Sergiu Tofilat, Deputy Chairman of the Party of Change, gave an interview to the FES/APE Foreign Policy Bulletin in which we discussed the impact of the Romanian presidential elections on the Republic of Moldova, Romania being Chisinau’s main trade partner and the most vocal advocate of the Republic of Moldova in Brussels. We also discussed the implications of the outcome of the elections for the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova to be held on September 28 this year, as well as the support that the two countries are giving to Ukraine in the context of the Russian military invasion. Read the full interview:

How do you assess the presidential election race and especially the outcome of these elections in Romania?

First of all, I would like to note that Romania did not fall into the Kremlin’s trap. There was an exemplary mobilization at the polls, because the citizens understood the danger, and these results are gratifying. However, the results reveal two structural problems in my view. The first problem is that a good part of society is dissatisfied with the political class – with the establishment. In this respect, we have seen the results of the candidates of governing parties. So people are dissatisfied and things are not going in the right direction.

The second problem, which in my opinion is quite serious, is that a large part of society believes in populism, conspiracy theories and lies. Or in political marketing, as one candidate puts it.

In this context, this issue needs to be tackled head on, as it may create risks in the future. There will be parliamentary elections and the results may be unpleasant. Perhaps this is where Romania could learn from Moldova’s experience, because we do not have any Kremlin-backed candidates here who are very popular.

Priorities and reporting on Chisinau’s European road

What do you think should be the priorities of Nicusor Dan’s presidential mandate and should the European path of the Republic of Moldova, as a strategic objective of Romania, be one of them?

Romania is the main economic partner of the Republic of Moldova, if we look from the perspective of exports and trade relations. The Republic of Moldova benefits greatly from Romania’s support in terms of energy security, because the Kremlin blackmailed us by disconnecting our gas and electricity supply, and Romania helped us a great deal in this respect. And we continue to count on Romania’s support, but obviously we, the Republic of Moldova, must also take measures to strengthen our energy security.

Moreover, Romania is already a member of the EU and has a much better knowledge of the decision making process and, obviously, we need Romania’s experience and the support of Romanian policy makers in Moldova’s accession to the European Union.

It is certainly useful to have the expertise of professionals from Romania in terms of assimilating European funds, because it is important to have competent people who can write projects, implement them, monitor and report. In this respect, we in the Republic of Moldova have a huge shortage of professionals and we obviously need to train specialists.

Collaboration opportunities

From the point of view of the aid Romania gives to the Republic of Moldova, what kind of cooperation do you think would be good for the two countries – the Republic of Moldova and Romania – to work on? What do you see as priority projects between Bucharest and Chisinau?

Energy security is certainly a priority area. We need electricity interconnection lines with Romania. Projects are underway. The Vulcanesti-Chisinau connection will be completed so that the line that connects us with Romania at the moment does not go first to the left bank of the Dniester and then to Chisinau. We must have a direct connection.

Then there are two more projects: a power line in the northern region, Suceava-Gadalin, and one in the center, from Chisinau to Iași-Gutinas. These are works being carried out on both sides of the Prut on the territory of Moldova and Romania. It would be good to complete them in good time. This will strengthen Moldova’s energy security. Obviously, there is also the gas supply. The Republic of Moldova imports 100% of its gas consumption and Romania has reserves in the Black Sea.

It has already been announced that our state enterprise Energocom has signed a long-term contract on gas import from Romania, but this will be undertaken from 2027 and will contribute to strengthening Moldova’s energy security.

Do you see it important to have joint projects in the area of road infrastructure?

I think it is necessary, because economic development and the flow of goods depend on the quality of road and rail infrastructure. So, yes, investments are needed here to create corridors for a more efficient movement of goods and passenger transport, but I think the biggest problem is the rail infrastructure. Railway infrastructure in the Republic of Moldova should be a priority as it is derelict and needs investment.

What would be the electoral offer of the Party of Change on the cooperation with Romania?

We are part of the “Together” political bloc, and our colleagues from this political bloc have a partnership with the Romanian PNL and this must be capitalized on. We obviously need to maintain constructive bilateral relations with Romania, which is our main partner, and to see to what extent we can speed up the implementation of existing projects and what new initiatives can be implemented with Romania’s support.

Support for Ukraine

How important is it for the Republic of Moldova that Romania continues its support for Ukraine, taking into account that Ukraine is the shield that protects the Republic of Moldova from the military danger that could come from the Russian Federation?

We in the Republic of Moldova can sleep peacefully today only thanks to the courage and resistance of the Ukrainian army, which protects us from Putin’s aggression. And in this context, any support is important in order for the Ukrainian army to defeat this aggression. And we would obviously welcome it if Romania were to step up its support for Ukraine.

But, I repeat, this takes a collective effort by all developed states to support Ukraine and to put pressure on the Kremlin administration to stop this aggression. It is not easy, but through joint efforts I believe we have a chance of success.

How do you see the possibility of Moldova, together with Romania, taking part in the reconstruction of Ukraine and what kind of potential would this mean from an economic perspective?

The Republic of Moldova is Ukraine’s neighbour and certainly a good part of the flow of raw materials, construction materials, equipment, assistance, will pass through the Republic of Moldova. This requires logistics, developed infrastructure, qualified staff to be able to manage this whole process and, why not, to do our bit to help rebuild Ukraine.

So, through the Republic of Moldova there will be a large transit of assistance for the rebuilding of Ukraine and we have to be ready for this process. I am not sure that we can manage with our own forces and that is why, yes, here we can probably count on support from Romania, from the European Union.