THE MOLDOVAN-FRENCH COOPERATION – A PATH TO THE EUROPEANISATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Violeta COTILEVICI Universitatea de Stat din Moldova

Abstract

The process of Europeanisation of the Republic of Moldova very much depends on the support of the member states of the European Union in stimulating democratic reforms, the rule of law and a viable market economy. Today, France's cooperation with the Republic of Moldova includes two priority objectives, outlined in the Action Plan of the Embassy of France to the Republic of Moldova: to help bringing the country closer to the European Union and to contribute to its economic development and prosperity. Currently, there is a consolidation of the French economic presence on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. Thus, France is one of the largest foreign investors in the Republic of Moldova. Recently, the French authorities have expressed their strong support for the implementation of the reform agenda of the Republic of Moldova and the interest in the political situation and the European course of our country, offering the opportunity to strengthen the Moldovan-French parliamentary diplomacy. The development of solid relations with France, on the one hand, and the French-speaking world, on the other hand, is a way of approaching and even Europeanising the Republic of Moldova. France represents the privileged partner of the Republic of Moldova in developing the capacity to comply with the European standards, namely through this factor of cultural verticality – the Francophonie. It is important to understand that this cannot be a substitute for foreign policy, but it is a specific tool for multilateral and bilateral cooperation. Moldova, through Francophonie, becomes more democratic, more open, more tolerant and has an additional gateway to Europe, another way in which it can be valued and it can reaffirm its commitment to the values it has adhered to and which it declares at the high-level fora.

Keywords: europeanisation, bilateral cooperation, European standards, democratic reforms, economic development