CONNECT Sharing local and regional governments’ expertise worldwide Background information - Moldova Project summary Project number 11347.3 Name of project CONNECT exchange Moldova Modality Round Table Expert Meeting Period of the knowledge exchange A general introduction to the country Official country name Republic of Moldova Brief history Moldova today is characterized by two historic regions divided by the Dniester River. Tsarist Russia governed the territory east of the river, while the region in the west was governed by Romanian Bessarabia. In 1812 Bessarabia was annexed by the Russian empire. This however, did not last and in 1918, after the Russian revolution, Bessarabia declared its independence. Two months after this declaration the newly formed Democratic Moldavian Republic united with Romania. Russia never recognized this union. This unity lasted till 1940, the year the country was annexed by the Soviet Union as a consequence of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact of 1939. Romania was compelled to cede Bessarabia to the Soviet Union, leading to the creation of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (Moldavian SSR). However, this merging of areas did not lead to unity. The industrialized territory to the east of the Dniester, generally known as Transdniestria or Dniester region was formally an autonomous area with Ukraine before 1940. This area is mainly inhabited by Russian and Ukrainian speakers. Source: BBC As people there became increasingly alarmed at the prospect of closer ties with Romania in the tumultuous years of the Soviet Union, Transdniestria unilaterally declared independence from Moldova in 1990. The independence of Transdniestria has never been recognized and the region has existed in a state of limbo ever since. On 27 August 1991, as part of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Moldavian SSR declared independence and took the name Moldova. The current Constitution of Moldova was adopted in 1994, who grants special autonomy status to Transdniestria. In 2014 signed Moldova an association agreement with the European Union, prompting Russia to impose import restrictions on the country’s agricultural produce. Geography Moldova is a little nation in Easter Europe which is wedged between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The country covers 33.843,5 sq km, which is twice the size of Denmark. The Republic of Moldova belongs to the group of countries located in the Black Sea Basin. The capital city is Chișinău, and with 669.694 citizens it is by far the largest and liveliest city in the country. The largest part of the nation lies between two rivers, the Dniester and the Prut. The country is characterized by gently rolling steppes and the relief of the country represents a hilly plain sloping, having an average elevation of around 147m above the sea level. The countries hydrographic network includes more than 3.000 rivers and rivulets and even more exiting are the 2.200 natural water springs. Climate Moldova has a climate which is moderately continental. Due to its proximity to the Black Sea Moldova has a lengthy frost-free period, short mild winters, lengthy hot summers and long dry periods in the south. During the summer, temperature can rise up till 28 °C (82.4 °F). Winters are relatively mild and dry, with January temperatures averaging −4 °C (25 °F). Annual rainfall, ranges from around 600 mm (24 inch) in the north to 400 mm (16 inch) in the south, nevertheless long dry spells are not unusual. The heaviest rainfall occurs in early summer and again in October; heavy showers and thunderstorms are common. Political system The constitution of 1994 created a new constitutional framework for the Moldovan parliament. It established a unicameral parliament whose members are directly elected to four-year terms. Another round of elections is held to select the president, who serves as the head of state to a four- year term. The president shares executive power with the Council of Ministers (cabinet), which is led by the prime minister, who is designated by the president (after consultation with the parliamentary majority) and approved by the parliament. A system like this, where powers are divided between president and prime minister, is called a semi-presidential system. The constitution also grants special autonomy status to Transdniestria and established an autonomous administrative region known as Gauzia. Its capital is in Comrat, where a governor, an executive committee, and a legislature sit. However, foreign policy, defense and monetary issues are still under the control of the Moldovan government. In 2003 the country reorganized its administrative-territorial organization. Nowadays is the country organized in administrative-territorial units: the village (commune), sector, city (municipiu) and districts. A village is an administrative territorial unit in which two or more villages can be united depending on