Weekly Roundup: What a Week
February 20, 2025
Weeks Where Decades Happen
Like the rest of the world, Moldova is reeling for the head spinning and disorienting events of the past week. As I wrote previously, Europe is dealing with a new America and this week brought a preview of just how much is changing.
The Munich Security Conference has long been a gathering of transatlantic allies focused on upholding the post WW2 security order in Europe. This order, which was created by the United States and American-led until this week, was founded on a pretty simple set of ideas. In the ashes of the Second World War all efforts focused on preventing a repeat of the Nazi attempt to conquer Europe and NATO was created to prevent the Soviet Union from conquering more of Europe than it already had.
Vice President Vance’s speech was a clear sign that these goals are no more. He stated that Russia is not the real threat to Europe but that the continent was facing enemies “from within.” Here he referenced various culture-war issues and voiced support for Germany’s extremist far-right AfD party and scolded Romania for canceling the first round of their presidential elections due to alleged Russian influence in favor of Călin Georgescu. Vance specifically downplayed Russia’s efforts to undermine democracy in Europe implying that Romania’s current democratic system is “weak.” The speech was met by stunned silence and applause only from Vance’s own retinue.
It is worth noting that on the same day, February 14th, a Russian drone struck the containment unit over Chernobyl reactor number 4 breaching it and setting part of the housing on fire. Ukrainian first responders doused the fire and have begun repairs. Reports from the site are that radiation levels are still normal. Moldovan authorities were informed of the breach by the IAEA and Moldova’s General Inspectorate of Emergencies reported back that local measurements show normal radiation levels.
The conference was followed by the opening of “negotiations” between the United States and Russia on ending the war in Ukraine. Negotiations that do not include either Europe or Ukraine. Following these, and Trump’s recent call with Putin, the United States has clearly aligned itself with Russia. Trump has now said that Ukraine was responsible for the war and called President Zelenskyy a “dictator.”
Also in the week, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy rejected an American “offer” to take possession of 50% of the country’s revenue from natural resource extraction. A sum that has been estimated to be larger than the reparations imposed on Imperial Germany after the First World War. In exchange for the country’s resources the United States offered nothing in return, claiming that it would be compensation for aid offered to Ukraine under the Biden administration.
President Sandu spoke at the Munich Security Conference advocating for peace but also the necessity of Europe and Ukraine being involved in the peace process saying:
"“Nobody wants peace more than Ukraine. We, in Moldova, want peace too – we want a lasting peace that will keep us in the free world. Such a peace cannot be decided without Ukraine, nor without Europe.”
Trump and Moldova
Here’s a roundup of stories from this week regarding the Trump administration’s impact on Moldova and the fallout from their policies:
The elimination of USAID and NED have deeply impacted independent journalism. This week RISE Moldova announced that they had “lost funding” and no longer have money for rent. They are calling for donations and are looking for new support to continue their investigative work. ZdG is continuing to push back at the torrent of disinformation and conspiracy theories about USAID funding. They published their whole grant history with USAID in a consolidated form (previously available via the paper’s yearly transparency reports) and accompanied them with a Q&A about media financing. It is an excellent article and well worth a read.
Igor Dodon sent an official letter to the US Embassy calling for an investigation into “Soros structures and USAID.” In it he calls on Chargé d'Affaires Daniela DiPierro to provide information about alleged secret funding of PAS and the use of American money to "trample freedom of expression" in Moldova. The Embassy made no public response.
Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu has promised to ban the entire “Soros network” if elected. This statement was re-X’d by Elon Musk who wrote "Romania deserves its own sovereignty!" This is at least the 4th time in a week that MAGA world has specifically targeted Romania and sought to bolster Georgescu.
Donald Trump cited $22 million dollars of spending in Moldova as waste. In remarks (video link) Trump supported efforts by DOGE to officially revoke USAID funding contracts around the world. The first programs targeted were democracy support programs including the aforementioned $22 million in support of “inclusive and open political processes in Moldova.”
The United States donated 29 HMMWVs (Humvee) to the Moldovan Army. The value of the support is estimated at $9 million dollars. At the handover ceremony Chargé d'Affaires Daniela DiPierro stated that the United States is "proud to collaborate with the people and government of Moldova to modernize the National Army and better equip Moldova's military to ensure the security of citizens." Moldova’s Ministry of Defense noted that the vehicles will all be allocated to the Fulger Special Forces Battalion. This announcement is among the only localized1 public communications of the US Embassy since the inauguration
Europe Increases and Speeds Assistance to Moldova
On February 19th European Parliament, European Commission and European Council reached an agreement on a €1.9 billion euro support package. This package, first announced by Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen in October, will include €520 million in grants and €1.5 billion in low interest loans. Collectively the package is called the Reform and Growth Facility for Moldova.
The final agreement increased the total grant funding €100 million euros compared to the initial plan and accelerated funding by making 18% of the total available in a pre-financing mechanism.
