IDM in Moldova for CitizEn and CAST projects
Last week, IDM Director Sebastian Schäffer and researchers Sophia Beiter, Elena Marko and Rebecca Thorne travelled to Moldova for two project meetings. In both projects Moldova, as an integral part of Europe, plays an important role, with its prospects shaping the future of our continent.
For the project “Citizens for EU Enlargement (CitizEn)”, which is organised by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, we brought together partners from think tanks and organisations in the EU countries most sceptical of EU enlargement, as well as from three candidate countries – Moldova, Albania and Montenegro. During interactive workshops we identified common disinformation narratives about EU enlargement in our respective countries and discussed possible solutions for communicating better about the enlargement process.
We also had the opportunity to listen to a keynote speech by Marcel Spătari (Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration, Parliament of the Republic of Moldova), and to talk to multipliers from Moldova about their impressions of the enlargement process and to develop strategies for better communication. We will build on the results at our second workshop in Montenegro in September.
Whilst the CitizEn project was concerned with communication regarding the EU enlargement process, the workshops for the CAST project focused on developing a new understanding of culture as an active resource for innovation and cohesion, enhancing social inclusion, and building resilient, thriving communities, thereby turning the EU’s vision of a just and green transition into reality.
The IDM team led a workshop on the project’s communication strategies, during which partners identified weaknesses and highlights, and outlined the next steps – particularly regarding the promotion of the inaugural Danube Festival Caravan. Experiencing Moldova as a cultural destination was also of central importance, where we were able to learn from best practices of authentic cultural and tourism offers.
All partners from both projects had the opportunity to attend the DescOPERA Festival in Butuceni, in the Moldovan countryside, which is also part of the Danube Festival Caravan. This was a fitting and inspiring conclusion for several intensive days filled with discussions and the development of ideas. And this festival demonstrated once again that Moldova is part of European culture and the European project, and our projects will continue to work towards spreading more widely this message.
CitizEn in the Media:
The CitizEn project received media attention while in Moldova. A few days after Moldova opened its first EU accession negotiation cluster, IDM Director Sebastian Schäffer, along with other project partners, shared their perspectives on the path ahead and the role of civil society in mobilising support for the accession process of candidate countries.
Interviews on Radio Moldova: https://radiomoldova.md/p/79111
Article in Moldpres: https://www.moldpres.md/eng/politics/civil-society-mobilizes-support-for-moldova-s-eu-accession
Article on Moldova 1: https://moldova1.md/p/78906/moldova-and-western-balkans-battle-eu-enlargement-skepticism
TV interview for Moldova 1: https://youtu.be/LOl9LA2VtD4?si=gVCr5F7XWaj_UD0h
