The development of civil society in Moldova in the context of the Ukrainian war and the EU accession

Abstract

The present paper aims to conduct a longitudinal and comparative analysis over the development of the Moldavian civil society in the context of the Ukrainian war and the European accession process. The topic is of high importance since a proactive and engaged civil society is one of the markers of a democratic, stable society. This, in turn, is essential for the future possible European integration of the country into the European institutions. 2022 marked Eastern European security both in terms of threats and opportunities. In February 2022 the European security architecture was changed due to the war in Ukraine. In June 2022 the Republic of Moldova was granted the candidate status for its future accession to the European Union (EU). Although we can claim that both events have a direct consequence over the central decision-making process and  the security of the state, the way in which the civil society organizations (CSOs) are reacting is a maker of the society’s robustness. The relationship between Moldova and the EU is not a new one, as Moldova was part of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) since its beginnings. In order to have a comprehensive view over the civil society from Moldova, from a methodological pointy of view, we will employ the document analysis and case study methods. Through them, we will analyse the scores that Moldova registered under the EaP umbrella regarding the civil society development since 2011 until 2024 having a focus on the tangible results that were reached by the Moldavian society and the areas where there is still room for improvement. Secondly, we will make a comparative analysis between the pre and post 2022 moment in order to see if the CSOs from Moldova were and are still sufficiently developed and robust in order to have a decisive role in the integration process. In this case we will also analyse if the CSOs were influenced in a positive or negative way by the two external factors. Additionally, as mentioned above, we will employ the case study method in order to analyse concrete examples regarding the state accountability principles. Last, but not least, we will take into consideration other international indexes that are measuring the civil societies’ development in order to make a comprehensive view over the Moldavian civil society.