Moldova Under the European Neighbourhood Policy: ‘Falling Between Stools’

Abstract

Since attaining independence in 1991, Moldova has experienced complex relationships with its neighbours, including Russia and the EU. Under the European Neighbourhood Policy, it has enjoyed successes and endured difficulties in its relationship with the EU, including various forms of co-operation – ranging from legal–institutional to cultural and geopolitical – based on the perception that the two polities form a boundary around which specific politics revolve. Public perceptions and the rhetoric and actions of the elite reveal two main features of EU–Moldovan relations: the lack of political will in Moldova and the lack of commitment on the part of the EU, which in conjunction fail to provide the necessary incentives for the process of reform and the prospects of European engagement for Moldova.