#NEXT4EU: Training Course for 20 Young People in Public Policies, Communication, and Disinformation in EU-Moldova Relations
The Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE), in partnership with the Berlin Institute for European Policies (IEP) and the Institute for Strategic Initiatives (IPIS), organized a training course for young people on April 16-19, 2024, as part of the “#NEXT4EU – Young generation for EU integration of the Republic of Moldova ” project.
The course was attended by 20 young people from across the country, who learned about the negotiation and accession process to the EU, the necessary steps to be taken, and the challenges faced by the Republic of Moldova.
In the first training session, Iulian Groza, Executive Director of IPRE, discussed political dialogue, the quality of reforms, and cooperation in foreign and security policy between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union. Future stages of the negotiation process were explored, and the medium and long-term priorities of the central public authorities were debated.
In the second session, Adrian Ermurachi, Co-Executive Director of IPRE, presented the administrative architecture of the negotiation and accession process to the EU. Participants learned about the institutional framework for European policies and integration, the strategic policy planning framework, and the administrative context. This session also included a presentation on the 35 sectoral working groups responsible for the political criterion, the economic criterion, and the 33 negotiating chapters for EU accession.
The third session of the second day of the training course was dedicated to perspectives on the latest developments in the digitization of public services. The session also presented the alignment of policy documents with relevant EU documents related to the digital society and economy, digital governance, and cybersecurity. The session was facilitated by Olga Tumuruc Gaivas, former Director of the E-Government Agency of Moldova and associate expert at IPRE.
The fourth session addressed disinformation and political communications in the EU. Currently, the national information space is overwhelmed with disinformation campaigns and hybrid warfare tactics. As the upcoming elections and referendum approach, Moldova will likely face an avalanche of threats. This session presented the authorities’ efforts to protect the integrity of the information space and was facilitated by Simion Ciochină, strategic communication expert at IPRE.
During the fifth session, Diana Doroș, project coordinator of the Human Rights program at IPRE, discussed the National Program for Ensuring Human Rights for 2024-2027, recently adopted by the authorities. The approval of this program was a key action outlined in the National Action Plan for the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union. The program serves as a comprehensive response to the European Commission’s recommendations, as outlined in the 2023 Report on the Republic of Moldova and the EU’s enlargement policy.
Throughout the training course, the young participants engaged in discussions with special guests, including Valeria Bicu and Ludmila Dragalina Vranceanu, senior consultants at the Office for European Integration; Ana Revenco, Director of the Center for Strategic Communication and Combating Disinformation; and Mădălin Necșuțu, journalist at TVR Moldova.
The training took place within the project #NEXT4EU – Young generation for EU integration of the Republic of Moldova, which is supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany in the framework of its civil society cooperation programe.