Honourable Members,

I am happy to have this opportunity for an exchange of views with you at this important time for EU-Moldova relations and for democracy in Moldova.

Moldova is facing parliamentary elections on 6 March. The democratic conduct of those elections is one of the key priorities of the EU-Moldova Action Plan. Yesterday in Brussels the EU–Moldova Cooperation Council endorsed this Action Plan, which is part of the European Neighbourhood Policy. Moldova has therefore undertaken an important commitment to ensure that its elections are free and fair.

Moldova has further undertaken to promote the respect of democratic standards and human rights; to promote and empower civil society; to strengthen the independence of the media; and to ensure better follow-up to Council of Europe recommendations. We all agree that a vibrant democracy; respect for the rule of law; an independent judiciary; and a free and independent media; are necessary for the promotion of stability and prosperity.

Since independence in 1991, Moldova has had a good record of free and fair elections. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) confirmed in its reports on Moldova’s last two parliamentary elections (March 1998 and February 2001) that they met international standards for democratic elections. To Moldova’s credit, very few elections in the Newly Independent States have been assessed in that way.

However, OSCE assessments of local elections since 2001 have reported that the situation has deteriorated. The organisation noted shortcomings in the conduct of the local government elections in May and June 2003, including abuse of administrative resources; heavy bias of the State media in favour of the incumbents; and the arrest of prominent candidates. Reports on the October 2002 elections for the Governor of the Gagauzia Autonomous Territorial Unit noted similar shortcomings.

In the run-up to the 2005 parliamentary elections, we are concerned that none of the joint OSCE and Council of Europe Venice Commission’s recommendations for improvements to the election legislation and administration have been implemented. Other reasons for concern include the apparent lack of confidence in the Central Election Commission; problems with the accuracy of voter registers; reported abuse of administrative resources by the authorities; control by the ruling party and government of the public media; and pressure on private media.

In addition, up to one fourth of Moldova’s population might not be able to cast their vote. This includes Moldovan citizens living abroad or in Transnistria.

I therefore welcomed the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr. Terry Davies’ visit to Moldova in January, and the launch of the OSCE’s Election Observation Mission. Let me take this opportunity to re-affirm the Commission’s support for the excellent work of the Council of Europe and the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

The Commission has been in regular contact with the election observation mission since its deployment. We have followed its assessment of the elections and offered additional support. In this regard, I am pleased to inform you that the Commission is contributing €50,000 to the Fund for Diversifying Election Observation Missions. This will fund the deployment of some 25 civil society and government representatives from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union as short-term observers.

I am also encouraged by the major role civil society is playing in observing these elections, in particular the work of “Coalition 2005”, a consortium of some 150 non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In recent years, the Commission has supported the development of such groups - in 2003 we organised the largest-ever gathering of domestic observer groups in Europe - and I am pleased to see a significant increase in their professionalism and impact.

Yesterday, at the EU – Moldova Cooperation Council, the EU sent a clear message to Moldova about the forthcoming elections. We said that their democratic conduct would be an important sign of Moldova’s commitment to our common values and would further strengthen our relationship.

The EU sent a similar message on 9 February, when we issued a declaration expressing concern about the electoral process. In the declaration we encouraged Moldova to collaborate with the OSCE/ODIHR and with the Council of Europe in ensuring the democratic conduct of elections in accordance with European standards.

Honourable Members of Parliament, we were encouraged yesterday by the Moldovan government’s response to our concerns. But we will continue to encourage Moldova to make further progress, both by ensuring the democratic conduct of this and future elections, and by making progress towards greater respect for political and human rights.

In our Action Plan the EU and Moldova have agreed that the level of ambition of our relationship will depend on the degree of Moldova’s commitment to common values, and on Moldova’s capacity to implement the jointly agreed priorities. The pace of progress will fully acknowledge Moldova’s efforts and concrete achievements in meeting those commitments.

Thank you for your attention.