Brussels, 10/02/2005 (Agence Europe) - In a declaration of 9 February on behalf of the European Union, the Luxembourg Presidency underlines the importance in the Union's eyes of relations with Moldova, “as evinced by the Action Plan recently agreed under the European Neighbourhood Policy”. The Plan will be submitted to the EU/Moldova Cooperation Council on 22 February for approval, the declaration recalls
The Presidency continues: “The level of ambition of relations between the EU and Moldova will be a function of the commitment shown by the Republic of Moldova to common values. It is therefore only to be expected that the EU is closely following the ongoing electoral process in Moldova. The EU appeals to the Moldovan authorities to ensure that the parliamentary elections in March are held in an open and fair climate, with pluralist and impartial media coverage of the campaign and respecting the neutrality of the State administration towards all candidates and their supporters. The EU calls on the Moldovan administration to ensure that expatriates' votes are handled in an adequate and impartial fashion. The electoral campaign and the elections should take place respecting democratic standards and in accordance with Council of Europe and OSCE criteria.
In this context, the EU also calls on the Moldovan government to take account of the concerns identified by the OSCE need-evaluation mission and to implement the joint recommendations drawn up by the OSCE and the Venice Commission in June 2004. The EU welcomes the invitation extended by the Moldovan authorities to international observers for the parliamentary elections. The Member States and the Commission have declared that they are prepared to make an appropriate contribution. The EU hopes that the Moldovan authorities will also respond favourably to the willingness of Moldovan civil society to assist in observing the elections”.