Suchergebnisse

Based on extensive fieldwork, this study provides an empirical and theoretical analysis of the debates on Republic of Moldova's foreign policy towards Romania. The author argues that Moldovan political actors involved in foreign policy debates are split into three main groups: Russophiles Europeanizers, Westernizers Romanophiles and Pragmatic Moderates. The study identifies two major themes of debate: a symbolic perspective emphasizing the ethnical origins of the Moldovans and the reunification issue and a pragmatic approach aiming at forging an economic partnership with Romania in order to facilitate Moldova's European integration.

The current financial and economic crisis has highlighted the inadequacy of existing institutional and policy arrangements at the EU level. Even before this crisis, the EU economic growth was low, by international standards, revealing deep structural problems across EU countries, especially in the Southern flank. Macroeconomic imbalances have been building up, exposing a stratified EU with divergences in productivity and competitiveness, with rigidity of labour markets, impeding efficient market responses to shocks. The Monetary Union does not have adequate institutional arrangements, which may help it manage a major crisis, such as that of a last-call borrower, depreciation and burden-sharing mechanisms of asymmetric shocks, etc; various sui generis formulas are now being tested. Fiscal reactions vary depending on the level of the debts and on the speed these accumulate; at the same time, these are linked to the size of the budgetary expenditure and fiscal revenues as percentage in the GDP. The sooner the growth picks up, the more acceptable is the downsizing of the certain expenditure and/or the rise of some taxes, so that the ratio between the public debt and the GDP stabilizes (reduces, when it is the case).

The fight against corruption has become one of the priorities of the international world. Most national states and international organisations are supporting the fight against different forms of corruption, among which bribing foreign officials in order to secure an economic advantage on a particular market. European countries, including EU members, are facing this challenge, as well, taking attitude under the impulse of OECD and EU. However, the results are not remarkable due to the lack of political will, the lack of initiative and constancy while facing this huge task.