Let us help plucky Moldova

denis cooper

Are there any limits to your euro-imperialism?

Where would you stop? Mongolia?

Let's put it to a national vote, ie a UK vote restricted to those who are UK citizens.

Let's not just have national referendums on EU amending treaties, as promised by the Tories, but also on EU accession treaties, as carefully not promised by the Tories.

I'll vote "yes" to plucky Moldova joining the EU, so that the Moldovans can have a completely free run across the EU and chip in to tell everybody else how to govern their countries while taking their money in subsidies, on one condition - that we leave the EU, at the same time as Moldova joins.

Although I'd prefer to leave the EU long before then, eg at the same time as Croatia joins.

strapworld

If this country goes any further down the pan WE will need the help of Moldova!

I, too, want out of the communistic EU.

Kittler

Moldova a country? I thought it was a bit of Romania, stolen by Stalin.

Obnoxio The Clown

Yeah, let's find someone else to throw taxpayer money at, Daniel. Because we don't have any shortage of ways to spend taxpayer money do we? Way to go, Daniel!

radgie gadgie

Enough of this positive stereotyping! A temporarily Western orientated govt with an eye on EU funds does not an ally or good country make.

The 2 Moldovans I've met so far were both illegals and petty criminals.

valercik

may be you alo thouhgt that Zimbabmve iz a capital of Europe and Gorbaciov iz preident of Madagascar!))better would be KITTLER for you, to read first where is Romania,where is Moldova and who is Stalin....before to write such a stupidity..could not find another definition for that

Beer Moth

OK Daniel. But would you mind if we were to help plucky Redcar first? A few others also.

Genti

I don't know about your comments about Albanian citizen which will be given the right to travel in EU area later this year. Albanian people have been dreaming about this for decades. i think no one has the right to deny them the right of traveling free to Europe. if you meant that Albanians are not to good to deserve this, you're wrong. they have been helping Europe to free from the Turkish ottomans 600 years ago. Albanian history is great not to mention Alexander the great and mother Teresa. a great place to visit too.

Vern

Re: Russian aggression- you are aware that it was Georgia's night time bombing of Tskhinvali that kicked off that war? You are also aware that Georgia's 1990s chauvinistic policies started off the original war in South Ossetia? No? Thought not.

Not that Russia are angels. Which makes it strange that you should say Belarus is happy in Russia's embrace. It isn't. That is a tormented relationship.

As for Ukraine, you are aware that one of Yuschenko's last acts was making a fascist (Stepan Bandera) a national hero?

I'd give up if I were you.

Michael

Moldova is Romanian land stolen by Russia and it deserves to become a member of EU.

Anica

I am from Moldova and I am frustrated to read the comments. Nobody talks about Moldova joining the EU, everybody realizes that in the near future it is "mission impossible". What Moldavians need is sustainable development,help and assistance from EU, US and so on. My country was forgotten by the West, because it had a communist government, whom nobody trust, but now things are different, "Moldavians are different". It is not only about visa and free travel to EU, I am a student in Europe and I have been to US and Canada LEGALLY. It is about money and time we spent to get visas, it is about opportunities that western young people have, but Moldavians never had. Moldova was a part of Romania before the WWII and by the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact, Moldova was stolen from Romania. Why people living in Moldova (85% Romanian, 10% Ukrainian, 6% Russians, etc.) should suffer from this historic injustice and trade????

Lyanna

Hello everybody,
i'm from Moldova, i am very glad that some people still know where is Moldova situated. Usually people are confusing Moldova with Maldive such a pity...
I am living in Moldova, can you imagine that during 24 years and so i didn't get out of my country. In my childhood i visited just Romania and that's all. Its so painthfull to see beautifull places just on TV, not knowing when you'll have the chance to have a visa and to travel to see how other people live.

And if Ukraine gets also into the EU, then it will be just a nightmare : Moldova between Romania and Ukraine, for crossing them we'll need visa.

Anyhow, hope that it will change soon enough, but me for example i don't know if i have enough force and patience to wait for these changes to occur.
U know we have here the same prices at food, clothes as in the Eu countries, even higher. But we have the same miserable salaries... Is such a mess, think the people got used to this kind of life, which u cannot call a life, is just a kind of survival.

Petru

Anica, don't waste your time... Judging by the content of the previous comments, their authors are either just plain ignorant or just ill-intended if not both, They do not have neither any knowledge of European geography, nor of European history, and above all they are just a bunch of paranoic representatives of the old-europe breed, afraid of loosing the feeling of exclusivenes and self-importance by belonging to an "elitist club" of the western europe. The good thing is that not all europeans are like this.

adminy

hey i am from Moldova as well, can say that our people cant travel free in EU, thats bad - but i dont want also a second USSR....
I just want to live free and better than good ;) if EU will help us in that , its ok , if not f*ck them

Alexandru

I'm from Romania and I agree with the author of the article - you must know that the youngsters of Moldova are very much western-oriented and wish their country would join the EU and NATO, or even unite with Romania.

After decades of communism, they must be helped to develop their country, because they are a part of Europe.

I know the UK people and others from well-developed EU countries are afraid of immigration and they are right, but Moldova is a small land and it wouldn't be such a big problem. The problem in the UK I think is mainly non-EU immigration. Am I right?

Alex

Nicholas

Moldova deserves to join EU. It won't be easy for them.

Jack

I propose that Britain exits the EU. Really now, you think that you'll be able to hold on much afterwards? I really want to see this. As for Moldova, let's take a look at another example. What do you know about Spain? It was a really poor country before joining the EU, and look at it now, ha?
I won't bring any other arguments. I think that it is enough.

