The Vice-President of the Parliament from Chisinau rejects the discussions about the union with Romania: “It would mean that we admit that we have failed in joining the EU”
The vice-president of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Doina Gherman, from the governing party PAS, believes that the authorities in Chisinau should remain focused exclusively on the objective of joining the European Union and rejects the idea of a “Plan B” that would involve union with Romania.
- The statement comes in the context in which the discussion about the union is present in the public space, and the president Maia Sandu stated that the arguments in favor of a possible reunification are related, both to the “restoration of historical justice” and to the security concerns generated by the war in Ukraine.
In a show on the public radio station, the vice-president of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Doina Gherman, stated that “our country's objective and the conscious choice of the majority of citizens was for the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union”. “As long as there is will, power in this direction, we will continue. So, by discussing another plan, this means that we recognize that we have already failed with the European Union,” said the representative of the ruling PAS party.
“On the other hand, we see the increasingly encouraging responses from the EU member states. And today, by the way, I had a very good meeting with the delegation of the Foreign Policy Commission in Luxembourg, where they firmly reaffirmed to us that we have all the support and support for the country's European path”, declared Doina Gherman on the public radio station.
“For a possible reunification, there is no majority support from the citizens”
According to the vice-president of the Chisinau Parliament, who also heads the Foreign Political Commission within the legislature, there are currently no reasons to justify abandoning or relativizing the European objective of the Republic of Moldova.
“We have to listen to the citizens. It is a majority support for European integration. Now, for a possible reunification, there is no majority support from the citizens. That is why we, as politicians, are simply obliged to listen to their voice,” added Gherman. The latest polls show that over 40% of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova are favorable to the union with Romania.
Maia Sandu: “What I want most is for the Republic of Moldova to be safe”
President Maia Sandu recently stated that there were no official discussions with the European partners regarding a possible reunification of the Republic of Moldova with Romania. The head of state stated in a podcast that representatives of some European states asked about the debates that appeared in the public space and about the arguments invoked by the supporters of the union, but she emphasized that Chisinau's official dialogue with the European Union is exclusively aimed at European integration.
“Of course, there were certain partners from some states who asked us about this discussion, about the reasoning behind this discussion, and, as always, we said that, beyond the restoration of historical justice, it is also about very current concerns, which are security concerns”, Maia Sandu said.
The president also explained that the arguments put forward in favor of a possible reunification are related to both the “restoration of historical justice” and the security concerns generated by the war launched by Russia against Ukraine.
“What I want most is for the Republic of Moldova to be safe, I want the Republic of Moldova to remain part of the free world, but we have not had formal, official discussions about this process. Our formal, official discussions are about the process of European integration. There is more popular support in the Republic of Moldova for European integration and this is the path we are going today,” Maia Sandu said in the podcast.
Where the 'Plan B' Talk Started
The subject, discussed in the public space since the beginning of this year, recently returned to public attention after the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova and the Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization, Eugen Osmochescu, stated in an interview for Euractiv that reunification with Romania could represent a backup option if the country's European path was blocked or significantly delayed. The official stated, however, that the absolute priority of the Government remains the accession to the European Union and the signing of the accession treaty by the end of 2028.
“Plan A is European integration. Reunification with Romania can only be seen as a Plan B, in a scenario where the European process would come to an impasse,” explained Osmochescu.
The debate about the union and article 142 of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova
Recently, in an interview offered to the HotNews public, the former president of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova, Alexandru Tănase, argued that Article 142 of the Constitution provides a legal mechanism through which citizens could decide, through a referendum, to change the provisions regarding the sovereign and independent nature of the state. Tănase described this possibility as a “constitutional safety net” for exceptional situations, including in the context of security threats that the Republic of Moldova could face. He emphasized, however, that this interpretation does not represent a current political project, nor an alternative to the strategic objective of European integration.
Currently, both the President Maia Sandu and the leadership of the Parliament insist that the only official direction of the Republic of Moldova is the accession to the European Union, while the discussions about the reunification with Romania remain, for now, at the level of a political and constitutional debate.
in january the president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, said in the British podcast “The Rest Is Politics”, produced at the presidency headquarters in Chisinau, that “if a referendum were to be held, I would vote for union with Romania”.
“You see what is happening around. It is difficult for a small country like the Republic of Moldova to survive, under the pressure of Russia, as a democratic and sovereign country”, Maia Sandu also said, who admitted that at the moment there is no majority for the union with Romania. “However, there is a majority that supports integration into the European Union, and this is the goal we are pursuing. It is the realistic solution that can help us survive as a democracy,” Maia Sandu said then.
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