Society
Eastern Partnership: The EU’s Accidental Sphere Of Influence
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhat started in 2003 as an essentially technocratic drive to advance reforms in the post-Soviet space has now become a tug-of-war with Russia over influence in the region — specifically, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
By Ahto Lobjakas
Much to its surprise, its Eastern Partnership initiative has landed the EU straight in the middle of great-power politics.
What started in 2003 as an essentially technocratic drive to advance reforms in the post-Soviet space has now become a tug-of-war with Russia over influence in the region — specifically, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
Formally, the EU’s response remains one of disavowal. The EU eschews any talk of spheres of influence — or so goes the refrain in Brussels. Yet the prospects of visa-free travel, free trade, support to institution-building, and financial aid that the EU is holding out to its six eastern partners are openly construed by Russia as a bid to gain the upper hand in a region where Moscow itself claims "privileged interests."
Whether the EU likes it or not, perception is everything in international politics. Russia’s perception of the Eastern Partnership unavoidably rearranges the playing field — and the EU must adapt or risk seeing its outreach project perish.
Moscow itself does nothing to hide its resentment, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov famously denouncing the Eastern Partnership as a "sphere of influence" in Brussels in March. Similarly, the German daily "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" quoted in its May 5 issue the prominent Russian analyst Sergei Karaganov — who, the paper says, "often expresses official positions in undiplomatic terms" — as telling a conference in Germany that the "core of all differences between the West and Russia is the question of whose sphere of influence the Soviet successor states fall into."
Officials in Brussels are very much alive to the fact that Russia is fighting the expansion of the bloc’s influence in the region tooth and nail. Recent events in Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, and elsewhere suggest Moscow has embarked on a strategy of turning what the EU would like to see as a "ring of friends" into an arc of instability. Instability is certainly a potent weapon for undermining the EU’s gospel of reform, which relies on piecemeal, cumulative progress.
Brussels Plays Realpolitik
The question the EU now faces is what it is prepared to do to counter the Russian slings and arrows. There are signs that the bloc is already adapting to the new environment it finds itself in, albeit reluctantly. Significantly, it has taken a leaf out of Russia’s playbook by suppressing its democratic scruples and seeking a rapprochement with Belarus, turning a blind eye on the recent brutal excesses of the Moldovan Communist regime, and keeping Armenia and Azerbaijan on side despite their more than patchy democratic records.
The fact that neither Belarus’s dictatorial President Alyaksandr Lukashenka nor Moldova’s Vladimir Voronin are expected to show up at the Prague summit, bowing to discreet EU pressure to stay away, also attests to the hopes the partner countries invest in the Eastern Partnership.
The best measure of the bloc’s success so far — and the growing habit of autonomy of the eastern capitals — is the refusal of all six Eastern Partnership countries so far to yield to Russian pressure and recognize the breakaway Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent countries.
The shift in EU thinking is evident in the successive drafts of the Prague summit declaration, seen by RFE/RL. Reflecting an acknowledgment of the varied record of the regimes the EU is dealing with, the document elevates interests above values, and consigns all meaningful political and economic conditionality to the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), which remains the preeminent vehicle for bilateral relations between the EU and each partner country. The summit declaration makes it quite clear that the Eastern Partnership is an enhancement of the ENP — reinforcing the impression the EU is putting pragmatism above ideals.
The extent to which the partner countries view ties with the EU as leverage against Russia is reflected in their keen interest in the draft declaration. All were said to have negotiated hard — if not always successfully — to promote their views. Georgia and Azerbaijan campaigned for a prominent mention for the principle of territorial integrity, but had to settle for the term "norms of international law." The GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova) countries also failed to secure an explicit reference to their organization.
Persistent Divisions
The size of the challenge facing the EU can hardly be overstated, however. It was evident in the predictable squabbles among the member states leading up to the summit. Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Portugal all wanted to delete from the initial draft the words "European countries," used in combined reference to all 27 EU member states and the six partners.
The words, which would-be EU members often interpret as a signal of eventual membership, were still there on May 5. But Germany, France, and a number of other countries were successful in inserting the phrase "long-term goal" into the section dealing with visa liberalization, to underscore visa-free travel is far from an imminent prospect.
These and other seemingly minor textual battles represent real major divisions between member states on key foreign-policy issues. They also highlight the degree to which EU foreign policy remains in thrall to member-state national interest.
In another sign of persistent division, neither France nor Spain will be represented by their leaders at the Prague summit, in snubs calculated to underscore the two countries’ concern the Eastern Partnership could upstage the EU’s stillborn Mediterranean Union for its southern neighbors.
Society
“They are not needy, but they need help”. How Moldovan volunteers try to create a safe environment for the Ukrainian refugees
At the Government’s ground floor, the phones ring constantly, the laptop screens never reach standby. In one corner of the room there is a logistics planning meeting, someone has a call on Zoom with partners and donors, someone else finally managed to take a cookie and make some coffee. Everyone is exhausted and have sleepy red eyes, but the volunteers still have a lot of energy and dedication to help in creating a safe place for the Ukrainian refugees.
