Sculeni (Romania), April 2009. Moldovan students chant slogans against ther president. (AFP)

A Romanian passport : the golden ticket

Since becoming part of the European Union, Romania has become host to tens of thousands of young Moldovans have gone there to study. Once enrolled, they can apply for passports which they see as their ticket to the EU.

Published on 10 August 2009 at 15:23
Sculeni (Romania), April 2009. Moldovan students chant slogans against ther president. (AFP)

Having regained its independence in the wake of collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Moldova has grown progressively poorer under successive communist governments , which have ruled the country since 2001. Two thirds of the four million Moldovans are Romanian speakers, and the remainder are Russian speaking. Romania's accession to the EU in 2007 has made it a destination of choice for for the young generation of Romanian speaking Moldovans. "Given that the Republic of Moldova is not ready to join the EU," points out sociologist Dan Dungaciu. "These young people are hoping to organize their own individual integration within the Union, and Romanian nationality is the key to that."

On 14 April, Romanian President Traian Basescu addressed the Romanian parliament to plead on behalf of Moldovans. "We cannot allow a new generation of Moldovans to be deprived of the opportunity to study in Romania, or other European countries," he declared. The head of state demanded that the government in Bucharest accelerate procedures to allow Romanian speaking Moldovans to obtain passports. Since then, approximately 800,000 passport applications have been submitted to the Romanian consulate in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau.

Moldovan government angered at Bucharest passport policy

The new policy in Bucharest has displeased the Moldovan government and has soured relations between the two countries. Romanian-Moldovan tensions reached fever pitch on the occasion of the Moldovan general elections on 5 April. Demonstrations erupted into violence in Chisinau, which culminated in a fire at the parliament building. The democratic pro-European opposition had contested the victory of the communists, led by President Vladimir Voronin, who has close links with Russia.

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The Moldovan head of state accused Romania of instigating the unrest in Chisinau with a view to annexing Moldova, and imposed a visa requirement on Romanian citizens. The violent response to anti-communist demonstrations in Chisinau only served to heighten the anger of M. Basescu who declared to the Romanian parliament: "In the 21st century, we are faced with the absence of state of law, ethnic discrimination, the oppression of political opponents, and censorship. All of these elements have contributed to an atmosphere of terror."

The victory of the anti-communist opposition in early general elections on 29 July should help to calm relations between the two countries. The Moldovan students in Romania, who are at the vanguard of the changes in Chisinau, are delighted by their victory. "At last,we will be able to seriously discuss joining the EU," points out Andrei Babtcinetchi, a Moldovan economics student in Bucharest. "We developed a taste for freedom very quickly."

However, the Communist Party, which obtained 48 of a total of 101 seats, still remains the main political force in the country. It will no doubt have its say in the discussions, in particular because 61 votes in parliament are required to elect a new president. But, setting aside questions of political arithmetic, the election results have reignited hope to Moldovans striving to obtain Romanian passports. "According to our forecasts, approximately two million Moldovans will be granted Romanian nationality," concludes President Traian Basescu — in other words, half of the Moldovan population.

POLITICS

Moldova's pro-integration coalition

On Saturday 8 August, four of Moldova's pro-western political parties — which were in the opposition prior to rerun elections on July 29 — announced the creation of a coalition that should have sufficient seats in parliament (53 as opposed 48 occupied by the country's communists) to form a government. In announcing the coalition For European Integration (FEI), the leaders of the four parties — who appear under the headline "We are aware of our responsibility" on thefront page of today's Timpul — pledged that their main goal will be to work towards "the integration of the Republic of Moldova into the European Union." In his editorial, Timpul's Arcadie Gherasim describes the initiative as "an essential and irrevocable transition," and recommends that the coalition's "first order of business should be the signature of an agreement of association with the EU in Brussels" — which he believes "will result in a definitive end to communist control" in the country. In the aftermath of contested elections on 5 April, which resulted in a political stand-off, the EU confirmed that such an agreement would be on the agenda if Moldova demonstrated proof of "its commitment to democratic government." For Timpul, once the document is signed, "there will be no chance of another 'Voronine accident' [a reference to the current communist president Vladimir Voronine] which could prevent hundreds of thousands of young people from crossing the river Prout on their way to Europe."

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