MEP Siegfried Mureșan, a critical promoter of the package, stated:
“With a €200 million increase in pre-financing and €100 million in total allocations, we are mobilizing enhanced immediate support to assist Moldova in advancing reforms, accelerating its European integration, and countering the economic and energy repercussions of Russian aggression. This ambitious agreement underscores Europe’s capacity to respond decisively to escalating geopolitical challenges.”
It is expected that the support will begin arriving in April.
Politics
A scandal has unfolded about a new 12th grade history textbook being introduced by the Ministry of Education. Critics claim that the book overtly downplays Romania’s role in the Holocaust in Moldova while focusing attention on denigrating the Soviet period. In the chapters on Romanian administration2 from 1941 - 1944 there is no mention of the Holocaust at all. Elsewhere the book contradicts itself by claiming in one place that the Ion Antonescu regime in Romania “did not participate in the mass deportation of Jews organized by Nazi officials” and elsewhere noting that they did participate and adopt racial laws “under pressure.”
Professor Vladimir Solonari of the University of Central Florida stated that:
“The authors immediately begin to exempt the Romanian state from criticism. The textbook does not discuss how such a tragedy could have happened. It is written from a patriotic Romanian position. But the problem is that a historian cannot be a patriot. He must be objective and teach readers and students that moral standards apply to all countries, including their own.”
The book later references Russians and others transplanted to Moldova during the Soviet period as variously “swindlers, vagabonds, and alcoholics” and “scum.” These portraits are presented in the form of contemporaries testimonials but critics allege that they were selected to specifically denigrate certain ethnic groups.
The majority of the pushback has focused on the portrayal of the Holocaust. The book does present information about the Holocaust in a separate chapter focused on crimes against humanity and the war’s aftermath.
Aliona Grossu, a leader of the Jewish Community in Moldova stated:
"Presenting the Antonescu regime in a favorable light is a form of dangerous historical revisionism. Omitting or minimizing data about the Holocaust is a direct violation of our international commitments. The textbook does not correctly reflect the crimes against humanity committed in Bessarabia and Transnistria …
Other Jewish groups, political opposition and historians have criticized the book and detailed how it whitewashes the Romanian authorities. Various estimates put the total number of Jews from Moldova killed during the Holocaust as high as 200,000. It is indisputable that Romanian soldiers were heavily involved in this effort, especially in the early days.
Education Minister Dan Perciun initially sought to defend the textbook saying:
"This is classic disinformation that the Russians are doing here, trying to create false narratives. [The textbook] contains an objective interpretation of the Holocaust, including on the territory of Bessarabia,"
After criticism expanded within the Jewish Community he later backtracked and agreed to submit the book for review by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel.
Other Political Updates
Here’s a roundup of the other top political stories of the week:
Prime Minister Recean proposed Dorin Junghietu as the new Minister of Energy. Mr. Junghietu was previously selected to be the chairmen of the board of MoldovaGaz but has been unable to take his seat because GazProm has blocked changes to the board. He has more than 16 years of experience in the energy sector. Minister Junghietu was sworn in on February 19th.
On February 15th a Congress of Deputies of all Levels was held in Gagauzia. Bashkan Gutsul railed against Chisinau’s policy towards Gagauzia and demanded that she be included in the government and security council. A government spokesman later responded noting that her exclusion is the result of pending court cases into election interference and that the “…infiltration of people with foreign interests into the government cannot be allowed.” The congress passed a resolution calling on Russia and Turkey to support them and demanding direct Chisinau - Moscow flights. They also plan to appeal the results of the referendum on European integration, as well as the presidential elections, to the Venice Commission. People outside of the congress protested against the abuses of Chisinau… but were happy to tell journalists that they had been bussed in and paid for their time.
Igor Dodon has stated that the Socialist Party will draft and propose a "law on foreign agents.” They say that the law will be written “following the example of the US, many EU countries, Georgia and other states." He claims that the purpose of such a law is to ban NGOs from getting involved in politics3. Also this week Vladimir Putin sent “heartfelt congratulations” to Igor Dodon on the occasion of his birthday.
Justice Reform
The bill to merge the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS) is moving forward in spite of broad opposition. The bill is authored / co-sponsored by 29 PAS MPs and critics say that its primary purpose is to remove Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Veronica Dragalin from office before her term ends.
If that was the goal, then it succeeded. Dragalin resigned this week saying that the bill is "an attack on the justice system" that "undermines the progress we have made, compromises the independence of the judiciary." She announced her resignation on facebook saying:
"Today, I submitted a resignation letter to the Prosecutor General, with the hope that this legislative initiative will not move forward . The fight for integrity, accountability and transparency must continue"
Justice Minister Veronica Mihailov-Moraru refused to comment on her resignation saying only that reforms to the specialized prosecutors offices would move forward.
