro-European elite and it has a non-ethnic resolvable conflict with Transnistria. But in order to succeed in its neighborhood approach, the EU has to seriously engage in the Transnistrian conflict and it must develop a real partnership for reform with Moldova." [author's abstract