“It’s like a continuous bustle just so you won’t read the news. You get home sometimes and you don’t have time for news, and that somehow helps. It’s a kind of solidarity and mutual support,” says Vlada Ciobanu, volunteer responsible for communication and fundraising.
The volunteers group was formed from the very first day of war. A Facebook page was created, where all types of messages immediately started to flow: “I offer accommodation”, “I want to help”, “I want to get involved”, “Where can I bring the products?”, “I have a car and I can go to the customs”. Soon, the authorities also started asking for volunteers’ support. Now they all work together, coordinate activities and try to find solutions to the most difficult problems.
Is accommodation needed for 10, 200 or 800 people? Do you need transportation to the customs? Does anyone want to deliver 3 tons of apples and does not know where? Do you need medicine or mobile toilets? All these questions require prompt answers and actions. Blankets, sheets, diapers, hygiene products, food, clothes – people bring everything, and someone needs to quickly find ways of delivering them to those who need them.
Sometimes this collaboration is difficult, involves a lot of bureaucracy, and it can be difficult to get answers on time. “Republic of Moldova has never faced such a large influx of refugees and, probably because nobody thought this could happen, a mechanism of this kind of crisis has not been developed. Due to the absence of such a mechanism that the state should have created, we, the volunteers, intervened and tried to help in a practical way for the spontaneous and on the sport solutions of the problems,” mentions Ecaterina Luțișina, volunteer responsible for the refugees’ accommodation.
Ana Maria Popa, one of the founders of the group “Help Ukrainians in Moldova/SOS Українці Молдовa” says that the toughest thing is to find time and have a clear mind in managing different procedures, although things still happen somehow naturally. Everyone is ready to intervene and help, to take on more responsibilities and to act immediately when needed. The biggest challenges arise when it is necessary to accommodate large families, people with special needs, for which alternative solutions must be identified.
Goods and donations
The volunteers try to cope with the high flow of requests for both accommodation and products of all kinds. “It came to me as a shock and a panic when I found out that both mothers who are now in Ukraine, as well as those who found refuge in our country are losing their milk because of stress. We are trying to fill an enormous need for milk powder, for which the demand is high and the stocks are decreasing”, says Steliana, the volunteer responsible for the distribution of goods from the donation centers.
Several centers have been set up to collect donations in all regions of Chisinau, and volunteers are redirecting the goods to where the refugees are. A system for processing and monitoring donations has already been established, while the volunteer drivers take over the order only according to a unique code.
Volunteers from the collection centers also do the inventory – the donated goods and the distributed goods. The rest is transported to Vatra deposit, from where it is distributed to the placement centers where more than 50 refugees are housed.
When they want to donate goods, but they don’t know what would be needed, people are urged to put themselves in the position of refugees and ask themselves what would they need most if they wake up overnight and have to hurriedly pack their bags and run away. Steliana wants to emphasise that “these people are not needy, but these people need help. They did not choose to end up in this situation.”
Furthermore, the volunteer Cristina Sîrbu seeks to identify producers and negotiate prices for products needed by refugees, thus mediating the procurement process for NGOs with which she collaborates, such as Caritas, World Children’s Fund, Polish Solidarity Fund, Lifting hands, Peace Corps and others.
One of the challenges she is facing now is the identifying a mattress manufacturer in the West, because the Moldovan mattress manufacturer that has been helping so far no longer has polyurethane, a raw material usually imported from Russia and Ukraine.
Cristina also needs to find solutions for the needs of the volunteer groups – phones, laptops, gsm connection and internet for a good carrying out of activities.
Hate messages
The most difficult thing for the communication team is to manage the hate messages on the social networks, which started to appear more often. “Even if there is some sort of dissatisfaction from the Ukrainian refugees and those who offer help, we live now in a very diverse society, there are different kind of people, and we act very differently under stress,” said Vlada Ciobanu.
Translation by Cătălina Bîrsanu
Important
#WorldForUkraine – a map that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against Russian aggression
The international community and volunteers from all over te world have launched #WorldForUkraine as a platform that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against the Russian aggression. In a digital world – it is an interactive map of public support of Ukrainians under the hashtag #WorldForUkraine – rallies, flash mobs, protests around the world. In the physical dimension – it is your opportunity to take to the streets and declare: “No to Putin’s aggression, no to war.”
„Today, along with the political and military support, emotional connection with the civilized world and truthful information are extremely important for Ukraine. The power to do it is in your hands. Join the #WorldForUkraine project and contribute to the victorious battle against the bloodshed inflicted on Ukraine by the aggression of the Russian Federation”, says the „about the project” section of the platform.