The Prosecutor General’s office has criticized the bill saying that it risks slowing down prosecutions and that their review found “short-term, medium-term and long-term risks." During public consultations experts and serving prosecutors noted that a full reorganization of these offices, including reassigning prosecutors to other posts, risked slowing down cases and missing critical filing deadlines. PAS MP and former head of the parliamentary legal committee Olesea Stamate had already stated that she planned to vote against the bill and said of the consultations:
"judging by what I heard today, the potential risks are much greater than those that I was able to identify on my own."
Arguing for the bill PAS MP Igor Chiriac stated that Moldova has the highest number of prosecutors per-capita in the region with little to show for it. He said:
"The problem is not in the legislation, we already have all the necessary legal instruments for work. The question is how the prosecutor's office performs its duties, and what results it shows to society. Independence does not mean that you can do anything or do nothing at all. It presupposes responsibility for your activities,4"
MPs are expected to vote for the law in the first reading today.
A Record of Justice
Veronica Dragalin’s tumultuous tenure as Anti-Corruption Prosecutor is now at an end. She has stated that she leaves the position, head held high and confident in her own integrity. Critics accuse her of being ineffective and unable to bring major cases to trial. It is perhaps an ironic coda to her time in office that one case she personally supervised has come to an end.
Back in March 2024 a scandal rocked the justice system as the competition to appoint a new Prosecutor General was again canceled. This was the so-called “de-pointing” scandal whereby Olesea Vîrlan, member of the Superior Council of Prosecutors (SCP) and member of the selection jury gave a conspicuously low rating to then candidate Ion Munteanu in the evaluation rubric. This low score was allegedly chosen to be just enough to skew the average rating of Mr. Munteanu such that he would lose the contest to Olesea Vîrlan’s preferred candidate - a person with whom she had allegedly entered into a corrupt bargain.
Dragalin reacted angrily to this news calling an in person meeting of all the prosecutors in the country and later announcing that she would personally investigate alleged corruption in the matter saying:
“I decided to conduct this investigation myself; I don’t want any of my subordinates in the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office to investigate such a delicate matter. This criminal process may affect members of the Supreme Council of Prosecutors and candidates who participated in the competition,”
Well, the results are in. This week the Anti-Corruption Prosecutors announced that the court found Olesea Vîrlan guilty of abuse of office. She was fined 1500 lei ($80) and banned from holding public office for 3 months.
It’s worth remembering that at the time this scandal threatened Moldova’s progression on EU integration as it was a key criteria to appoint a Prosecutor General.
Whatever the legal reason for such a light penalty it is easy to see why the public overwhelmingly believes that the justice system is not delivering.
Energy Crisis
Here are the top updates in the ongoing energy crisis / situation with Transnistria:
On February 14th Transnistrian leader Vadim Krasnoselsky announced that Russian subsidized gas was flowing again to the region. The Hungarian company MET Gas began their supply under the “Hungarian Scheme” which is set to last until the end of February. It is unclear what will happen at the expiration of this deal as GazProm has still not made any capacity reservations for March via the Trans-Balkan pipeline.
Transnistria continues releasing prisoners into Moldovan custody. This week Alexandr Dimov was released from a 20 year prison sentence for allegedly throwing a molotov cocktail at a military center in March 2023. Stanislav Derebcinschi was released after serving time for publishing criticism of the Transnistrian authorities on his social media last year. Tiraspol has claimed that additional prisoner releases are underway but this has not been confirmed by the Bureau of Reintegration.
The Ministry of Economy has announced that energy subsides for business will continue for 12 months. The subsides, which affect certain industries, will continue past the end of the state of emergency and will be supported by EU funding.
Other Economic News:
Inflation is approaching 10%. Experts note that the primary driver is rising energy prices but that fruits, vegetables and other consumer goods are also rising in price. Inflation is predicted to level off here and begin falling in summer.
Railway workers have begun protests demanding payment of back wages. The Ministry of Infrastructure states that they are working with the state company’s management in order to find short term solutions to pay salaries including selling off company assets. The Ministry also stated that they are preparing plans to break the company into 3 parts - one focused on passenger transit, one focused on freight and one responsible for infrastructure. The hope is that these more focused entities will be able to attract foreign investment and reorganize themselves as profitably companies.
US Embassy Moldova has been posting press releases from Secretary of State Rubio and other Trump administration officials translated into Romanian. Normally there would also be press releases about events happening in Moldova, etc - these are the localized public communications that have effectively stopped.
So what happened between 1941 and 1944? Here we find language is a trap. Some call this a period of “administration,” others “occupation.” The various camps will switch this position when describing the Soviet period. This history is still very alive and the story of the past is not yet settled in Moldova.
It’s worth mentioning that this is not what the US Foreign Agents Registration Act does, nor do any EU countries ban political participation by civic groups explicitly (Hungary being an exception of sorts). Dodon is referring to the Russian promoted law, recently passed in Georgia, that criminalizes political participation by basically anyone the Kremlin disagrees with.
For a deeper exploration of the sometimes misleading idea of “independence” in the judiciary see my article from last year “Perspective: Justice Reform and Paths Not Taken”
Weeks When Decades Happen...How did it come to this?!