A direct contact among the University students from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Moldova inspired students to thought-sharing. Short essay bellow shows what the students have to say on the topic of European Integration and Reform Experience of the Visegrad countries and how it relates to Moldova’s European path.

Czech Republic
Title: One mistake from European integration of the Czech Republic
Author: Jan Kříž
University:  Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague, 2^nd Year

I would like to use the Czech republic as an example of a fundamental mistake that occurred during the process of integration to EU, which should and can be avoided by partners and potential EU members including Moldova.

Like in any other post communists countries in nineties Czech people have welcomed any opportunity that would connect them with the modern “western” part of the world. So when negotiations about integration started and the Czech republic finally joined EU in 2004 every part of the society was expecting huge and visible progressive changes and opportunities.

Integration tools like the European Economic Area and Schengen area were really significant steps forward. Unfortunately people got use to it quickly and started to consider it as a regular part of daily life.

Political elites begun to criticise deeper integration instead of promoting the idea of united Europe. They also blamed EU for problems in agriculture, protection of traditional brand of national products and adoption of meaningless regulations. But all of those were actually caused by badly negotiated terms of integration and too strict adoption of EU law framework.

This policy that used EU as a shield and as an attractive enemy created a strong wave of euroscepticism, so the prevailing conclusion for them is, that “Brussels” is regulating us and we are not able and allowed to do anything to influence that.

I wish that Moldova will learn from those mistakes, that Moldavian politicians will help to keep expectations of European integration on a realistic level and will try to establish closer relations between official EU organs and citizens.