Go to the streets — Tell people — Connect and Unite — Become POWERFUL
Volunteers have launched #WorldForUkraine as a platform that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against Russian aggression. In digital world – it is an INTERACTIVE MAP of public support of Ukrainians worldforukraine.net under the hashtag #WorldForUkraine – rallies, flash mobs, protests around the world. In the physical dimension – it is your opportunity to take to the streets and declare: “No to Putin’s aggression, no to war.” There you may find information about past and future rallies in your city in support of Ukraine. This is a permanent platform for Ukrainian diaspora and people all over the world concerned about the situation in Ukraine.
So here’s a couple of things you could do yourself to help:
* if there is a political rally in your city, then participate in it and write about it on social media with geolocation and the hashtag #WorldForUkraine
* if there are no rallies nearby, organize one in support of Ukraine yourself, write about it on social media with geolocation adding the hashtag #WorldForUkraine
The map will add information about gathering by #WorldForUkraine AUTOMATICALLY
Your voice now stronger THAN ever
All rallies are already here: https://worldforukraine.net
Important
How is Moldova managing the big influx of Ukrainian refugees? The authorities’ plan, explained
From 24th to 28th of February, 71 359 Ukrainian citizens entered the territory of Republic of Moldova. 33 173 of them left the country. As of this moment, there are 38 186 Ukrainian citizens in Moldova, who have arrived over the past 100 hours.
The Moldovan people and authorities have organized themselves quickly from the first day of war between Russia and Ukraine. However, in the event of a prolonged armed conflict and a continuous influx of Ukrainian refugees, the efforts and donations need to be efficiently managed. Thus, we inquired about Moldova’s long-term plan and the state’s capacity to receive, host, and treat a bigger number of refugees.
On February 26th, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Moldova approved the Regulation of organization and functioning of the temporary Placement Center for refugees and the staffing and expenditure rules. According to the Regulation, the Centers will have the capacity of temporary hosting and feeding at least 20 persons, for a maximum of 3 months, with the possibility of extending this period. The Centers will also offer legal, social, psychological, and primary medical consultations to the refugees. The Center’s activity will be financed from budget allocations, under Article 19 of Provision no. 1 of the Exceptional Situations Commission from February 24th, 2022, and from other sources of funding that do not contravene applicable law.
The Ministry of Inner Affairs and the Government of Moldova facilitated the organization of the volunteers’ group “Moldova for Peace”. Its purpose is to receive, offer assistance and accommodation to the Ukrainian refugees. The group is still working on creating a structure, registering and contacting volunteers, etc. It does not activate under a legal umbrella.
Lilia Nenescu, one of the “Moldova for Peace” volunteers, said that the group consists of over 20 people. Other 1700 registered to volunteer by filling in this form, which is still available. The group consists of several departments:
The volunteers’ department. Its members act as fixers: they’re responsible for connecting the people in need of assistance with the appropriate department. Some of the volunteers are located in the customs points. “The Ministry of Inner Affairs sends us every day the list of the customs points where our assistance is needed, and we mobilize the volunteers”, says Lilia Nenescu.
The Goods Department manages all the goods donated by the Moldavian citizens. The donations are separated into categories: non-perishable foods and non-food supplies. The volunteers of this department sort the goods into packages to be distributed.
The Government intends to collect all the donations in four locations. The National Agency for Food Safety and the National Agency for Public Health will ensure mechanisms to confirm that all the deposited goods comply with safety and quality regulations.
The Service Department operates in 4 directions and needs the volunteer involvement of specialists in psychology, legal assistance (the majority of the refugees only have Ukrainian ID and birth certificates of their children); medical assistance; translation (a part of the refugees are not Ukrainian citizens).
According to Elena Mudrîi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, so far there is no data about the number of Covid-19 positive refugees. She only mentioned two cases that needed outpatient medical assistance: a pregnant woman and the mother of a 4-day-old child.
The Accommodation Department. The volunteers are waiting for the centralized and updated information from the Ministry of Labor about the institutions offering accommodation, besides the houses offered by individuals.
The Transport Department consists of drivers organized in groups. They receive notifications about the number of people who need transportation from the customs points to the asylum centers for refugees.
The municipal authorities of Chișinău announced that the Ukrainian children refugees from the capital city will be enrolled in educational institutions. The authorities also intend to create Day-Care Centers for children, where they will be engaged in educational activities and will receive psychological assistance. Besides, the refugees from the municipal temporary accommodation centers receive individual and group counseling.
In addition to this effort, a group of volunteers consisting of Ana Gurău, Ana Popapa, and Andrei Lutenco developed, with the help of Cristian Coșneanu, the UArefugees platform, synchronized with the responses from this form. On the first day, 943 people offered their help using the form, and 110 people asked for help. According to Anna Gurău, the volunteers communicate with the Government in order to update the platform with the missing data.
Translation from Romanian by Natalia Graur
“They are not needy, but they need help”. How Moldovan volunteers try to create a safe environment for the Ukrainian refugees
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