the economic, social-cultural, geographical and demographical conditions. A city is the territorial administrative unit which is more developed than the village from an economic and social cultural point of view. This unit is administered by elected town and village councils and mayors. However, a city is not the same as a municipality. Moldova has 5 municipalities: Chisinau, Balti, Tighina, Tiraspol and Comrat. The administrative territorial organization of Moldova is made on two levels. The first level is constituted by the villages (communes), sectors and cities (municipiu). The second level is constitutes of the districts, Chisinau municipality and the Balti municipalities. Moldova has a total of 32 of those districts who coordinate the activities of the cities. The citizens of Moldova also have the right to elect the people active in these districts. Demography Moldova faces demographic challenges as rapid ageing and a low fertility spark fears about population decline. According to statistics from July 2017; 3.474.121million people reside in the country of Moldova. Compared to the 4 million people that lived in Moldova in 1996, there is a rapid decline. Of these total inhabitants 16,6 per cent is aged 60 years or older, a figure that is expected to more than double to 33.6 per cent by 2050. Meanwhile, the fertility rate is only 1.24, well below the replacement rate of 2.1. This means that Moldavia faces a negative population growth rate of -1.05%. Because of this, active and healthy ageing is not accessible for more than 70% of the people aged 55 years and older (UN, 2016). Young people emigrating from Moldova in search of better prospects means that the country has a negative migration rate of -9.4 migrants/ 1.000population. Almost half of the population, 45.2%, lives in the cities and the other 1.903.818 live in rural residents. Of all its citizens, 75,1% declared itself Moldovan. 7% Romanian, 6,6% Ukrainian, 4.6% Gagauz, 4.1% Russian, 1.9% Bulgarian. Religion According to statistics the population of Moldova has the following religious composition: 90.1% are Eastern Orthodox Christians. 2.6% can be categorized as other Christians and only 0.2% is atheist. The constitution provides freedom of religion and the government generally respects this right in practice. However, the Law on religions contains restrictions that inhibit the activities of unregistered religious groups. There is no state religion, nevertheless the Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova (orthodox churches) receives some favored treatment from the government. Culture 80.2% of Moldovans are of Romanian descent and as a result of close historical, linguistic and cultural ties with Romania do many Moldovans see themselves as Romanian. 56.7% identify their mother tongue as Moldovan which is virtually the same as Romanian. Moldovans/Romanians in the region between the rivers Prut and Dniestr sometimes call themselves Bessarabians. The local language is Romanian, but Russian is widely used. Unlike Romanians, a high percentage of Moldovans have an ethnically mixed family background. Moldova is a multi-ethnic republic that has rarely suffered from ethnic violence. Nevertheless, the country experienced full- fledged civil war during the Transdniestrian conflict. This conflict was caused by the fact that much of the Moldovan industry was located in the separatist region of Transdniestria. This region is also the source of much of Moldova’s electricity, which has been cut off at various times. Even though this conflict had a strong ethnic component, it was not ethnic by nature, it was fought mainly between the new independence-minded political elite in Chișinău and conservative pro-Soviet forces in Tiraspol. Although a cease-fire was declared in 1992 relations remained tense. Mamaliga, a hard corn porridge, is regarded as the national dish. It is poured onto a flat surface in the shape of a big cake and is served mainly with cheese, sour cream or milk. Moreover, it is proper to drink at least a symbolic amount of wine during a meal or in a ritual context to honor the host and toast the health of the people present. Occasionally in villages, toasting with the left hand may not be regarded as proper. It is improper to blow one’s nose at the table. Smoking in private homes is an uncommon practice; both hosts and guests usually go outside or onto the balcony to smoke. In villages, it is highly improper for women to smoke in public. Economy Moldova is a small lower-middle-income economy. Although it is the poorest country in Europe it has made significant progress in reducing poverty and promoting inclusive growth since the early 2000s. The national poverty rate fell from 30.2% in 2006 to 16.6% in 2012 (WorldBank, 2018). For Moldova it was difficult to transition from a controlled economy to a free market economy. A largely agricultural economy based on state and collective farms had been developed under Soviet rule.