Lessons from Czech Republic for Moldova by former chief EU negotiator

European integration is not an easy process, but the results are worth the effort. The opportunities that come along with integration are enormous, but they take time for people to understand. Czech chief negotiator for EU accession Pavel Telička made the statement during the show Diplomatic Dimension at Moldova 1.

The Czech official spoke about his country's experience in the accession negotiations, emphasizing that the road to the European Union involved reforms, a lot of convincing work, and resistance, even from some pro-European politicians.


“I'm not saying it was easy for us, we never had 90% support. The referendum was somewhat comfortable, but you still need to communicate with people, they need to understand what's happening for their response to be the right one. The negotiation process took almost 5 years” he explained.


Telička noted that the benefits became visible after accession: access to the single market, European funds for infrastructure, higher environmental standards, better public services and significant GDP growth.


“The opportunities that will come are enormous. For young people, engineers, innovators, teachers, business people, traders. I believe it takes time for people to understand. There need to be policies that are not populist, where politics is not a business” he said.


Another central point, according to Telička, is justice.


“Even if you carry out extraordinary economic reforms, you need a functional judicial system for implementation. Corruption and cronyism must be eradicated,” he stressed.


The Czech official also recalled the difficulties faced by the country in areas like agriculture, fiscal policy or energy, and the importance of respecting minority rights and principle of equality.

In his message to the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, Pavel Telička issued a clear call:


“Don't miss the opportunity. The train of integration is moving and will reach its destination. There will be no other trains in the future. Get on now and be together with us.”


The Czech Republic joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, along with nine other Central and Eastern European countries. Since then, the Czech economy has experienced accelerated development. Exports have increased significantly, and the Czech Republic has become a regional hub for foreign investment, especially in the industry and automotive sectors.

European funds have fueled the modernization of road and rail infrastructure, projects in education, health and environment, and living standards have consistently risen. The unemployment rate has dropped to one of the lowest in the EU, around 3%, and the average salary has doubled in the last 20 years.