Moldova at the crossroads: tensions with Transnistria ahead of EU membership referendum

Europe – yes, or no? On October 20, Moldovans will vote in a referendum on putting EU membership as a national objective into the Constitution. Ahead of the people’s vote Euronews reporter Hans von der Brelie travelled through this country sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. He spoke with both, pro-Europeans in the West and also with pro-Russian separatists in the east, in the Moldovan breakaway region of Transnistria. He found a still deeply divided country.

How could EU membership impact the economy and everyday life of the Moldovan people? Let’s start in Ungheni, close to the Romanian border, on the site of an industrial carpet producer. The giant buildings are relics from Soviet times when some 2,000 workers produced carpets for the Eastern Bloc. The economic collapse of the Soviet Union brought painful changes and the country has witnessed turbulent times since; political turmoil, a financial crisis, the pandemic, skyrocketing energy prices and Russia's invasion of Ukraine have all added further problems. Today, the carpet factory’s staff roster is down to 150.

But Ghenadie Podgornii, the technical director of Covoare Ungheni, shares an explicitly optimistic outlook: “Joining the European internal market means getting rid of all the export/import related bureaucracy”, he says. Some 70% of the carpets are sold to EU clients. And there is further potential, believes financial director Aliona Tiuticov: “Becoming a EU member is an added value”, she says, “it’s good for our image as a country and as a company.”

The management is seeking a further 30 employees, but many Moldovans are working in western Europe. Joining the EU could bring economic stability to Moldova and thereby slow down the exodus of people, Podgornii