Guidelines for the EU: Modeling a resilience-building mechanism for Moldova and the “Association Trio”

Denis Cenusa

The current policy brief attempts to present a set of guidelines (“mechanisms”) that can facilitate the injection of the resilience logic into the actions of the EU towards one of the Eastern Partnership countries - Moldova. This policy brief complements a previous research paper on resilience-building by the EU in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, published by CEPS in 2019. The guidelines described in this policy brief can be replicated in other countries from the region, where the EU is willing and has the capacities and authority to promote resilience.

The policy brief is divided into three sections, followed by a conclusion and recommendations:

  • At the outset, several underlying principles are proposed for the EU to apply in promoting resilience in Moldova (and the “Association Trio” as a whole) – smart conditionality, ex-post assessment and continuity of reform. 

  • The second section looks at three fundamental pillars that should be at the heart of the resilience efforts from the side of the EU – rule of law, institutions and critical infrastructure. 

  • Next, the third section designs a resilience-building mechanism that aims to recalibrate and refine the existing EU toolbox, avoiding reinventing the wheel.