Anatolie

I am a Moldovan citizen and my opinion is that Moldova should never join the EU or any other kind of union bullshit. Moldovans first of all need to relize that democracy per se comes from down not from up and the most important, we are all enslaved by two things: the so called crappy free market idea and by mafia. If one analyzes very objective it is very obvious that from the Second World during the shitty Soviet times, Moldova is in the Third World now, why? the so called free market and americanization that did nothing else than build super nice restaurants like McDonlads right in the middle of the capital and in debted the country with the help of the mighty IMF. In Moldova people think that the right to vote is the right to shop, that's it!

Elena

I'm from Moldova too and it surprises me to read such an onptimistic article (we don't get these a lot), yet painful to read some of the comments (although i should be used to this kinda thing by now). Moldovans as people are no worse and no better than you, EU citizens - but we have to fight hard for a lot of things that you take for granted.

Yeah, the country is poor, and, like Anica said, we don't all expect to become part of EU in the next decades, does that mean Europe needs tu cut us off? Transnistria, this separatist region aka "smuggler's paradise" exists because we had to fight Russia for it, alone. Is it really in the EU intrest to ignore the problems of a neighbouring-state?

Radu

Thank you for the good publicity. Moldova is simply one of the worst injustice done in Europe. From historic times until 1812 part of the principality of Moldova, then the half of that principality was occupied by Russians until 1918 when a democratic parliament decided to get back to Romania and for 22 years we were together as we should have stayed. Then the communist Russia occupied that piece of land again, decimating it's population until 1991 when we became independent, de jure because de facto 11 percent of the country is still under Russian occupation.

Getting back to our motherland Romania through European integration will be the least that can be done for the suffering that we endured. Being a small country with most of it's residents working already in EU (Italy, Spain and Portugal), the official integration would be just to confirm the existing reality and will allow over a million people to travel freely back home.

This chance should not be waisted.

Dan

Write more articals about Moldova and I assure u that yr papers will be read by us in da future.
Its very important for us,how Europe understand the problems in our country,and whats the opinion of EU regard it.I hope that our integration in EU would be not so far.We have the same rights,may be more,if think on whats a comunism regim do with citiziens of Moldova!

NicolaiO

Dear co-patriots Moldovans! This really funny to read brits here. They feel them self like super mans, but truth is following: UK is land of mosque, land of over overdebt citizen (about 60000$ per each), land of islamic terrorists. I can say for sure, our Chisinau is safer. They don’t have any choice, they need white people!!! We, Moldovans, have to respect them selves, first of all.
My suggestion: we have make visum free regime to Moldova JUST to countries, make same for us. If we do not desserve to travel free to Europe, like brasilians, maliasians, argentinians, paragyaians do, so ok. Let do not ask- Europe self will ask.
Yes, we do not deserve to join EU, but this new Berlin wall… Even don’t say to me about terrible soviet time , Europe is not better towards us.

Cornelius

Look at them....all the BNP & UKIP members are here right away, moaning as usual.
GET A LIFE & GET A JOB !

Billy

I hope that both Europe and US will increase their aid to Moldova. My wife is from Moldova and this is a country that yearns for help. All that is wanted are opportunities for young people and they realize that the reforms of the current government are the only way their country can succeed. Also the Transnistrian conflict must be addressed by the international community. Transnistria is one of the largest suppliers of illegal small arms in the world and Russia only uses this conflict to pressure Moldova to depend on them.

cp

er, surely you mean a step back worse than Viktor Yanukovich's in Ukraine, not Viktor Yushchenko's? Another reason that it would be good to include Moldova into the EU would be to break the Russian-backed idea of a "post-Soviet" space in which they have "privileged interests". With the exception of the Baltic states, the West too much treats this "post-Soviet" space as one continous mass that is left to the Russians, and consequently Russia feels it can get away with endles meddling there. Making to clear to Moscow that Moldova has its own relationship with Western countries will be a first step in reversing this logic.
I disagree with you that Georgia's Westward trajectory has stopped. Everything you say about Moldova's youth also applies to Georgia's. The mistakes of Saakashvili should not be applied to the nation as a whole.

Zimbru

I am not a Moldovan, but have deep interests in the country (see my English-language blog at http://morninginmoldova.com). Moldovans are simple, hard-working folk who will be an asset to the EU, not a liability.

If you ignore the immigration hysteria and instead look at the statistics, you will see that Moldovans already working in the EU are no more criminal than the locals and are well-behaved with respect to honouring their visas.

As a small country with an open economy, Moldova will not present a major drain on EU resources. It will also be easier to reform than the larger, more bureaucratic countries of the region.

Readers may not be aware of the historic debt that Western Europe owes Moldova. In the 15th century its armies, together with those of neighbouring Wallachia stopped the advance of the Ottoman Turks to the west. Who knows what language this website would be written in if they hadn't done that?

The country has been dealt a poor lot by history. Centuries of miserable extractive domination by the Ottoman Turks. Two centuries of cultural oppression by the Russian empire and the Soviet Union. The awful experience of communism. The betrayal of Molotov-Ribbentrop.

They deserve a break. Give it to them.

Nate Riley

Ghaguazia must be taken into account they are turks in moldova there have been some problems but no violence and extreme criminal activity.Transnistria should be given a choose of joining Moldova or it needs to be but under pressure like Iran and carrots to get people like the owner of sheriff they own everything and the ceo tried politics then he left politics after some words with Smiernoff the Mafia Don or his nickname president of transnistria . Oh yeah Transnistria uses cyrillic unlike Romanian or Moldavians who use latin script.