…while Moldovans face higher costs for theirs

Moldovan citizens will face a dramatic increase in the cost of travelling to the EU if their government does not accept a new visa regime with the EU.

That was the warning from the European Commission earlier this month when the Moldovan authorities said they no longer wanted to negotiate a deal making it easier for Moldovans to get EU visas.

After a fractious first round of talks on 9 February, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin sent a letter to the European Commission and the Council of Ministers calling for visas to be scrapped altogether.

The Commission responded sharply. It said that Moldovans would have to pay €65 (the current fee is €35) for a visa to the EU’s Schengen zone from 1 January 2008, if the authorities in Chis?ina?u did not return to the negotiating table before April.

In talks this week (2-4 April) the Moldovan government softened its stance, improving its chances of reaching a deal on 25 April, slightly more favourable than its neighbours. Providing EU visas has become a political hot potato across the EU’s neighbourhood.

A 2005 deal between the EU and Russia eases visa restrictions for students, teachers and businesspeople. Diplomats no longer need a visa at all.

Pro-European Ukrainians have complained that the deal was struck with Russia before Ukraine, sending the wrong message to voters.

In Georgia the government complains that this has made Russian citizenship more attractive for Georgians. In breakaway Georgian regions that have Moscow’s support, Russia has long used citizenship as a political tool.

The Georgian government says that the EU-Russia visa-facilitation deal has made matters worse, particularly when Georgia has yet to conclude a similar agreement.

In Moldova the situation is equally dramatic. There the government fears up to half Moldova’s population could take Romanian citizenship to gain easier access to the EU.

Around 800,000 Mold-ovans have applied for Romanian citizenship since Romania joined the EU on 1 January 2007. With 75% of Moldovans meeting the criteria for Romanian citizenship that figure is expected to rise to 1.5 million after Romania cut processing times and opened new consulates in Moldova.

Most hope to take advantage of Romania’s preferential access to other EU member states. Italy and Spain are popular destinations for Moldovans.

"This is a huge problem for Moldova," said one Moldovan diplomat.

And EU officials agree. In private one senior EU diplomat recently described the situation as "incredibly dangerous", adding: "this could easily question the stability of the state".

The fear is that an exodus of Moldovan citizens could prompt economic collapse, or even the absorption of Moldova into Romania.

Voronin has publicly accused Romania, which shares a common language with Moldova, of pursuing a "unionist" agenda.

Moldovan citizens will face a dramatic increase in the cost of travelling to the EU if their government does not accept a new visa regime with the EU.